Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Whilst our catch up chats are always such a delight Dustin, I actually have an important question for you.” Speaking with minor annoyance into the phone, Max had been ringing all of her now long-distance friends for half the afternoon, with Dustin as the first one to pick up.

“Something sciencey boggling poor Mad Max’s brain?” Taking on a lightly teasing tone, Dustin Henderson wondered why Max was calling. Not that he didn't want to talk to his friend, but they'd already done a catch up call last week when Lucas and Suzie had been free too. This call was unexpected, and therefore a mystery that the brainiac was all too eager to receive clues for.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Max reminded herself that she just needed to get the words out, and this would be over and done with. “Holly is worried about Mike and wants me to talk to him. But he's being a shithead and no one knows where he keeps disappearing to. All of our ideas struck out, and Nancy and Will aren't answering the phone right now. So I'm left with you.”

“Tell me everywhere you've already checked.” And so Max did. She listed off the bench facing the library, the cemetery where Eddie and El’s graves were (despite El never having a body to bury), where Castle Byers used to stand, and even the church.

“I'm about ready to scour the damn tunnels.” With a huff and a gentle massage of her temple to try and reduce the stress headache forming, Max leaned up against the wall beside the corded phone she was using.

There was silence for a moment, before Dustin asked another question; This one was much more out of the blue than Max expected though. “Mike's story. The one he's working on about us? Do you know where he is up to?”

Thinking back about what Holly had said, Max did her best to explain. “Holly mentioned Mike's been claiming writer's block, and he's not up to adding me in yet that's for sure. Uh, Will still isn't rescued yet and -”

“Sattler’s Quarry.”

The sudden interruption from Dustin caught Max off guard, causing her brain to crash and reboot briefly. “Sorry, what?”

“You'll find Mike at Sattler’s Quarry. He saved me there once… I'll let him tell you the full story. But I'd bet my bottom dollar that's where he is.” Sounding completely certain, there was a sense of almost grim urgency to Dustin’s voice, with a level of resignation mixed in. “I'm glad I caught your call. Only five people know what happened there, and short of Mike, I'm the only one you could ask. I know gentle isn't your thing, but go easy on him when you get there ok? You probably understand better than most what he's going through.”

Getting the chills and clenching her jaw as Dustin spoke, Max did her best not to be too curt when responding. “Well that's not cryptic at all. I'll go check out the quarry.”

“Call me after, ok? I'm not going anywhere.”

“You got it. Thanks…” Hanging up the phone, Max sighed, grabbed her jacket and keys, and headed out to find one Michael Wheeler.

~~~~~

He wasn't there to jump. Even if some small part of him felt like it might be the only answer that stops him from feeling so much inner turmoil. The Quarry was just the one place that afforded Mike a sense of calm he'd never felt anywhere else. Closing his eyes, he could still feel the sensation of being caught by El’s powers, causing him to just hang in the air over open water before being pulled back up.

Sure it had been terrifying, but if it helped Mike think through the noise of grief, then so be it. He didn't regret jumping. Regretting being caught however, the jury was still out on that one.

As time passed, things tried to return to normal around him. He figured there was probably some degree of PTSD that was keeping him from going forward, not just the grief. Writing a book was supposed to be a cathartic way through, a way to accept his feelings and acknowledge the pain but it was stirring up so many more questions than Mike ever realised it would.

There was the sound of gravel crunching behind him, which did briefly startle him from his thoughts. People rarely used this road in the first place. “Holy shit Wheeler don't goddamn do this to me.” The sound of a bike dropping to the ground was followed by stomping, angry footsteps, as Max appeared at his side. Sitting down so both their legs hung over the edge, Max forced her arm around Mike’s to ensure he couldn't pull away. “You better not be thinking about going over.”

There was some silence, before a small smile appeared on Mike’s face. “Thanks Max. You're a mean person, but I knew you cared somewhere in there.”

“Yeah, well, someone in this shitty town needs to tell things like they are. Even if it comes across mean.” They both sat there, arms entwined as they stared out over the quarry before Max decided to break the silence. “Dustin gave me some real cryptic bs about why I would find you here… Do you wanna talk about it?”

There was a sigh from Mike. It wasn't like he intentionally wanted this to be a secret from his friends, but it was something that just hadn't needed to come up before. “Whilst Will was missing, Lucas and I had a fight. Then El used her powers and intervened, so Lucas stormed off. See, we had been following Dustin’s compass idea trying to find the gate but El had been throwing us off to protect us, but Lucas wasn't buying it. Anyway, it was just me and Dustin and we were trying to find El.” He took a moment to breathe. Emotions had come rushing back as if part of him was reliving every second at breakneck speed. Max gave him a small squeeze of reassurance with her arm, staying silent as she didn't want to interrupt.

“Dustin and I went looking for El,” Mike spoke softer now, speaking slowly instead of just trying to get the story over with. “But instead Troy and James found us. Our biggest bullies in middle school. They chased me and Dustin through the forest, and up that road just there,” pointing in the same direction Max had ridden in from, this action briefly broke both friends’ gazes from the water below them. “Dustin got a cramp, and so Troy caught him. Took out this knife… and threatened him.”

“Holy shit-” Max couldn't help herself, disgusted by what she was hearing.

“Yeah, holy shit.” There was a small, hollow laugh from Mike. “Threatened to take out the rest of Dustin’s baby teeth via knife, if I didn't jump into the quarry.”

“What the actual fuck was wrong with that kid?!” Glad she wasn't there yet, Max had half a mind to find Troy right now and deck him.

Nodding in agreement, Mike could see how it was a stupid thing to come to, but he continued to explain. “El had made him pee himself in front of everyone in the gym, but he blamed me because I was the one who pushed him and caused everyone to look in the first place. Now, credit to James, he tried to talk Troy out of this too, but he wasn't hearing it.” Taking a deep breath, Mike steadied himself for the final part of the story. The part that even Dustin didn't know in full.

Why are you telling Max this? Part of him wondered, but the answer was easy. She's the only one who would understand.

“I stood right here, on this rock I'm sitting on now,” he glanced down at it briefly. “And I thought, ‘Lucas hates me. El ran away from me. Will might never come home and Dustin needs my help.’” Tears formed in his eyes. “And I knew that my friends were smart and they wouldn't stop looking for Will. I wanted him to have friends to come home to that he deserved to have by his side. If that meant I wasn't in the picture… so be it. Dustin needed help now. And I just…”

“You actually jumped?” Max’s voice wasn't incredulous, cruel or even pitying. It was simply a question for clarification, like she was still processing everything. Mike nodded, and used his free hand to wipe his eyes. “Damn Wheeler… Didn't think you'd have it in you. Sorry, you had to go through all that. What happened after?”

“Well, El saved me, of course. Caught me half way down with her mind powers, brought me back up and proceeded to break Troy’s arm. He ran off, told the police and that's how Hopper found out we had El. But… The feeling of falling never really went away. It's the only way I can centre myself when shit really hits the fan, you know? And thinking about all this… It's made me question myself more than I thought.”

Nudging him gently so he would look her way, Max smiled at him. “Well don't forget you're not alone. Not all your friends got out of hell the first chance they got. Plus, Holly has been worried about you.”

“Sorry.” Mike looked sheepish at that. “Didn't mean to make her worry about me too.”

“So, anything else you wanna get off your chest? Seems like a pretty solid confession place. Maybe second only to a church or the graveyard, honestly.” The church was a natural place of confession, like a police station. But the graveyard was Max’s equivalent to what the Quarry had come to represent for Mike. Billy’s grave was her confession place.

“Yeah but this one is a wildly different topic.” There was a nod and a laugh, as Mike looked to the sky. “Remember how Will came out to us, just before we went to fight Vecna?”

“Hard to forget.”

“Well, I've been stuck replaying it in my head. Not the words specifically, I understand what Will was saying and all but like… Do you have to like just boys or just girls, do you think?”

Raising her eyebrows, Max took a minute to work out where Mike was going with this. “No, I think you could probably appreciate both. Something you wanna tell me Wheeler?”

They both stood up together, stepping back from the edge before dusting themselves off. “Going through everything again for my book just made me wonder… What if I shouldn't have dated El? I mean, you of all people know I was a terrible boyfriend. And I never… I never actually said “I love you” to her face - pathetic, I know.”

“Dude, what's pathetic was you couldn't even write it in a letter. Trust me, I heard about that one.” Now that they weren't in danger of imminent death, Max pushed Mike to vent some of her annoyance at him.

Not minding the push because he deserved it, Mike nodded. “Yeah, I'm pathetic through and through, I know. But… I hurt Will too. And now he's gone again, I… keep wondering what would have happened if I realised sooner. About both him, and me.”

“So, if you're not straight and you're not gay, what does that make you exactly?” Wondering what word would be there for it, Max didn't know how Mike would be able to identify his feelings in a solid way.

“What about bisexual? You know, bi meaning two or or both really in this instance, and the fact that the others are “homosexual” and “heterosexual”?’ Shrugging, Mike wasn't entirely sure if that's how it worked but it made sense to him.

Thinking about it, Max couldn't fault that logic. “You're the words dude. So, is that the reason you've been coming out here and worrying the shit out of everyone?”

“Again, sorry!” Headed for their bikes nearby, Max and Mike retrieved their rides as they spoke. “But yes, I've just been trying to work some shit out about it.”

“Well if it matters, it's cool with me. And I won't tell anyone. Unless, of course, I need to blackmail you, then I might~” There was a teasing wink as Max kicked off, Mike following close behind.

“I wouldn't have it any other way!” Following her down the road again, the friends, no matter how much they butted heads, enjoyed each other's company as they rode back into town. Hawkins could be a lonely place. But if you looked hard enough, there was always someone waiting to remind you of why you called it home.

Chapter Text

This month was always a struggle. Everything that had gone wrong in their lives had happened almost exclusively in November - aside from of course that one time the Mind Flayer attacked in July and whatnot. Being away from Hawkins and newly settling into a different life seemed to have its perks. Mike now lived in another town, close enough to Hawkins that Holly could come for sleepover visits after just a day's drive, but not so close that the ominous aura of his home town could suck him back into its echoes of pain.

Mike had an agreement with both Max and Holly that he would call them both, once a week just so they knew he was still okay, especially after Max had found out about the whole Quarry debacle. The book of the past was completed, and sat bound on his shelf - it wasn't ever to be mass produced, but rather just a bound portion of their lives to sit on the shelves of those who knew the truth. A constant reminder of what happened and a promise that those lost would never be forgotten.

Working as the library assistant that functioned also as a high school library as much as a public one, Mike thought he'd done alright for himself, despite taking longer than most to move on with the world. He'd taken Hopper's advice and wasn't going to go down the path of pain. He'd seen Dustin do that, and it just hurt everyone more.

There was one other bright spot in his life these days too that was brand new. Now, you might be expecting it to be a romantic partner, or maybe a pet to keep him company, but you'd be wrong. Rather, it was the daughter of his next door neighbours that he'd become fond of, forming a mentor/student type relationship with her.

Willow Burrows was a wickedly imaginative child who loved to play with animals, but she was quiet and reserved as well. Mike had met her when Holly came to stay in his new place for the summer, as she had helped him settle in before school started back. Seeing the kid lonely next door, Holly had marched right over and asked if they could play board games together. It had taken her a few minutes to break through the Burrows parent’s stony facades, but Holly had managed to convince it would be fine. After all, even though Mike hadn't been home at the time, they were right next door.

And when he did get home, he found both girls playing happily with his DND props. Though, Willow had been struggling. Turns out, the ten year old had undiagnosed dyslexia, and she was struggling to read. It was often a source of trouble in her home, with her parents being deeply religious and. Feeling safe in the Wheeler household, Willow had even admitted that her parents would often berate her and be mean just because she couldn't read the holy text, saying that either her existence was evil or her stubbornness about reading was insulting to their family.

That of course had sent Mike and Holly into full protective sibling mode. Mike spoke with Mr and Mrs Burrows, for several hours, before being able to convince them to let him tutor their daughter, and immediately Willow’s school studies began to improve too. Mike and Willow worked together to figure out how to help work with her reading disability instead of against it, and having Willow over was almost a daily occurrence.

Mike could see the direct effect he had on this young girl, and how she became more confident to express herself whenever she came over, playing and having fun like any kid should. But it hurt each time she went home, right back to where she had to shove herself into a box so her parents wouldn't see what they hated. “If ever it gets too much,” Mike had promised her quietly one evening, “There is a key under the mat of my back door. You're welcome to come in any time.”

He didn't expect that time to come just three weeks later. But now, here he was in the dark of his kitchen, brewing a cup of tea for a terrified and cold young girl with a spare blanket pulled tight around her shoulders. Willow’s hair was out freely, as she always yanked it free from its restrictive braid the moment she was safe in Mike’s house. Handing the cup over, Mike leaned against the bench and double checked that his curtain was drawn before speaking softly. “What happened Willow? Are you alright?”

“I-I’m not hurt or anything but… I'm scared Mr Wheeler, I'm so so scared-” Trembling again, Willow nearly lost her grip on her mug when the hot tea splashed and singed her fingers.

Approaching and putting steadying hands on the young girl's shoulders, Mike smiled lightly in the dark. “Remember, it's just Mike when it's my house. Ok?”

“R-Right. Sorry Mike.” Speaking sheepishly, the small correction actually served to calm her down. Together, they sat on the floor opposite each other, and Willow took a deep breath. “I heard my parents talking. Almost arguing. But they're gonna send me away someplace they said. Some “special school program” that'll… make me more like them.”

“More like them? Like a religious school or something?” Mike had nothing against religion, unless it was used to hurt people. Then he didn't like it at all. “But we've been working on your reading, and you enjoy English more now.” Confused about why things were getting worse in Willow’s home despite the improvements she'd been making, Mike wanted to do his best to help this poor kid.

Sitting quietly with her hands wrapped carefully around her warm mug, Willow felt the tears sting her eyes as she tried to hold them back. Swallowing some tea to help soothe the emotional lump in her throat, it took Willow some time to actually answer Mike’s question. “They don't like me spending time with you. Bad influence they said. They think you're encouraging the evil in me to thrive.” She directly quoted her parents from part of the phonecall she'd overheard.

Mike snorted. He couldn't help but laugh a little bit at the opinion of Willow’s parents. “They're just jealous because you have more fun at my house.” Trying to be a little goofy to brighten Willow’s spirits, the older male relaxed against his kitchen cupboards, despite the handles pressing into his back. “Why don't you spend the night here? You can spend the night in the spare room's bed, and I'll go talk to your parents so they know where you are and that you're safe, and I try to figure it out with them?”

Struggling to stand up without losing her blanket or spilling her tea, Willow’s voice wobbled with uncertainty too. “Are you sure? Aren't they just gonna get mad at you more? I don't want you to go away either Mike.”

“Hopefully I won't have to. But I mean, I can only do so much. They are your parents after all… Sometimes all you can do is wait until you physically outgrow them - we both know you've already mentally outgrown their comfort zone.” Taking the mug and then her hand, Mike gently led her through the house to his spare bedroom, primarily for if Holly wanted to sleep over again. “If you want to try some of Holly’s clothes in case your pants are wet from outside or anything, feel free. I know she wouldn't mind.”

“Thanks Mike, but I'm okay.” She helped pull back the covers of the bed, but continued to keep the already warmed blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Tucking her into bed, keeping the warm mug on the bedside table with a clock and a lamp if she needed it, Mike hoped she felt comfortable.

Right as he was about to say goodnight, Mike heard a familiar sound that chilled his blood. A painful memory surfaced without permission, and his skin paled in the meagre moonlight of the spare room. “Mike? What's wrong?”

Pulling himself back to the present, Mike looked at Willow and tried to smile. “Stay right here, ok? I'll be back. I just want to check something.” He heard the noise again, and his heart beat faster.

I’d know military vehicles anywhere at this rate. I just hope I'm wrong.

Sneaking back to the front of his house as fast as possible, Mike peered out the side window, towards the Burrows house. As he feared, two military vehicles had pulled up at his neighbours house, and were talking quietly to Willow’s parents on the front lawn. “Shit… shit not again-” Fighting panic as it rose like bile in his throat, Mike scrambled back to the shelf with his board game pieces. Pausing briefly, he snatched up his Mike the Brave Minifigure, and Willow's Minifigure too, known as Willow the Wanderer. He knew it was probably stupid to do, but every kid he'd known had something small and special to hold onto. Something that made them feel braver in the dark.

Well, everyone he'd known except El and Willow. And El ended up with a bear and a lion. So Mike hoped that grabbing this little figure of pretend Elf Willow would help the real Willow be able to deal with the scary, unknown future. Holly the Heroic had helped his younger sister after all. 

Returning to the guest room, Mike kept the lights off and returned to Willow’s side. The girl hadn't moved an inch, like she'd become some statue in the shadows. “Ok, Willow? I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. You were right to be scared, and I'm sorry. But I'm going to be right here, and so is Willow the Wanderer, okay?” Handing over the figure, Willow’s hand was shaking but she curled her fingers into a tight fist on the mini metal person.

“Mike, what's going on out there?” Whispering so softly that Mike almost missed it, she sat up so Mike could sit beside her.

Knowing that the truth wasn't easy, Mike wanted to lie to her. He wanted so badly to tell this little girl that everything was going to be fine and it was all in his head. But he was just as afraid as she was, and lying to Holly hadn't done him any favours. “The military are here. I think that's who your parents called.” He spoke to her in a gentle tone, doing his best to keep his own fear away.

“For camp?!” The words came out as a terrified rasp, voice rising whilst trying to remain quiet. “I don't want to go-”

Before Willow could finish or Mike could answer, there was a loud bang as the front door of the house was knocked in, soldiers forcefully entering the home. Willow almost screamed, her voice catching in her throat as her free hand shot to cover her mouth. Mike put a hand on her shoulder, knowing it was probably only seconds before the military came barging in here too. Having a physical tether to Willow, and knowing she needed to be protected, helped ground Mike in the moment.

He wouldn't let another person he cared about be taken from him because of a military ambush. He wasn't totally helpless this time… Right?

As predicted, the door burst open and flashlights blinded the two occupants inside, before the light was switched on so everyone in the room could see. Standing up and physically shielding Willow from the soldiers, Mike growled with anger at the people taking over his home. “What the hell do you think you're doing here?!”

Their leader, a man with a clean-shaven face that screamed 'slick bastard' as it held a smug expression, stopped in front of the group, standing directly opposite Mike. “Ah, Michael Wheeler. I've read about you.” Raising an eyebrow, the man shifted the gun in his hands as an intimidation tactic. “Real pain in the ass. But you see, the question is less what are we doing here, and more what does everyone else think we're doing here?”

Glancing back at Willow briefly to see if she was alright, Mike saw the young girl was terrified, clutching the original blanket tighter around her shoulders. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“I'll explain in a second.” Raising his right hand, the man known as “Reicher” according to his name patch motioned with his pointer finger, like he was telling someone behind him to move forward.

Immediately, Mike felt a tingle of sensation bloom from the base of his skull up to his right ear, the opposite side of what Reicher had motioned. Within a split second of that feeling, Mike instinctively moved his head to the left, and not a moment too soon. A bullet found itself wedged in the wall behind him, scaring both Mike and Willow deeply. Willow grabbed onto Mike’s arm, not wanting to let him go, and he squeezed her hand gently. Holy crap that was close. What game is he playing at?!

“Perfect. See, you've got two options. One, you become known to the broader community as a pedophile with a penchant for killing kids - I do love redacted military documents leaving such gaping plot holes for us to play with!” He chuckled whilst Mike looked at him incredulously. “Or two, you and the kid come with us, no fuss.”

“What kind of bullshit options are they? I mean, I'm not a creep, but I'm not letting you take Willow anywhere either.” Wanting to protect her as much as possible, Mike knew he didn't have many options open to him.

Both hands back on the gun, Reicher looked Mike dead in the eyes with a sinister smile. “You'll be too dead to argue if you're a pedo or not with option one.”

Willow tugged on Mike’s hand and he looked back at her once more. “I'll go if it means they don't hurt you.” She whispered to him. The child didn't want any of this to be her fault, and she thought that if this helped, maybe she could be brave enough to go through with it.

Turning around and putting both hands on Willow's shoulders, Mike leaned down to be at her level, kneeling beside the bed. “I can't let them put you through the same pain my family and friends suffered. Because whatever it is the military wants, it's probably going to hurt. Willow, you're just a kid with your whole life ahead of you.”

“If you come with me, I'll be okay.” Whispering back and matching Mike’s gentle yet pained tone, Willow gave her mentor a half-hearted smile of hope. “It's like what Sunshine the Mage said. You know you're alive still if you're in pain. And you keep fighting until you're on the other side.” Quoting something Mike had said during their one DND mini-campaign with Holly, Willow hoped it would give Mike all the courage he needed to pull through, like it was giving to her.

But in all honesty, Mike just felt his heart crumble a little more under the guilt, pain and sadness. Giving in to the situation, the older male stood and turned towards the military personnel invading his home. “Fine. But whatever happens, you don't separate us, okay?” Despite shaking a little with fear, Mike was able to keep his voice steady. Not in a million years was he going to die before helping Willow get through whatever this was.

Next thing he knew, Mike was carrying Willow protectively against his chest, her head snuggled into his neck with her legs wrapped around his torso for extra stability. The monkey-hold kept the terrified pair close to each other, comforted in their proximity to someone they considered as safe. And as both barefoot civilians became prisoners in the back of the second military truck, Mike wondered what Max and Holly would do when he couldn't call them back.

Chapter Text

The beeping in his ears was driving him crazy, and Mike wasn't even fully awake yet. On top of that, it felt like his breath kept hitting his face each time he breathed out, creating a strange, almost whistling rattle sound. I feel like someone turned me into Darth Vader… Taking one last deep breath and smelling nothing but the faint scent of hospital grade cleaner, Mike opened his bleary eyes to find a white room around him. An oxygen mask had been strapped to his face, and both of his arms felt like they were on fire at a dull heat. Like they were burning but he'd gotten used to it already.

Trying to look at his body, Mike found he was unable to sit up, let alone move his arms or legs. Tilting his head to the right revealed a small table with Mike the Brave standing, staring at him, along with a clipboard, an IV drip that was undoubtedly hooked into his arm, and the infernal machine constantly beeping with the rate of his heart. At the edge of his vision, restricted by the mask he couldn't remove, Mike noticed a strap that was likely keeping him from sitting up, tied across his shoulders to keep him to the bed.

Tilting his head to the left revealed more information yet again, both disturbing and comforting. Willow was there, still fast asleep but she had just as many tubes and restraints as Mike did. One such tube was connected to one coming from Mike, with a zip tie holding them together just in sight. Tilting his head awkwardly by shifting his shoulders sideways under his restraint, Mike was able to glimpse a machine in the centre of the room, taking in blood from himself and Willow into its bowels, before spitting some strange purple liquid back up through the secondary tube, infusing the unknown substance back into their bodies. No wonder I feel like shit.

His heart rate spiked on the monitor loudly as his bed began to move of its own accord, pushing him into an upright position without his consent. Glaring at the machine before watching a woman in a white labcoat enter the room, Mike wondered what was about to happen, since he clearly had no control here. “Ah! One M. Wheeler, awake before my very eyes. Painful to have your mortality so prominently displayed, isn't it? I always figure that's why people hate hospitals~” The woman gestured towards the machine that was keeping track of Mike's heartrate, giggling like she was supposed to be in an institution of some kind.

“The fuck… are you doing… to us?” His tongue felt strange, like it had been replaced with a sour gummy of some kind. It made talking difficult, along with the oxygen mask trying to muffle his words further.

Regardless of his speaking impediments, the doctor seemed to hear Mike just fine. “Science, obviously. And boy did we get lucky this time. You and Willow have such a lovely bond, and guess what?” She didn't give Mike any time to actually guess anything, and instead pushed on. “Your blood types are compatible! My first pairing to survive this long.” Clapping happily but quietly so she wouldn't disturb Willow, who was still completely out of it, the doctor looked mightily pleased with herself. “In fact, you've officially become Subjects III,” She pointed to Willow with this comment before pointing to Mike. “And IV. Better get used to the name.” She winked and put her hand into one of her coat pockets. 

She must have a remote for the beds, Mike thought to himself as he began lowering back down into a flat position rather than a seated one. He wanted to insult her. Yell or shout or even just struggle against his binds, but his muscles felt weak, and it was like his bones had gone hollow. As he relaxed back into the crappy pillow beneath his head, Mike hoped with all his heart that Willow was alright. He'd give almost anything to be able to reach out and touch her hand, just so she knew she wasn't alone in here. Just like he'd tried to be there for Will, when they rescued him from the Upside Down. That had been so long ago now…

~~~~~

“Mike?” Shooting upright in the bed of the spare bedroom in Mike Wheeler's house was one Willow Burrows, wondering what was going on. Did I dream those military people coming? Sunlight filled the room despite the curtains still being closed, and Willow cautiously got up from the bed. Surprisingly, the wooden floors weren't cold to her bare feet, and she gently shed the bedcovers as she moved forward through the room. Clearly Mike wasn't in this room, if he was around anywhere at all.

Walking towards the door, Willow saw something out the corner of her eye that made her jump right out of her skin. A small shriek had come from her mouth in her surprise, and she stared at the culprit with wide eyes. It was her reflection in the vanity mirror, but she nearly didn't recognise herself. Her mousey brown waves still sat around her hair like her classic bed hair would, but her usually peaches-and-cream skin was gaunt and sullen, looking like someone had sucked the colour from her body. Not only that, but the whites of her eyes looked grey and bloodshot - but if the blood was purple instead of red. Topping it all off, Willow’s reflection didn't even show her in her pajamas. She'd been changed into a hospital gown.

It was a terrifying sight. Especially for a ten year old girl who'd practically never been in a hospital in her life. Struggling to look away, Willow managed to convince herself to tear her gaze away from the mirror, and run out of the room into the short hallway that connected the rest of Mike’s house to the bedrooms.

Knocking politely on Mike’s door, Willow called out again for her friend. “Mike? Mike, are you in there? Please be there, I don't want to be alone!” Placing her palms on the wooden door, Willow pressed her ear up against it to try and hear into the room. Unsure of whether she imagined a groan or actually heard it, the young girl took a deep breath and put her hand on the doorknob. “I'm coming in!” Giving him full warning, or whatever might be on the other side of that door, Willow marched right on in. This house was her safe place, so she wasn't going to let some weird noise get the best of her now.

Mike laid on his bed, unresponsive and taking shallow breaths. He looked as unwell as Willow’s reflection had, but at least he was in normal clothes. Wait a minute. Who goes to bed in normal clothes? That's what pajamas are for! Realising it was a bit strange to be on top of the bed rather than in it, and to be wearing a t-shirt and jeans no less, Willow hurried over to her older friend.

Kneeling beside his bed and taking his hand in both of hers, Willow looked at Mike’s face, praying to a God she tried to believe in for her parents sake that he was going to be okay. “Mike, can you hear me? Please, wake up. I need you to be okay.”

There was another groan as Mike shifted. Her words had gotten through to him, and he squeezed her hand gently, waking slowly. “What the hell?” Blinking and sitting up, Mike was incredibly confused. “This is… impossible. We aren't in my house right now.” Brow furrowed, Mike looked around and continued to squeeze Willow’s hands, not wanting to let go.

“I dunno, I just woke up here but my reflection was so scary, I'm glad you're here now too.” Letting go of Mike’s hand just to hug him tightly around the waist, Willow took this moment to calm down again. 

Placing a gentle hand on her head, Mike tried to comfort his young friend whilst taking in the room. It clearly looked the same as his bedroom, but faintly he could still hear the beep of the heart rate monitor. This must be in my head. Mike figured, then looked down again at Willow. In… our heads? He tried to correct himself, but it just raised more questions rather than answers. “Why don't we explore the place? Let's try and figure out where we really are. Because a few seconds ago, I spoke to a strange doctor whilst we were in some hospital-like room, and I don't like it one bit.”

“That does sound scary. Have you been in hospitals much?” Since it sounded like Mike had plenty of experience with them, Willow got up and stepped back so he could stand as well.

Holding out his hand to his young friend so they could stick together, Mike nodded with a saddened expression. “Far too many. Always close calls… My parents, Max, Will…” There was a heavy, burdened sigh that followed the list of names. Swallowing hard and trying to lighten the mood again, Mike gave her a weak smile. “I'm usually fit as a fiddle though, so you don't have to worry about me.”

Feeling emboldened by each other's presence, the pair headed into the loungeroom. “So, what's the plan?” Willow looked to her mentor for guidance. “Are we looking for weirdness? Or other signs of life?”

Thinking hard, Mike was kinda glad he’d spent plenty of time talking to Max about how she used to navigate Henry Creel’s mind. And whilst Dustin was usually the most reliable for bang on theories, Mike was just going to have to do his best as the resident story teller to figure things out for himself this time. “I'm not sure if it's weirdness exactly that we are after. I mean, this feels like it's a shared memory maybe? You and I both know my house pretty well after all.”

“Yeah,” Willow nodded. “I've always felt really safe here.”

“So if this place is just in our heads, are we in your head or mine? I think that's the pressing question.” Closing his eyes, Mike did his best to think rationally. But a strange tugging sensation on what he could only describe as his soul became evident, though incredibly gentle and barely perceptible. “Willow, close your eyes. Tell me, do you feel that?”

There were a few moments of silence between them before Willow spoke up. “The tug?” She asked, uncertain of what Mike meant precisely.

“Yeah. Maybe that's what we are looking for, maybe we need to follow it. Up for an adventure?”

“Let's go!” Ready to march onwards, Willow pulled on Mike’s hand. “This way.” Opening his eyes again, the pair headed for Mike’s back door. Unlike the rest of the house, the windows in his laundry room didn't expose sunlight from the outside but rather just seemed like blackness. It was the only room without a light source, yet still seemed as bright inside. “Here we go!” Without another word, Willow opened the door.

Stepping through first just in case, Mike watched as the darkness around him built itself up into a massive cavern of a room, built with stone block walls, and lit with braziers burning brightly far out of his reach. Willow stepped through after him and closed the door, with Mike’s house wall in line with the packed earth wall that marked the beginning of this strange hallway.

“Woah, check it out. It's like we stepped into Tron or something.” Holding up his right arm, Mike noticed a glowing gauntlet wrapped around his forearm. From the centre at the top, a glowing, ethereal cable extended from the gauntlet and connected to a matching one on Willow’s left arm. For the moment, it was glowing blue, to match the gauntlet's outline. The rest of the new accessory was black, and it had a polygonal shaping to it.

Taking a step back, Willow wondered how long the cable could go. “Let's see how far we get!” After three steps, the cable turned to a gentle purple. As Mike began slowly backing away as well, the cable changed through to a vibrant pink, then a warning orange. As it hit the limit of length, the cable turned error red and forcefully recoiled both Mike and Willow towards each other again, affecting Willow's smaller form more forcefully than Mike’s lanky one.

“Looks like it functions as a tether. But I wonder what it's for?” Mike pondered aloud as they drew closer together, but his attention was quickly stolen by his young charge.

Pointing into the hallway, Willow figured they only had one option. “Onwards! To adventure!”

It didn't take long for them to find the next stage of adventure. Mike couldn't help but feel like he'd stepped into a videogame of some kind, if Indiana Jones or Lord of the Rings ever had videogames that is. A pedestal of stone sat in the path before them with a steep drop ending their path for now. “What's this?” 

Taking one of two gun-shaped devices from the pedestal to investigate, Mike recognised what it was thanks to comic books. “It's a grapple gun! Hey, have I ever told you about Batman before?” Looking down at Willow as she picked up the second grapple gun, Mike couldn't remember if he'd introduced her to comic books yet.

It took a minute with a large frown of concentration causing Willow’s bottom lip to pout outwards, but it came to her eventually. “I think, yeah! You and Holly were teaching me about alignments in DND and you got into an argument with each other about where he would be in the grid.”

“And I will die on the hill that Batman is Lawful Good!” Mike began laughing as he too recalled the heated argument he'd had with Holly, who firmly believed Batman should be Chaotic Good, or at least Neutral Good. “Well, he uses these things called Grapple Hooks to get around Gotham. It looks like we might have to do the same.”

Looking at the gun, and then up at the roof, Willow looked around until she noticed a ring attached to a faraway wall, protruding inwards to the foreboding darkness ahead. “There! Think we need to grab that and pull on it maybe?”

Following her gaze, and then spotting a second one on the other wall, Mike had a strong feeling Willow was right. “You get that one, I'll get this one over here.” Being mindful of their tether, Mike and Willow went to opposite ends of their platform edge, aiming their grapple guns for the rings.

In his head, Mike could hear Dustin yelling at him to wait before pulling the trigger, that he'd been aiming too low. After a moment, the “angel on his other shoulder”, aka Lucas who was the next best expert he had on this kind of thing, agreed with Dustin. Right. The metal claw on the end means it'll drop faster before getting there. It's a spring loaded grapple, it'll only get so far. Aiming above the ring, Mike was about to fire when he heard a clatter from Willow.

“Aww, I missed! But! Mike, Mike did you know it has three buttons on it?” Excited to realise something new about the tool she was using, Willow held it up and pointed to the grapple gun in her own hand. “You reel it in with the button on the side! And and and you can make the claw open and close with the button under the trigger.”

Looking down at his own one, Mike hadn't noticed these details. His fingers were big enough that he'd accidentally pushed the claw-close button already, so it was a good thing he hadn't fired yet. “Thanks Willow! Also, you need to aim above the ring. The further you want to shoot, the higher you need to aim, ok?”

“Thanks!” No longer bummed out by missing it the first time, Willow set up to try again. Returning to his own ring, Mike aimed once more and fired, grabbing onto the ring with his first shot. Score! Take that, physics. Secure in the connection, Mike began to take slow steps back, tugging on the grapple gun to pull the far off ring. There was a grinding noise as it pulled away from the wall, but Mike could only take a few steps until it was locked into place.

Poor Willow, at the other end of their currently pink tether, was still struggling to get her own ring with her gun. She'd nearly dropped it into the abyss once as it was, but she refused to give up. If Mike could do it, Willow could do it too. After six or seven attempts, Willow finally got it, jumping with delight before realising she had no idea what to do next. “I got it! But now what?”

“Hold the gun tight, and walk backwards slowly.” Calling out instructions whilst trying to ignore the growing pain in his shoulders, Mike kept his voice gentle and patient with Willow.

Once Willow had dragged the second ring back far enough, there was a click that thundered through the halls. Both friends released and retracted their grapples as new rings shunted down from the ceiling, revealing a new path for them both. “Looks like it's monkey time. Give me your grapple, and hop on my back. It's only two rings, so I think I can get us there.”

“Please, fire away! You got your ring like, first go.” Shyly handing over her grapple gun, Willow climbed up on Mike’s back after he crouched down to her level.

She could feel him shrug slightly under her weight before answering too. “I had a friend who used to use his slingshot for fun, and another friend who is a physics fiend. Hard not to pick up stuff from the people you grow up with.”

Doing her best to not choke Mike, or yell in his ear, Willow whispered her answer. “They must have been really good friends. Do you still talk to them?”

“Yeah. We call when we can, since we all live far away.” A pang of sadness attacked Mike’s heart as he remembered just how far away each member of The Party was nowadays, but put it from his mind for now. “Hold on. I gotta focus, and I've never actually done this outside of DND before.”

Keeping her mouth shut so Mike could concentrate, the pair entered into a very fast swing as Mike held on for dear life, only able to hold one gun in each hand at a time. Doing his best to aim for the second roof ring with Willow's gun in hand, Mike was able to get them into a static hanging position between the two rings. A new stone platform was in sight, though this one had moss between the cracks, and more dirt was visible where entire bricks were missing. Mike's arms ached at holding up not just himself but Willow as well, and he willed his body to hold on for just a bit longer.

“Willow-” Mike managed, his voice strained. “I need to let go of the first ring. But when I let go of the second ring, I need you to let go of me too. Do you understand?”

“No!” She squeaked as she panicked, but when she saw just how much of a struggle Mike was having, she sort of changed her answer. “I don't understand why but I can do it.”

“Good. Cuz I gotta do it now.” Releasing the grapple from the first ring, Mike and Willow entered into a fast swing, like a pendulum entering its first arc after being dropped. “Now!” As soon as they reached the crest of the arc, the briefest moment where both swingers felt almost weightless, Mike released the second grapple, and Willow let go of him. Both bodies went flying towards the mossy stones, and landed safely on the other side.

Well, “safely” was a relative term. Whilst their tether seemed to phase through their bodies to avoid a tangle, both Mike and Willow suffered a bumpy landing, skidding to a stop beside one another. Despite the aches and pains, mostly in their arms from trying to brace for impact, Willow and Mike took one look at each other and burst into laughter.

~~~~~

Not five minutes after leaving the room and having chatted with Mike, Doctor Daniella Grey came back in, as there had been new developments in both of her subjects. Subjects III and IV (otherwise known as Willow and Mike), had experienced a nosebleed simultaneously, and she wanted to be in the room for whatever happened next. Aware that other research into unnatural cognitive abilities had shown this as a positive sign for telepathic abilities, Doctor Grey wished she could see for herself exactly what was going on. Regardless, she felt her plan was working, and she couldn't be more excited.

Recording personal observations that would be missed by the surveillance cameras in the room, Daniella noticed Mike’s heartbeat go up considerably whilst Willow’s only spiked on occasion. Strange, she thought. Maybe they haven't merged with each other like I expected?

These fears were quelled as both heart rates spiked suddenly, the room filled with a furious beeping for several, long moments. Though there was a minor concern she would lose them both to heart attack, the random bout of laughter both unconscious bodies displayed in unison caused Doctor Grey to smile. Perfect. I don't think I'll get much more conclusive proof than that. Though, they are bleeding from both nostrils now. I'll have to note this as a potential concern to keep an eye on.

~~~~~

Recovering from their laughter, Mike and Willow got up and dusted themselves off. Near the moss-covered wall was another pedestal, but the receptacles were empty. “I guess this is for us to put them away again?”

“Good, because even though that was one hell of a rush, I don't think my arms are able to go through that again.” Putting both grapples into the pedestal, a door opened with the sound of stone grating on stone, popping itself open just enough to let the two humans slip through. “I hope we're almost at the end. I don't know how much more of this I can take honestly.”

Walking through a very small stone hallway, the moss yielded to a wooden thicket so densely packed that there was no space between the tree trunks. The ground was made of flattened grass, and the roof was completely created by the leaves of the surrounding trees. It was a miracle they could see anything at all. In the centre of the clearing was an impossibly large tree stump, with a strange black shape sitting on top of it. Each time Mike’s eyes tried to pin down exactly what the shape was, it seems to change.

Willow was drawn to it, like it was any other animal. “Mike, I think this is it. The tug feels really strong here, don't you feel it?” Approaching the creature with a slow and careful gait, Willow was stopped short by Mike grabbing her shoulder. 

“Hold on, we don't know if it's friendly or not.” Wanting to take a cautious approach, Mike thought they could use a bit more planning first.

Raising an eyebrow at him, Willow found herself doubting Mike. It didn't happen often, but this wasn't the first time either. “I got this. You did all the swinging things, now let me do my thing… Please?” Faltering for a moment as she heard her parents in her head telling her off for being so unladylike, Willow added a weakened plea to the end of her sentence. Nodding and letting Willow continue because he trusted her, Mike didn't want to hold Willow back.

Getting within three paces of the log, Willow stopped and sat down. “Hello,” she greeted the creature. “My name is Willow. I'm not here to hurt you.”

“Hello. Willow.” It sounded almost like the creature was trying to copy Willow herself, but only just enough that it could hold the conversation with her. “You’re… kind.”

Coming over and sitting next to Willow, Mike introduced himself too. “I'm Mike. Willow and I are friends.”

“Friends…? Can we be friends?” The dark shadow asked, sounding like a lonely child who hadn't ever had friends before.

Nodding enthusiastically, Willow wasn't about to say no. “Of course! Do you have a name?”

Before the shadow creature answered, Willow and Mike became aware of a strange itching sensation from inside their brains, like something had accidentally found its way in, and was trying to shift without disturbing its surroundings. It was deeply uncomfortable. “A name is what we call each other? These… scientists? Call me Project Gamma? I do not understand them.”

“You… Technically don't understand us, either, do you?” Mike asked, realising what this creature was actually doing in order to communicate. “You're reaching into our heads so you can talk to us, am I right?”

“I do not want to. But yes.” It sounded so sad that this had to be the way of things. “They try to make us three into us one. Our pain is deeply shared.”

Frowning, Willow felt terribly sympathetic for this thing. “Well I'm going to come up with a better name than Project Gamma. Something that you will like, hopefully.”

Reaching out to him (was it a him? Him felt right), Willow wanted to comfort the creature. Since the shadow was in their heads as much as they were in his head, she figured it was assumed that she meant no harm. But as soon as Willow’s fingers came close, the amorphous shape transformed into a small, brown rabbit! “Woah! Did you know you could do that?”

There was a small chittering sound before an actual answer. “No!” 

Gently picking up their new friend, Willow placed the rabbit into her lap and smiled brightly. “I guess we all have a lot to learn about each other!”

Chapter Text

Waking up, Will felt like his mouth was full of cotton wool, and his head was pounding like crazy. Who needs to get drunk when you can just have nightmares instead? He groaned slightly as he sat up, trying to remember if he was in his own bed, or someone else's. Looking around, he was thankful that it was his own home this time. Being out and in a new town was one thing, but he didn't realise just how crazy the city could get compared to small town Hawkins. His time in Lenora didn't teach him much about life beyond school (probably because Joyce wouldn't have approved) so a lot of this had been incredibly new to him.

But living in New York certainly had its positives too. It was a fresh start where people only knew what he wanted them to know. It was great for new inspirations for his art, and he'd even gotten into a night class to learn more about his favourite pastime. Will currently worked at a video store that also doubled as a music shop to fill in the rest of his time. Though it wasn't much, it was enough. Not to mention the money that Hopper and Joyce sent him each month was nice too. 

Now that Hopper was out of Hawkins and their financial situation was completely stable, Joyce made sure to help out both her kids (yes, Will made sure she sent money to Jonathan too) even though she couldn't be right there with them all the time. He was always thankful for it, because times had gotten pretty scrappy on occasion. Living alone was not for the faint of heart in the real world.

Grabbing himself a glass of water, Will nearly choked down his drink as he tried to dispel the cotton wool feeling, and fumbled to find his ibuprofen, aspirin and paracetamol - he never knew which one was meant to help, so taking the standard amount of each seemed to work for him. Once that chore was sorted, Will decided to sit down and try to sketch what he'd seen in his dreams. Mostly it was just flashes, like electricity blinding his eyes with bright, flashing arcs of light in front of his face. But when the flashes weren't there, it was almost like there was someone else's face…

~~~~~

Back in Hawkins, Max was pacing the small walkway in the trailer park apartment she once shared with her mother. Sure the park was a shitty place to live, and her mother didn't even live in Hawkins anymore, but it was what Max had known as home and so she stayed. She picked up just enough odd jobs around town, mostly clerical stuff, to keep the place running on her own until she was able to score a position at the WSQK helping out Jimmy “Fast Hands” Lee thanks to her connection with Robin. Mostly she did the sound effects like Steve once did, but it paid well enough.

“God, I'm as bad as the Wheelers!” Realising mid step she was pacing just like Holly and Mike would, Max sat her ass down abruptly on the couch. Staring at the phone, waiting for it to ring and checking the time for the millionth time that morning, Max didn't realise just how much she had come to rely on her weekly chats with Mike. Holly hung around her just as often as she hung out with her own friends, and of course Lucas always made time for her, since they were still dating.

But since that day at the quarry, Max and Mike had stopped hiding from each other. The truth just got easier to say, and they found comfort in their friendship. El’s death had left them both with a strange void in their lives, which they managed to fill with each other in her memory. Despite the rocky start to their friendship once upon a time.

“So why the fuck isn't he calling? Idiot better not have slept in or something.” It was 9am now, which meant Mike should have been starting work. To avoid interrupting LuMax time, Max and Mike always spoke in the mornings before work. “Fuck it. Maybe he mentioned something to Holly on Sunday and she just forgot to pass on the message.” Calling up the Hawkins Wheeler household, Max got one ring in before slamming the phone down again. “Idiot! She's at school, of course Holly isn't going to pick up the phone.” Groaning with frustration and sitting back down again, Max massaged her temples as she tried to figure out what to do.

There was that dream last night. I saw that poor kid again. And I think I saw Will, too. Maybe the big city artist is home today, and he'll actually pick up? Picking up the phone one more time, Max checked her phone book to make sure she put Will's number in. She didn't have a set schedule of talking with the Byers family members like she did most of her friends, but they always chalked it up to Will's life not having a schedule. Regardless, it had been too long, and she was hoping now was an alright time.

The phone rang twice, and Max was just about to put the phone down again when the other end picked up. “Will?”

“Max? What's up? Everything okay in Hawkins?” Surprised that she had called him, Will had just finished up drawing what he could from his strange nightmare.

“Yeah - I mean, I think so? I dunno. Mike hasn't called me like he was supposed to, and I had this really weird dream. Could I maybe talk to you about it?" Getting the context over and done with, Max bit her lower lip as she waited for Will to answer.

He was a little taken aback by this, and didn't know why he stumbled over the words. Maybe because he and Max hadn't had as many moments of “heart to heart” directly like they'd had with other friends. “I mean, yeah sure of course. I don't work today, so I've got plenty of time.”

“Good, because the dream was freaky and you were in it.”

Max went on to explain that it wasn't the first time she’d had dreams like this. She'd seen this young boy, with black hair and pale skin from the pain he was in many times, and sometimes she could even see the device he had been strapped into. Originally it just started with the screams. But when she started seeing the kid too, she'd been getting blood noses randomly as well. In fact, when she saw Will in this dream (finally) this morning, Max had suffered another blood nose. It was like being back in El’s mind, right before jumping back into Henry’s, except El clearly wasn't around, and neither was Henry.

After listening to Max struggle through her truth, Will shared his half of things. Both of their hearts sank when they realised this was more than something psychological, because Will had been suffering these headaches for the last two months, unlike Max who had been suffering for the last six. Initially, all Will had heard was screaming as well. Until suddenly the screams were drowned out with the electrical buzzing, and the blinding light. The headaches, the cotton wool feeling in his mouth, and flinching every time he heard a lightbulb struggle to light itself. Each time he heard any form of crackle, he would get goosebumps on his arms, like he was afraid of electricity itself suddenly.

“So, it's definitely not just in our heads then, right?” Max just wanted to be sure they could rid themselves of all doubt, here and now.

“Seems like it. Guess we can't catch a break after all.” Will sighed, tapping his pencil against the table nervously. “Should I come back? If we're all in one place, it might be easier to figure stuff out. Rather than awkward phone calls.”

“Not yet.” Max shut that idea down fast. Having everyone home at Hawkins was a nice thought, but everyone had also just built up their lives in new places. “Uhm… I'm definitely not dreaming right now, right?”

“... No, why?” Not being beside her and therefore unable to see what Max was seeing, Will had no idea what was going on. They'd been on the phone for almost two hours, and so having none other than Holly Wheeler appear through a glowing crack that appeared in Max’s wall seemed oddly okay, since she wasn't ditching class… technically.

“Holly just walked through my wall.” The words came out before Max could think about them, and it briefly brought to mind the time El had said “I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer” to her. It made no sense without context, and yet it was the only sensible thing she could find to say at this moment.

“Hi Max.” She grinned sheepishly, before wiping her nose of blood. “Who are you on the phone with? Is now a bad time?”

“It's Will, so no. Holly, how the fuck did you just do that? Also, shouldn't you be at school?!” Max watched as Holly marched right up to her, ignored all the questions, and snatched the phone from Max's hands.

“Hi Will!” 

“Uh, hi Holly. How's things?” Completely lost on what was happening, Will fought his confusion and just focused on listening to what was happening on the other end.

Smiling brightly as she watched Max cross her arms and start tapping her foot, Holly decided to explain once. “I figured if I had the phone I could tell you both at the same time. So, you know how my DND character is Holly the Heroic and a cleric, right?”

“Yeah?” Both Will and Max gave the same response, though Max's body language visibly eased up.

“Well since we all got back from the Abyss and stuff I have been able to do all sorts of cool things, but I didn't want everyone to know about it. See, about three weeks after we all got back Mary hurt her leg, and I gently put a hand on it and said “it'll be okay” and you know what? Just like that it was all healed up, like I used Lay on Hands or Healing Word or something, just like a real cleric. And from then on I kept practicing and practicing and then a few months ago I was able to cast Spirit Guardians which was a level 3 spell and I made these cute glowing golden butterflies fly around my room, so sparkly. But that did make my nose bleed so I only really practice that one at night time and stuff. But then today I got this really strange feeling like Max was all panicked or something and so I kinda just waited for break time to cast Dimension Door and now I'm here.” Taking a deep breath after speaking so long, Holly hoped she didn't leave anything out. Max’s wall was back to normal, like nothing had happened in the first place (which was a nice change to what the Upside Down Gates had left behind).

“Holy shit. You seriously kept all this to yourself?” Will asked over the phone after a beat of silence. “Didn't Mary notice you healing her?”

“Oh uhm Mary is the only one who did know until now you two! Actually that's a lie, Willow knows too.” Realising she was hungry, Holly put a hand on her stomach for a moment before thrusting the phone back at Max, wanting to look for food whilst the older friends spoke.

Taking the phone again, Max spoke to Will so he knew the phone was no longer with Holly. “Willow is a friend Holly made whilst visiting Mike. They're next door neighbours, played a mini campaign of DND over the summer or something.”

“Max, Holly sensed how you were feeling. From the school.” Concerned, Will wanted to know what the hell was going on. “And both you and I are having dreams about some poor kid who's getting electrified every other night. Something is up, and it feels like something big. You said you were supposed to hear from Mike, right?”

“Yeah, but he didn't call. He never misses a call without telling us ahead of time.” Without more proof, Max wasn't about to go around ringing all their friends to help get to the bottom of their new mystery. Instead, the best thing to do would be gather more info first. “Can you call Mike? Do you have his work number?”

“You have his work number?” Surprised at this, Will felt jealous for a moment before clearing his throat to try and cover up the tone.

Knowing exactly what the tone was anyway, Max smirked to herself. They might be miles away but the romance has hope. Trying not to chuckle, Max then explained. “Yeah, in case of emergencies. Mike, Holly and I have this little… call schedule. Helps keep our collective anxiety down.”

Remembering that they'd talked about this in the past, Will understood. “I'm ready for the number when you are.”

“Call me back right after, ok? I'm going to talk to Holly about this some more, see what we can figure out.”

“You got it.” Putting the phone back onto the receiver, Max turned to Holly and found her munching away on the sandwich Max had made the day earlier. 

Frowning with a roll of the eyes, Max turned away, secretly not that mad. Mostly she was just worried that Holly had been running around with literal magic powers and didn't tell her for years. “So. These powers of yours. Anything else you can do?”

Sitting down on the couch, Holly spoke between mouthfuls. “Not really. Cuz of the whole nosebleed thing I am trying to be careful and not just cast magic all the time. I've read enough books to know that it's bad if the wrong people find out.”

“Plus, you know, what happened to El and everything.” Pointing out their real life example of why it was bad, Max sat down beside Holly so she didn't have to stand. “See, I'm worried because Will and I have been having these dreams. The same dreams but from different perspectives.”

Recognition dawned on Holly’s face. Max had mentioned these dreams before. “That means you have powers too! You said you get a blood nose sometimes from them.”

“But how?” Max shrugged. “I wasn't plugged into Vecna's weird hivemind crap like you and Will were.”

“No, but you were in someone else's head for a long time.” Holly finished up the sandwich she'd stolen, hunger sated for now. “Maybe that had something to do with it?”

“Maybe,” Max conceded that point. “We can think it over. Feels like something Dustin would say anyway.” Remembering the situation at hand, Big Sister Max kicked in again, knowing there'd be chaos if Holly didn't get back to school. “Can you Dimension Door back to school now you've eaten? I don't think I can drive us back in time.”

“But what about Mike?” Holly gestured to the phone, not wanting to leave yet. “I mean, everything was fine on Sunday when I talked to him last but it's not like him to miss checking in with us.”

Understanding the situation, Max came up with the best compromise she could. “If I hear anything back about Mike that's bad, I'll call the school and talk to you. If it's terrible, I'll just come get you. But if it's nothing, then nothing. Ok?”

Not totally happy with the compromise, Holly figured it was better than nothing. “Alright, fine.” She gave in with a little stamp of her foot. “And don't worry, I'm good at not using magic or, whatever these powers are, when people are around. I've been so careful you didn't even know~” Giggling as she turned around, Holly walked back over to the wall she had initially come through.

Intrigued, Max stepped to the side, watching Holly carefully to see how things unfolded. First, the younger girl closed her eyes, hand flat against the wall. Then, a golden crack of light began to appear, like an uneven seam in rocky terrain opening up. Holly took half a step back so her hand was no longer touching the wall, and the glow changed to show the school yard. Mary was waiting on the other side, still keeping watch.

“See you soon Max!” Hand still outstretched towards the portal, it looked like Holly had to keep her concentration going to maintain it. Hopping through, blood slowly dripped from her nose like before, except that it was both nostrils this time. Even with the food, she was pushing herself.

Running up to the wall but not through, Max couldn't help but toss through one final, “Stay safe, okay Holly?” Before the wall closed up again, the golden fissure of light slowly dissipating before Max’s eyes. “Why can't the freaky shit just stay away sometimes?” 

~~~~~

Will had no idea what to expect when calling Mike’s work number. Actually, between Will’s hours and Mike’s, they hardly had time to speak to one another. They did their best of course, but it was often a case of just missing one another on the other end. Not too different to Lenora I suppose. That still stung, but Will wasn't holding onto any grudges or regrets. It was the entire purpose of moving away.

“Morning, this is the Croydale Public library. What book are you looking for?” A woman's voice on the other end sounded a little surprised as she answered; probably because no one really called libraries ahead of visiting them.

Feeling bad for not actually wanting a book, Will apologized. “Sorry, I'm actually looking for a person. Does Mike Wheeler work with you?”

“He did up until Monday. We got this letter in our post about his resignation. Seemed pretty odd, but I figured something came up.”

Immediately feeling dread regarding Mike’s situation, Will did his best to get more info. “Thank you. I'm Will, one of his friends from when we grew up in Hawkins. Myself and Max have been trying to get in touch with him, but he isn't answering his phone either. So… what do you mean exactly by ‘weird’?”

“We had a lovely time with him working here. He hadn't done anything wrong, and didn't seem like the type to just up and leave you know? Not to mention, the writing in the letter didn't feel like him either.”

“Thank you so much for sharing with me. If we get in touch with Mike, I'll be sure to let you know what's going on.” Saying his goodbyes to the receptionist, Will hung up to call Max back immediately.

The answer was immediate, like Max had her hand on the phone the entire time. “Is he okay?”

“Far from ok. Did you know he was gonna quit his job?” Feeling fear slowly claw its ice cold grip around his heart, Will did his best to not let his voice break.

Sounds of bewilderment could be heard from the other end of the phone. “No, I would think he'd mention something like that to Holly. Why, did the library say he quit?”

“Letter of resignation was posted to them, but even they didn't think it sounded like Mike. No one knows what's going on Max… I'm scared.”

“Should we tell Nancy?” As an investigative reporter, Nancy might have leads or sources that Will and Max didn't have access to. Then again, she was well out of town compared to Max and Mike, so her reach might not be far enough.

Making a decision, Will had an alternative idea. “No, why don't you and Holly try to see his place for yourself on the weekend? If you can without letting Karen know of course. She's been through enough.”

“Haven't we all?” The comment hit home with how hard it rang true. “I'll see what I can do. What about you? We won't get there until the weekend.”

It was a good question. It wasn't like he had anything he could do to help, all the way in New York. “I'll see if I can figure anything more out about the dreams we have been having. Since I've got a different perspective to you, maybe I can force my way out of the weird flashes and into something else.”

“Good luck Will. Talk soon.” Always preferring to use less words over more, Max kept the goodbye simple.

“Yeah, you too Max.” The phone line went dead, and Will took a seat. It was times like this where he wished he wasn't quite so alone after all.

Chapter Text

As he got ready for bed that night, William Byers took a page or two out of his late, adopted sister’s book when it came to focusing the mind. Turning his radio on and tuning it to the static between stations, Will also created a makeshift blindfold for himself so no light would sneak in somehow and break his concentration. Since his apartment was in the cheaper part of town, he usually heard the rumble of the subway tunnels shaking the ground beneath him, and the chatter of people late into the night. Sleep came fitfully, as it usually did for anyone with extensive trauma and the propensity for dreams.

But for the first time, and even though he was taking such a chance on trying in the first place, Will’s plan worked. Unsure of whether or not he was fully asleep or just in a trance-like state, Will found himself on the porch of his childhood home. However, rather than being in Hawkings like it should be, it was surrounded by a black void, with the only other thing in sight directly across from him.

A boy, no older than thirteen, was strapped into an upright bed of sorts, holding him suspended in the air. He was surrounded by miniature versions of the same, strange sound cannons that had supposedly been able to take out empowered individuals like El and Kali, but Will had never actually seen them directly in use himself. Getting up from his front porch, Will hesitantly stepped onto the black expanse, his bare feet finding the cool sensation of water. It was such a thin layer that it didn’t cover any of his toes, but it was enough that part of Will’s brain cautioned him about slipping.

Approaching the gaunt pre-teen, Will reached out reflexively. Moving a curl of black hair out of the boy’s eyes, Will froze as the body came to life, breathing with a sense of controlled panic, green eyes staring back at Will as if asking ‘Who are you and why are you touching me?!’

“S-Sorry, I didn’t know if you were awake. I’m Will Byers, who are you?” Feeling like introducing himself was the best way to go about this awkward situation, Will held his breath until he got an answer. But after a few seconds of no verbal answer occurring, Will followed the boy’s gaze to the straps. “Oh, I mean, I can try getting you out, sure. We’re only in our minds from what I understand, but that can’t be comfortable.” Moving to undo the buckles keeping this mystery kid hanging upright, Will watched as his weight slouched considerably with each strap removed. Despite being surrounded by sound cannons, Will couldn't tell if they were actually doing anything or not as he helped the boy down. Holding him up so he wouldn’t fall completely to the ground, Will carried the boy back towards his front porch.

With each step Will took, the boy regained more autonomy of his mental self, eventually being able to take the last two steps onto the wooden welcome area on his own. Taking a deep breath, the young boy let the ghost of a smile grace his face. “Thank you. I’m Mateo.”

“Nice to meet you Mateo. Were those machines stopping you from answering me?” Pointing back at the setup, Will’s eyebrows raised in surprise when Mateo shook his head.

Moving his hands like he had to remember how all of his own muscles worked, Mateo was slow to answer properly. “To me the machines are silent. But, I fear they would hear me if I feel like I'm still in my own head. To them, I haven’t spoken in years. It’s the last thing of my life I can control without straight up dying, you know?”

Painfully, Will did understand. “How old are you? I mean, like, how long have you been in a lab for I guess is the better question?” Wanting to know more about the situation, Will felt his heart bleed with sympathy for this kid. What is it with creeps and scientists tormenting children in this country?

Thumbing his nose like there was an itch he hoped to scratch but couldn’t quell in his physical body, Mateo shrugged. “I’m twelve so… nearly five years I think. I dunno, they call me Subject Two and don’t care how much I hurt. Are you, like, actually the real W. Byers though?”

“Uhm… Yes? I mean, people just call me Will. But I’m going to guess that whatever they’ve done to you, is something to do with me?” There was a lot of nodding at that remark, and the haunted look on Mateo’s face only seemed to worsen. “I’ve… Uhm… Been having nightmares about someone screaming for the last two months.”

Looking guilty, Mateo looked down at his gangly legs. “Sorry…” He mumbled. “Sometimes it’s the only way to get through it. Project myself like it’s not really me, you know? Guess I’ve accidentally been letting you in instead or something.”

“Woah, hey, I totally get it. I used to sing this song to myself to try and make sure I wasn’t going insane. I… had a pretty rough childhood too.” Even if it was vastly different to Mateo’s… “Do you know where you are?”

Mateo shook his head, still looking down at the wooden boards between his legs. “Dunno. Never been outside the place.”

Closing his eyes to fight back tears of empathy for the kid in front of him, Will held out his hand with his palm closed. When he felt what he wanted appear, he slowly opened his palm to reveal a small switchblade. “Mateo, the pain you've been through must be unimaginable. And it hurts me just to ask this of you, but would you be willing to withstand a little bit more for the sake of an oath?”

“An oath?” He didn't understand what Will was talking about now, but he seemed extremely uncertain. “Explain?”

Opening the blade and sitting it flat in the palm of his hand, Will held it out between them like a peace offering of sorts. “My brother and his, well, close friend let’s call her, made each other a promise. A promise that they sealed by cutting their hands, with knives just like this one. Now, they did the hand cutting part because they needed blood to draw out the monster they were hunting, but that's beside the point.” Clearing his throat and mustering up the last of his confidence, Will finished his explanation with, “I want to make you a promise, but I want you to have a choice. I don't know if harming ourselves in here shows physically or not, but I'm willing to find out if you are?”

This wasn't something Will was taking lightly. Mateo had no reason to trust anything Will said - hell, Mateo didn't really know a thing about Will at all! But in a short time of talking, it had sounded like Mateo had gained some form of powers a while ago, powers that connected them together, yet he was trying to protect Will from the pain by keeping the connection closed. The only reason the older male had found out at all was because the pain, physical pain, Mateo had been in got all too much. So if physical pain was their first understanding, then maybe Will could bring a little bit of hope to the twelve year old before him by showing that he wasn't afraid of getting hurt if it meant helping someone else.

Using the same, deliberate motion Will had before, Mateo reached out with his own hand, palm upwards and uncurled his fingers to reveal an identical knife. “Pain is an old friend at this point. But I have one last question.”

“Yeah?”

“Aren't promises like, a two person thing? Don't both people have to promise something?” It had been a long time since Mateo had made a promise himself that actually meant something. So long ago, he wasn't sure he'd ever made a promise worth anything in his life; it was too difficult to remember so far back.

Understanding the confusion, Will bit the inside of his cheek slightly before finding the right words he wanted to use. “Well a promise can be made by one person without ever telling anyone. They're silent promises. But an oath, usually it's two people agreeing on the same thing.”

“So what's our oath going to be?” Knife poised over a palm as if Will was looking at himself in a mirror, Mateo really wasn't afraid of a bit more pain if it meant true hope.

Slicing into his left hand and barely able to bite back his own pain, Will whimpered as he tried to contain his reaction. Even Mateo, who was still copying Will and had begun cutting his hand only a microsecond after Will did, grimaced with the pain it caused. “I'll fight for your freedom if you fight for it too.”

Blood dropped onto the wooden boards beneath both males as their hands sat bleeding, resting on their knees as Mateo considered this proposal. “You really think you can get me out?”

And there, in that sentence, was the final blow to the heart shattering truth. A tortured young boy holding on out of spite and the twisted comfort of knowing pain better than you knew yourself was afraid to be hopeful of a better future. Naturally, Will could see why Mateo might not want to believe it, or would have trouble trusting him; Five years was a long time to have without hope. “Yes. My friends and I have done some impossible things in the past, so this is definitely in the realm of plausible to me.”

Reaching his hand out to Mateo, uncaring of the blood dripping but wincing slightly each time his fingers twitched, Will waited for Mateo to finalise his choice. “A blood oath it is. Hehe… Reminds me of pirates. I haven't thought about pirates in a long time.” As if this act here and now unlocked some forgotten memory in Mateo, the younger male smiled as he clasped his hand around Will’s. Their bloody palms gripped each other for several seconds, swaying as they were both slightly unsteady. Then, using their injured hands to pull themselves and each other up, both boys began to hear something coming from Mateo’s uncomfortable bed.

“It sounds like they're coming to check on you.” Saddened that their time was up, Will let go of Mateo’s hand as they headed back to where Will had freed his new friend.

More hopeful than before, Mateo was able to keep his head up as he walked back. “I don't mind. Maybe we can talk again soon. It's just… nice that I'm not alone. But I'm sorry, too.” 

Setting himself back into position on the upright cot, Will spoke as he reattached Mateo’s restraints to ensure he was fully back in his own mind. “Why are you sorry?”

“You seem like you've already been through your hurt. Now you're willing to go through mine?” Watching as Will awkwardly pulled the straps into position with one hand, Mateo couldn't help but feel the crawling sensation of despair like a spider trapped in his ribcage slowly begin floundering around again.

“Oh, I have been through a lot. But you don't deserve to go through it either. And plus, we're friends. Friends look out for each other. Ok?” Both males nodded as Will caught his gaze before replacing the final strap. “I'll see you again soon. Stay safe Mateo.”

True to his earlier comment of not wanting anyone in his real world location to hear his words when in a trance, Mateo just nodded again, before dissolving from the inky darkness. Guess he woke up. Will surmised, before looking down at his own hand. I wonder when I'm going to wake up?

~~~~~

Will didn't know if he'd just passed out completely, or if there was a specific prerequisite that he'd passed by accident. Regardless, he awoke in his bed the next morning to find he'd removed his blindfold at some point, and much more blood than he anticipated. Rushing to the bathroom for his simple first aid supplies, the pain in Will’s left hand was twofold to what he'd expected. “What was it Max was always saying? Clean, disinfect then bandage?” Trying to remember the Zoomer’s simple first aid instructions, Will was trembling and trying to avoid his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Wiping away the blood of immediate concern from his hand, Will discovered not one but two open cuts along his palm.

His own, uneven cut that was affected by muscle spasms of pain in the process, and Mateo’s nearly clean cut, only uneven due to his untrained hand. “Holy shit.” Wrapping it up once it was clean, Will gently ran a finger over the mark Mateo had left on him. Knowing there was a lot he would have to get squared away before he just headed out on an adventure into the unknown, Will finally forced himself to look in the mirror.

The effort of speaking with Mateo last night had been intense, and yet it wasn't as immediately terrible as the nightmares had been. Both of Will’s nostrils had bled, and even the tear ducts of his eyes had chipped in, leaving bloody streaks down his cheeks to clean up too. This must be how they knew something happened to Mateo. If I have his cut on my hand, and this much blood, Mateo must have looked the same. Don't worry, I'm coming to find you … somehow.

Chapter Text

It was hard to tell how long it had been since the military had taken them. Mike figured it was probably only a couple of days, but with how often he and Willow were passing out, time really felt like it was dragging on. The transfusions the pair had been forced to undergo were stopped for now, to give their bodies time to rest and acclimate to the new substances in their body. Mike figured that the “transaction” of blood to purple stuff wasn't quite one to one; Mike’s blood type matched to Willow but hers didn't match for donating back to his. Which meant more of the purple crap got pumped into his body, to make it more “palatable” for Willow's body, whilst she was just drained to feed whatever was corrupting Mike's body.

At least, that's what made sense in his head. When scientists, (or doctors, or whatever they chose to call themselves) came into the room, they very rarely spoke. So Mike hadn't been able to move, or hear much.

At one stage, earlier in the process, Mike had heard Willow wake up. Knew she was scared because of how she tried to wriggle her way free, could hear the panic in her every raspy breath caught by the oxygen mask she wore. Catching her eyes from across the beds, Mike exaggerated his breathing so she could see it. Wished he could reach out to her, hold her hand and tell her that they were gonna be alright, but knew that his words wouldn’t audibly reach her right now. All he could do is watch the eyes of a panicked little girl, and help her steady her breathing by convincing her through actions to match his own. Eventually Willow relaxed again, and the pair just laid there, looking at each other over their masks, unable to stretch their aching limbs until they passed out again.

This time was different however. Through the haze of semi-consciousness, Mike felt the needles and tubes being removed from his arms, which had been there long enough that it felt like the doctors had taken chunks out of his arm instead. Remind me to never visit a hospital again, Mike was fairly certain he thought this, but since there was a strange mumbling sound as well, he couldn’t tell if it had been said aloud as well. It’ll have been way too soon.

This time when he awoke, there were significant changes. Not only could he move of his own volition (the twitching in his leg from the horrible cramp in his calf had informed him of this), but he was sitting upright, in a blue, faux leather recliner. It was a strange sensation after being stuck to sheets he’d been sweating into for who knows how long, but none of that really bothered Mike once he laid eyes on Willow. Also on a faux leather recliner, but red in colour this time, Willow hadn’t woken up yet. Seeing her across the room, Mike did his best to get up carefully, his muscles protesting their use after days of cramped bed rest.

Before he could fall however, the young adult heard a strange, ‘hshshushshush’ sound, before his torso felt lighter, like someone was holding him up. Dizzy and focused on crossing the small space between himself and Willow, Mike whispered, “Thank you,” and  slowly took one step at a time before reaching the chair, collapsing slowly into the side of it so he could speak quietly with Willow. “Willow… Can you hear me?” Gently picking up her smaller hand in his larger one, Mike wrapped his fingers around her palm and checked her pulse. Her breaths were small enough that he couldn’t tell if she was breathing (probably because his own heart rate was causing his body to constantly twitch) and he had a brief moment of doubt that she was going to be okay.

Upon hearing Mike’s words, Willow’s head twitched sideways slightly, like she was deterring a fly that had landed on her nose in her sleep. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open, and her gentle blue eyes found Mike’s gaze, and she smiled. “Mike… You’re out of bed.” She sounded happy for him, like it was a miracle. Which in a way, it felt like it was to Mike too.

“So are you, Sapling.” Using the nickname Willow the Wanderer had been given from one of the Forest Elders in the campaign they played, Mike hoped it would continue to lift Willow’s spirits, hoping to keep the horrors of the last few days from her mind, if only for a few seconds more. “How do you feel?”

“Hungry…” She admitted before stretching, pain etched on her features as all of her muscles protested. “Can you smell that?” Looking around the room properly, unlike Mike, Willow could smell roasted meat and gravy nearby, the saltiness of the food being most prominent. She took in the colourful array of butterflies on the walls, and the caterpillars on leaves closer to the skirting boards. Also filling the room were some beanbags, a shaggy, colourful round rug on the floor, some tables and a small shelf of kids books and board games. “Where are we now?”

Taking in the same sights as Willow now that his tunnel vision had lessened, Mike still felt like he was in some kind of hospital room with shitty lighting. A single rod hung from the ceiling, flickering on the rare occasion and throwing strange shadows around the room every time it did. The only other light in the room was the blinking red ‘recording’ indicator on the security camera that observed the entire room. No doubt there was something to record every word they said as well, Mike had surmised. “If you’re hungry, the food is over on the table here. I can bring it to you?” Not wanting Willow to hurt herself getting up like he almost had, Mike waited for a yes before carefully picking up the two foil trays, and bringing them to the table on the shaggy rug. Sitting down on the long side of the table so his legs would fit underneath, Mike put Willow’s food down at the end closest to her.

Sliding off the chair carefully and onto the floor, Willow thanked Mike before shuffling closer, taking her time and enjoying the feeling of the carpet because it was different. Spotting the entity that had assisted Mike before, Willow leaned over to the side so far she nearly fell over, the table holding her weight to prevent this now that her knees were against the wooden leg. “You can come share with us too if you want. You don’t have to hide.” Hoping that the friend they’d made in that weird dream was the same as this version of the creature here in the room with them, Willow gestured for him to come closer. 

Blinking, Mike realised that he didn’t even comprehend what had held him up before, because it felt like he knew what was happening, and that it was nothing to be concerned about. “Yeah, you don’t have to hide if you don’t want to. You’re in the same position as us, basically.”

Inching forward like it was rolling along the floor, the shadow creature acted like a sentient water balloon as it navigated the floor. It wasn’t solid darkness, but rather a darkened shape that flickered like inverted static with organic sentience. “Oh, wait, the light doesn’t hurt you or something, does it?” Glancing up at the roof and instantly regretting it, Willow shielded her eyes before rubbing them to try and restore her sight. “If you want you can hide under the table. I don’t think Mike’s legs are that big.”

Laughing a little bit at the comment, but not minding since he was tall and it was a small table, Mike watched as the amorphous life form continued to approach their table, feeling comforted by his presence. The food in front of Mike didn’t really seem all that appealing now that he was consciously smelling it, given that his IV drip feeding had left his appetite feeling nonexistent. “Willow, you should really eat. If our friend here wants any, he can have some of mine.”

Picking up the flimsy plastic fork that was on the right hand side of the tray, Willow paused a moment to look at Mike. “You gotta eat too.” Poking his tray with her finger, Willow didn’t want Mike to miss out on the food being warm. 

“How about, I eat when you do. Sound good?” Finding compromise, Mike was willing to force food down his throat if it made the young girl happy. Goodness knows his body could use it, even if he didn’t feel like it.

With a nod, the pair began to dig into their meals, thankful that there were some vegetables and mashed potato along with the meat and gravy. It was terrible, but better than nothing. With what the people holding them were capable of, crappy meals were pretty much expected. During their meal, Willow gently reached out to their shadow friend, the ‘hshshushshush’ sound louder now than it had been before. “I think we should call you Hush. What do you think?”

Both Willow and Mike were filled with a wash of pride, like they could feel the emotions of their new friend even if they couldn’t hear him in the real world. Giving each other a shaky smile, Willow and Mike were glad that they could bring a small comfort to someone else who’d been here much longer than they had. “Can I cuddle you? Is that okay?” Normally able to bring small, good-natured creatures into her grasp, Willow wanted to comfort Hush like a child would comfort their teddy bear.

Upon contact, Willow’s hand twitched, and blood slowly began to drip from her nose, barely noticed by the young girl as her excitement over the appearance of a small bunny was much more important to her. “You’re Bunny Hush again!” Scooping up the brown-furred rabbit, Willow gave him excited but careful cuddles, her fork laid to rest against the tray. She couldn’t eat any more, but had been eating faster than Mike was.

Leaning over slightly, Mike used his fingers to cup Willow’s cheek, holding her head still a moment whilst brushing the blood away from her nose with his thumb. “Sorry, just didn’t want you to have blood on your face.”

Staring with concern at Mike’s thumb, Willow watched as he wiped it off on the hospital gown by his leg, as if he was wiping sauce off on his pants. “Am I okay? I haven’t had a blood nose before just out of the blue.”

“You’re fine.” Certain that it was just a side effect of Hush becoming a rabbit, Mike had seen Eleven and Will use their powers enough to know that it was likely just a new psychic power emerging. “I promise. How’s Hush as a rabbit? Soft and fluffy, just like you always wanted?”

From the day Mike and Willow had met, Willow spoke about wanting to get a pet. She was dead set on getting either a rabbit or a bird, though she knew that if she did somehow get one or the other, it would probably have been a rabbit because they didn’t have to worry about it flying away. “So soft and fluffy, do you wanna hold him?”

“If that’s okay with Hush?” Wondering what a shadow creature turned rabbit was like, Mike pushed down thoughts of when he had first met Dart. The slimy ‘polywog’ that Dustin had found the Halloween after Will had been brought back from the Upside Down. Something inside him said that this was similar, that Hush was a creature that they couldn’t trust, but it was just his fear talking. Hush certainly wasn’t a baby Demogorgon, and had been very empathetic towards his and Willow’s situation. They were three prisoners sharing a room, and they were going to need each other’s company moving forward.

Nodding and feeling rather than hearing approval from Hush himself, Willow handed over the rabbit and Mike marvelled at how soft Hush’s fur was. Rather than chittering like a rabbit would however, the quiet ‘hshush’ sound could still be heard, like a constant between forms that helped identify Hush from the actual creature. 

Pushing the trays to the other end of the table now that they were finished eating, Willow half crawled, half waddled over to the low shelf of board games, grabbing the deck of cards and making her way back to where Mike and Hush sat. “Wanna play a game with me? Maybe we can teach Hush how to play, and then there’s three of us again!” Wanting to do something fun because this place was scary, Willow plopped herself down opposite Mike this time, allowing them to play any game they wanted.

Agreeing, Mike sat Hush down on the table and began shuffling the cards, dealing them so they could play various rounds of different games together. They probably spent hours in that room, just enjoying each other’s company, with Hush adorably interrupting the games right as Willow was about to lose, or when both players got confused about whose turn it was, forcing them to start again. Since Hush was a rabbit, it was hard to get mad at their new friend who just wanted to join in. As Willow began to tire however, the antics slowed down, as they didn’t want to overtax the still unwell child. Mike himself still felt like crap, but being silly and laughing had helped keep his mind off of things.

When the door burst open, his adrenaline spiked, giving him another kick of energy as soldiers entered the room, flanking the scientists and doctors who were to take Mike and Willow back to their beds. Willow was too tired to help herself, the adrenaline simply causing her to feel even more ill when combined with her fear. Once again, Mike’s inner Paladin urged him to instinctively protect Willow, not wanting the child to go through any more pain, even though there wasn’t anything he could do right now.

Was there?

As if time slowed down, Mike could feel Hush sifting through his feelings. The rabbit was gone, with their amorphous shadow friend back in his original form, leaping up onto Mike’s arm from the table and encasing it in shadow. Memories flashed before Mike’s eyes; The Demogorgon’s attack on the MAC-Z when he was supposed to be helping protect the children. The soldiers attacking Eleven in the desert, as well as the raid on the Byers’ house when they lived in Lenora, after El had been taken from them. Back a year before that, the terrifying might of the flesh-form Mind Flayer, made up of humans he’d known from the town (though that was a blink and you’ll miss it memory in comparison to the slow-motion of the others). The attack on his middle school, the day he lost Eleven the first time, also played briefly in his mind, before Hush, and therefore Mike’s mind, had settled on the attack at Hawkins Lab. When Mike had been by Will’s side, and the demodogs came for them. Roaming the halls, killing soldiers and scientists alike, unmatched in their ferocity and agility. It had been a trap, and it was an effective one.

Before he fully knew what was going on, Mike looked over his shoulder at Willow, his nose already bleeding lightly. “Willow, you should step back. I don’t think you’re gonna want to see this.”

Nodding with fear and scampering to the back corner, Willow made herself as small as possible, most of her line of sight blocked by the two recliners. Mike looked back at the soldiers, feeling the repressed rage he held for so long bubble up, amplified by Hush’s own hate for those that had hurt them. “Remember. You brought this on yourselves.” Mike’s voice wasn’t entirely his own, but the sentiment he completely agreed with, growling like a dog as his body began to change. With Hush merging into Mike’s physical form, the two of them became a monster that this world had thought itself rid of.

The screech of the Demodog, its natural call to arms before combat, caused Mike’s mind to recede completely into the cascade of emotion he thought he’d repressed and worked through. The people invading the room that had been full of laughter just minutes earlier didn’t expect this outcome, and guns were trained on Mike’s new form to try and dissuade attack.

But Demodogs didn’t care about guns. Bullets were like gravel to them. And Humans? Humans to a Demodog were just toys. Easily ripped to shreds with rows of teeth upon teeth, slicing through skin, muscles and tendons like they were nothing. Bones broke with a good clamp of the mouth and rear of the head, causing them to snap like a dog eagerly biting down on a stick too hard. Leaping at any who dared move, Hush/Mike opened up his petal-shaped mouth full of razor sharp teeth and tore the military personnel to pieces with ease, focused primarily on the ones with guns in their hands. He couldn’t let them hurt Willow, for whom a stray bullet was lethal. 

Okay, so maybe the stray bullets hurt a bit more than kicked up gravel. More like pebbles being tossed at a wall of predatory flesh and occasionally finding somewhere that was gonna leave a nasty bruise. But this only served for Mike to fight harder, leaping off one body on the floor like a launch pad as he aimed for the throat of another. The slaughter lasted several minutes despite the room being relatively small, with the unarmed staffers trying to leave and slipping on blood or tripping on bodies Mike had already dropped. Some of them made it out (the easy to scare, quick to run orderlies) but not a single soldier survived.

When the rush was over, and Mike was himself again, standing in the middle of his carnage, he couldn’t help but notice the blood in his mouth. Actually, it was all over his face, through his hair, and covering his hands and feet, but it didn’t really matter to him so much. He felt drained, woozier than when he woke up, and when he looked down, Hush wasn’t around his arm. He wasn’t gone entirely either though; Mike still felt him wrapped around his heart like it was the reason he still had any energy at all. Mike’s own blood fell from his nose, eyes and had leaked from his eardrums, but the pain didn’t matter. The coughing up of blood that probably belonged to four different people? Not a problem, it didn’t belong in his airways anyway.

The problem was Willow. Whilst she remained unharmed physically from the encounter, what kind of mental damage had witnessing a slaughter done to her? How was Mike protecting her if he couldn’t have one good relationship in his life? Everyone he’d ever cared for deeply, Mike had hurt in some catastrophically painful way, he was certain of that. And now Willow was on that list.

Absently trying to wipe his mouth of the blood, Mike staggered past the now destroyed centre table, the cards they’d been playing with stained and the unfinished food trays long since littering the room like the corpses. Dropping to his knees a few feet away from Willow, Mike choked back a sob, the anguish, guilt, regret and shame now piling up within him as a stronger flow than even his anger was moments ago. “I’m sorry Willow… I don’t know what happened.”

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Max. He made me do it, he made me. He made me do it Max, I’m so sorry... It was like a shadow, the shadow made me do it… Billy’s words from the sauna room played back in Mike’s head briefly, his own tone reminding him of the once-flayed bully that had been Max’s brother.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you… I was never able to… protect my friends and I … I just want…ed… to protect… you.” Falling forwards onto the floor, Mike could feel the pain in his heart bloom outwards, his vision failing and the room becoming black before his eyes.

Hearing Mike’s words, and having covered her ears as she curled her head into her chest whilst the bullets were bouncing around the room, Willow had actually missed most of it. All she saw was Mike on the floor in front of her, covered in blood and bruises appearing rapidly all over his body from the bullet impacts as a Demodog. Using what little strength she had left, Willow pushed Mike onto his side, holding him up by wedging herself beneath him. Hands on Mike’s chest, she could also sense Hush losing strength, and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing her friends. Palms pressed against Mike’s chest as her head rested on his shoulder, eyes closed tightly to try and ignore the squishy sensation of coagulating blood beneath her fingers, Willow’s tired mind couldn’t think of anything but DND. It was what Mike had shared with her that was special to him, and surely only now something special would bring him back, right?

“Ahel.” Whispering the word, Willow thought that if Mike could shapeshift, then maybe she could heal him now. Since all their made-up spells for their game were normal words with the letters rearranged (just like her mean dyslexia did to her all the time), then maybe this would work too?

Feeling the strength of another person nearby like a light at the end of the road, Hush was able to extract himself from Mike’s heart and lungs, releasing the pressure on Mike’s organs and letting everyone breathe again. Snuggled in his amorphous form as all three of them lost consciousness, the next, much more wary set of staff and military personnel found Mike, Willow and Hush huddled at the end of the room, just shy of the slaughter, nearly dead to the world.

Chapter Text

If ever Will the Wise needed a Natural 20, Critical Success, now was the time. Not all of his hookups had been complete ‘failures’, as he’d met one guy not long after moving to New York that he’d really liked. But still trying to move on from his feelings for Mike, and also not being entirely approving of the lifestyle his one-time, three weeks long partner was living, they both agreed maybe to just be friends. But for a career criminal, the guy had a kind heart, which is why Will was able to overlook a lot of his problems in the first place. Plus, everyone had a bad boy phase, right? Be it becoming one or having an attraction to them didn't matter. It was normal, totally.

And if ever Will was in trouble, he just needed to give a shoutout to the gang, and they’d be there to lend a favour. Especially after Will helped deter police for them one time with his innocent smile, and newcomer energy. They discussed his best way out of town to avoid catching anyone’s attention even if no one was looking for him yet, and they decided on the train. Whilst it could be stopped easily, and wasn’t as fast as an airplane, Will still had the upper hand, and roadblocks were more likely to be set up before train blocks were. If he could get out of town before anyone knew he was missing, all the better.

So here Will sat, swaying with the train, Walk-Man chugging tunes so he didn’t have to talk to anyone, and a bag of his things at his feet. Of course he had basic essentials like cash and clothing, but he’d included his Will the Wise figurine (Couldn’t go on any new adventure without it after all), something to draw on and with in case the boredom got too much, basic first aid to fix up his hand if need be, and his favourite music tapes. His apartment was a version of home for sure, but it didn’t have the same attachment to it as his childhood bedroom once did. Will hadn’t been able to move a lot of his stuff over when leaving Hawkins, so Joyce had promised to hold onto it for him just in case he wanted to move it over at a later date.

Though he was a nervous wreck boarding the train and bidding farewell to the gang that had now truly repaid the favour, Will replayed the lie they’d concocted for him in case anyone asks about his injury or nervous demeanour. He hadn’t needed to use it, but knowing it was there was a comfort of its own. If anyone asks, ye partner threw ya out, and hurt ya in the process. So ya decided to skip town, got it?

A small smile played on his lips. The world was still full of strange surprises for Will to discover, and finally, not all of them were terrible.

Hopping off the train in Boston, Will checked his wallet for the address Jonathan had given him last time they spoke. Though Jonathan also lived in New York City like Will did, he frequently flew to Boston to see Nancy. She'd set up a small reporting and private investigation service out of a small apartment, and already had her first employee; Dustin’s girlfriend Suzie.

Though she had been planning on going to college, Suzie’s family was so large that moving out meant she needed to fend for herself. And with computer usage on the rise, Nancy had seen a potential in Suzie that wasn't present in the other candidates. Wanting to go all in on girl power, it wasn't until Dustin and Steve had shown up on their summer road trip, along with Jonathan and Will via plane, to help Nancy out, that the connection was properly established. Whilst Dustin had gotten a slap in the face, a full breakdown of the most major and necessary points of everything that had happened since Jonathan and Will visited her family home in Utah was delivered, and Suzie found that she was able to forgive Dustin after all; But they were still taking it easy on the relationship stuff for now. With Suzie studying and working, whilst Dustin studied and studied harder like normal, they both agreed they didn’t have time for romancing each other just yet.

Sorta like Jonathan and Nancy I guess. Looking up at the building before him, Will figured there was nothing else for it. I know Max said not to worry Nancy, but things have changed. Heading inside and hanging the headphones around his neck, Will paused the music for now so he didn’t have to change the batteries on the player so soon. Heading up to the specific apartment number that was doubled as an office (Nancy was amazing, but like everyone she only had so much money), he knocked on the door, becoming nervous as he waited for someone to answer. There had been security cameras on each landing, but Will couldn’t tell if they were actually recording anything, or if they were there for show.

Eventually, the door was opened by none other than Suzie herself, manning the office solo whilst Nancy was out. It was around lunch time, so Will counted himself lucky that anyone was home at all. “Wow, Mr Byers. What an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise.” Polite as always, Suzie let him in, knowing Nancy wouldn’t mind. “If you’re here to visit Nancy, she’s tracking down a lead at the moment. I don’t know when she’ll be back. Can I get you anything?”

“Uh, coffee if that’s alright?” Not that his nerves needed hyping up any more, but it had a familiar smell that would hopefully settle Will enough to relax for a few minutes. It was only day one, and he’d not come across any issues so far after all. “And I’m not exactly here on a social call. I need your help if that’s alright; I can hopefully pay for it too! I-I don’t want you to miss out on a paycheck because of me.”

“Oh nonsense, you’re a friend. I don’t think Nancy will make you pay for it.” Already having some coffee set up in the kitchen from earlier that morning, Suzie made sure it was warm before asking Will how he wanted it. When it was ready, she brought it over to him, and Will went to take it with both hands before remembering his left hand was bandaged up a little too much to hold the mug by the handle. “Goodness gracious me, what happened to you?” Putting the mug down before Will could grab it, Suzie grabbed Will’s left wrist and pulled up his sleeve to make sure the rest of his arm was alright.

“Suzie, it’s fine - Really, I’m fine! I bandaged it up this morning, and I don’t think I did too badly. I cut my hand, that’s all.” Well, technically Mateo and I cut out hands, but still. It’s not a lie this time, right? “Please, just don’t worry about it?”

Tutting, Suzie relented but disagreed with Will’s decision, wanting to look out for him since he was a guest in her workplace. Sitting back down in her chair by the computer, Suzie recollected herself, and put on her ‘business brain’. “Okay. Though Nancy isn’t here, what is it you need help with?”

“It’s oddly specific and sounds counterintuitive but… Do you know of any secret military bases that still exist around the country? Specifically for experiments?”

Suzie’s brow knitted together immediately, eyes widened with surprise and her mouth dropping open. “Wow, you guys really don’t beat around the bush with the hard asks, do you? I see why you came to Nancy. She’s been keeping track of everything she can military wise on the side of her usual reporting and investigating. But I don’t know where she keeps her notes.”

“That’s okay, I mean, I figured it was a long shot anyways.” Pulling out a chair at the small dining table that was surprisingly clear of research materials, Will sat down and took up his coffee in his right hand, cradling it gently with his injured left hand. The warmth helped reduce the stiff feeling that had occurred from keeping it bent for so long, given that movement caused Will’s cuts to hurt if he flexed his fingers into a straightened position.

Trying to think on how best to help him without risking an alert to the military via computer systems, Suzie wondered how much more context Will was able to give her. “Is this another NDA situation, or can you maybe tell me more?”

“It might not be safe for me to tell you more but… Actually, is there a way we can find out about missing persons cases from five years ago? I don’t know where in the country he’s from, but I have a name.” Hoping it would be enough to start off with, Will watched as Suzie thought about it, and began to nod.

“Yes, I think that would work. I have a friend down in the police station that might be able to help me out. Officer Aldridge is lovely like that.” Turning around to grab her notepad and pen, Suzie faced Will again with a single spin of her chair. “I’m ready when you are.”

Sipping his coffee carefully, Will closed his eyes as he pictured Mateo in his mind. “His name is Mateo. He’s twelve now, but went missing about five years ago as far as I know. He’s got lighter skin, black curly hair and green eyes. Oh, and he’s about 4’5” now.”

Noting all of this down again, Suzie paused at the final piece of information. “Wait, you already know what he looks like now? Why are we looking at missing person’s cases?”

“Because he’s still missing?” Will didn’t mean to overshare, and gently rested the coffee mug back on the table beside him. “I know what he looks like, I just don’t know where he is. But he needs help, Suzie. Can you please help me find him?”

Standing up with a look of determination, Suzie nodded and grabbed her purse. “Shouldn’t be too long. Would you like to come with me?” Realising it might be easier for Will to come along, Suzie wanted to at least be polite and offer.

Thankful for the offer, Will shook his head. “No, it’s probably not a good idea for me to wander into a police station right now. Please don’t mention me at all when you go, I’m already possibly getting you in trouble just by looking into this for me.” Sighing as he stared at the dark liquid in his cup, Will didn’t want to drag Suzie into anything dangerous. They’d already put her on the edge of danger twice, and it was a miracle she’d come out of it relatively unscathed both times. Maybe a bit of emotional damage, but nothing irreparable it seemed.

“Then please make yourself at home. I'm sure Nancy would say the same.” Waving goodbye as she headed for the door, Suzie left Will to his own devices as she went to investigate on his behalf.

~~~~~

Walking back from the police station, copies of the files she needed squared away in a manilla folder secured with staples, Suzie spotted two familiar figures sitting at a cafe, laughing in the sunlight. Heading over, she abruptly stopped beside Nancy Wheeler, who was having a lunch date (they called it a ‘catching up lunch’ but it was really a date) with none other than Rockin’ Robin Buckley. Clearly Robin had just said something unconventional again that Nancy found amusing, because Nancy had nearly choked on her coffee.

“Excuse me ladies, whilst it looks like you’re having a wonderful time, we have a bit of a situation on our hands.” Suzie gestured to the files in her hands by holding up the folder for a moment.

Frowning and feeling a little bit guilty that Nancy had missed a client coming in, but thankful that Suzie was handling it professionally, the eldest Wheeler sibling wiped her face clean with a napkin and turned to properly face her investigative assistant. “Client with a deadline?”

“You could say that. We have a confidential client.” Glancing at Robin to appraise the value of privacy regarding her current assignment, Suzie figured that Will wouldn’t mind Robin given Suzie had heard they shared a close connection as friends. Leaning in to speak quietly, Suzie whispered to both women who also leaned in to hear better. “It’s Will Byers.”

Nancy and Robin immediately shared a look of dread, like they experienced war flashbacks in unison. “Holy shit.” Usually unable to stop the words running from her mouth, Robin gaped as she searched for something else to say, coming up empty.

Filling the silence, Nancy glanced again at the files in Suzie’s possession. “Were you just at the police office? What kind of files did you pull?” Doing her best not to panic, Nancy hoped it wasn’t something life threatening, and she was just overreacting. Jonathan and Will already had an overly anxious mother, they didn’t need Nancy becoming a second Joyce on them.

“Missing persons cases. But if you want more information, you should ask him yourself. He’s waiting for you in your apartment.” Eager to get going again, Suzie stepped back from the table, waiting for the ladies to finish up so they could all leave.

Looking at the plates and almost finished coffees in front of them, Nancy realised they’d have to waste time footing the bill before they could leave, but before she stood, Robin grabbed her hand and pinned it to the table. “Nance. Look at me. I can see it on your face right now. I know you always try to pay, we argue and then we split the bill, but I think we can argue our Sorcerer friend is more important than some silly cafe settlement. I’ve got this, you go, okay?”

Though every stubborn fibre in her body wanted to argue with Robin like they always did, Nancy bit back the protestations, nodding in agreement. “Thank you Robin. I’ll make it up to you later, doubly.”

Hand released, allowing Nancy to stand, Robin winked at Nancy. “Oh trust me I intend to collect. Don’t worry, I can drive legally now by the way, as I mentioned earlier, so I can catch up without waddling like a demented duck. What are you waiting for? Shoo, shoo!” Waving Nancy away from the table with ridiculous insistence, Robin helped cover Nancy’s evident embarrassment from Robin’s ‘collection’ comment, and scooped up her purse before hurrying off. Watching as Suzie and Nancy fled the scene, Robin signalled for a waiter so she could pay the bill and hurry after them.

~~~~~

Before Nancy and Suzie even entered, both women could see that the lights in the apartment were flickering like crazy. Faltering at the sight, Nancy covered her mouth and held her breath, trying to hold down all the emotions that came rushing back to her. The feeling of being a teenager facing down monsters, losing Barb - everything they had worked past, surely it wasn’t coming back to haunt them again, right? Get it together Nancy! It honestly could just be the power acting up. These things happen too.

“Nancy, are you alright? You’ve gone quite pale.” Scared for Nancy more than she was concerned for the electricals (which was quite a high concern, because Suzie didn’t know how it was going to affect the computer set up inside), the assistant investigator reached out and put a hand on Nancy’s arm to try and comfort her friend.

Clearing her throat and gently dabbing the corner of her eye with a finger so she didn’t ruin all of her makeup, Nancy nodded and grabbed her keys, only faltering as she was about to turn the lock. “Maybe you should go home. Just in case - I’ll take the files, take over the investigation, and you just focus on school for the next couple of days?”

“It’s just some flickering lights? Anyway, I want to help. Two heads are always better than one.” Suzie wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, which was why she accepted Will’s request without Nancy’s presence in the first place.

“Okay, just be prepared for anything. And I do mean, anything.” Ensuring her assistant was fully warned, Nancy opened the door to the apartment, letting them both in and quickly closing the door behind them.

Beneath the flickering lights, Will was on the floor, writhing in pain. “Shit! Will, what’s wrong? Talk to me, please?” Dropping her bag without a second thought for the breakable makeup or perfume bottles inside, Nancy was beside Will, on the floor, in seconds.

Suzie couldn’t help but stare, because it looked like a demonic possession in progress. As a Mormon, the thought of encountering this in real life was terrifying, and so she was frozen in place by the door, staring as her mind tried to comprehend a scientific cause for Will’s plight. The flickering light, when brightest, contrasted the sickly colour Will’s skin had taken on, forehead reflecting light from how sweaty and feverish he’d become. Convulsing like he was trapped on a livewire and unable to let go, Will couldn’t even unclench his jaw to speak for the pain he was in, and it felt like he was going to choke on his own vomit if this didn’t end soon.

Trying to hold him still to see what was wrong, the moment Nancy touched Will, she felt a zap of static shock ward her off from physical contact. “Ouch! Damn, Will, can you talk to me? Please, tell me what’s going on.” Pleading with Will because she didn’t know what else she could do, Nancy knelt by his side as he continued to spasm painfully.

Stopping without warning, Will turned from being curled up on his side, to laying flat on his back, arms wrapped around his torso from the lingering pain whilst he gasped for air. His eyes were completely white, seeing nothing of the actual room around him, but seeing plenty in the psychic mindscape space he was currently sharing with his oathsworn friend. “Mateo… Are they - is it-?” Struggling to speak, his words came out physically as well as being projected to Mateo directly.

In the void that connected them, Mateo was also knelt down beside Will, a hand on his newest friend’s shoulder. “I do believe people are supposed to say ‘you handled that like a champ’. Do people still say that?”

Will let out a weak chuckle, thankful for Mateo’s seemingly unbreakable spirit that had been emboldened by Will connecting with him. He nodded, and leaned his head back on the ground to try and rest somewhat, thankful that the electrocutions were over. According to Mateo earlier, they’d come back to try again, testing to see if it was the act of extreme trauma that was connecting Will and Mateo mentally directly, or if it was possible without the excessive pain.

Despite Will being who knows how far away from Mateo, he could hear the same things Mateo could now that Mateo’s body wasn’t ringing with the physical sensation of deafness caused by the orderlies' ministrations. They believed that Mateo’s pain tolerance had since increased, as his brain waves didn’t show the usual spikes during electrical shock. Worried they’d increase the amount, Will weakly gestured for Mateo to get back into the driver’s seat of his own mind and break from the trance they shared. “Tell them - tell them I took the pain. Don’t let them hurt you again-” Trying to sit up, he felt kind hands assist his physical body with the action, as someone held him in an act of comfort.

Moved by Will’s insistence and dedication to helping Mateo escape his fate at the hands of scientists, there was no doubt left in the boy’s mind that Will was truly here to help. It was the only reason he’d relented and let a borderline stranger take the beating intended for him in the first place - some part of Mateo’s cynical subconscious had continued to doubt Will’s intentions. But now? There wasn’t a single trace of doubt anywhere in his mind. “Before I go, they mentioned something to me - the scientists were talking about Subjects III and IV successfully bonding with Subject Gamma? I don’t know what it means, but maybe it means something to you?” Given how long he’d been imprisoned, the staff working on experimentation regarding Mateo became somewhat loose-lipped at times, chatting quietly about other experiments or even their personal lives, as they truly believed Mateo to be mute now. It wasn’t like he had anyone to tell top secrets to or anything - at least, that’s what they’d thought at the time.

“Thanks… Go, quick, before they do something more stupid.” Speaking just in his mind now as the words came easier, Will got up off the ground and the pair hurried over to the stupid upright cot they continued to hold Mateo in. “God I hate this thing. Not as much as you probably do, but I hate that I have to put you back in it every time.”

“It’s okay. I don’t know if I could sleep in a normal bed anymore anyway. Bye for now.” Bidding farewell as Will finished the last strap, Mateo watched as Will stepped back with a small wave, before the void vanished for them both.

Eyes no longer completely white but still somewhat bloodshot, Will could tell his nose was bleeding from both nostrils, and despite his now semi-upright position, his esophagus began convulsing, causing his body to jerk again slightly. Suzie, who had somewhat come to her senses now that the lights were no longer flickering, was busying herself around the room whilst reciting prayers to herself in a mutter. Seeing Will’s new convulsions, she recognised the signs of someone about to vomit and hurried over with the wastepaper basket before Nancy had to say anything.

Taking the basket and holding it for Will, the poor guy stopped holding back and vomited into the basket, curling his arms around it so he knew he wouldn't drop it if Nancy had to let go too. Not having much in his stomach anyway, it didn't take long for Will to finish up, Nancy rubbing his back and doing her best to soothe him. As Suzie handed over the tissues so Will could clean himself up, Robin came in, having a spare key handy because she came to visit often enough. “Shit, you look like you went through the wringer.” 

With Nancy helping him get the blood and vomit off his face, Robin came over and together the girls helped get him off the floor and onto a chair so he could hold himself upright on the table. As Nancy moved to get him some water, Robin leaned in and whispered, “Did you break our lovely Mormon friend by accident? It looks like she's having a genuine crisis of faith over there.”

Looking over at the pacing woman who had a hand on her chest and the other on her hip, torn between praying and hyperventilating, Suzie was still somewhat dazed after seeing Will in pain without an immediate cause. Will glanced at Robin and figured he should say something. “Suzie?” His voice was raspy after being sick, but now that he had her attention, Will pressed on. “I wasn't possessed, if that helps?”

“Y-You weren't?” Looking a little relieved but still completely befuddled, Suzie paused mid-pace, facing her friends.

Nancy brought the water to the table for Will, and looked her assistant dead in the eyes. “Before Will says anything else though, this is the last time you can still back out. I did warn you to be prepared for anything when we saw the light flickering outside but we won't judge you if you feel like this is something you maybe can't handle.”

“No, no I'll be alright, I promise.” Swallowing and coming over to the table with intentions to sit with her friends, Suzie stopped and said, “Jiminy Crickets Will, your hand! I'll be right back.” The trio shared a glance before Suzie reemerged with the first aid kit, having been the only one to notice Will had nearly bled through the bandage on his hand. “I won't take no for an answer this time, because whatever it was that just happened seems to have reopened your wounds.”

Looking down at his hand, Will could feel his hand buzzing with warmth. But since his entire body still tingled from being in such extreme pain, he was surprised he hadn't really noticed. “Thanks Suzie…”

With everyone at the table now and Suzie occupied with dressing Will’s hand, this was the perfect time to talk. “This seems like as perfect a time as any to fill us in.” Nancy opened the discussion for Will to take the lead, wanting to know exactly what was happening.

“I'm looking for a boy named Mateo. He's twelve, and he's being kept as a lab rat for the military, like El was. Something they've done I think has connected my mind to his and I promised I'd get him out. Earlier, I could feel through our connection that he was getting hurt again, so I… I wanted to take the pain for him. Effectively, I let them electrocute me instead of Mateo, because I couldn't bear the thought of Mateo being in more pain. He says he's used to it but… but no kid should be used to something like that, you know?”

Reaching out to squeeze his arm since Nancy was already holding his good hand, Robin was proud of her friend for having so much kindness inside of him. “This coming from the sorcerer who has seen some significant shit in his childhood. You're pretty damn brave, don't ever think otherwise.”

“This, Mateo, is that why you had Suzie pull files from the police for you?” Wondering how the investigation fit together, Nancy wanted to help as well. 

Now finished with re-wrapping Will’s hand, Suzie spoke up to inform the women catching up about the files themselves. “I spoke with Officer Aldridge and was able to get copies of all open missing children’s cases nationally from the last five years. There's an abysmally high amount…” She sighed as she packed up the kit again. “I thought it would be easier to comb through them here rather than do it at the station.”

“Suzie and I can get looking through those now.” Gesturing for Suzie to come with her to their working desks, the pair of investigators moved to get to work.

“Hey, can't I help? I am capable of reading too.” Robin asked, wondering what she could do to help.

Turning to look over her shoulder, Nancy teased, “You can just sit there and look pretty Robin.”

“Ooh, snap~” Hissing under her breath with a proud grin, Robin then mockingly saluted Nancy. “Aye aye captain.”

Leaving the PIs to do their thing, Robin turned to Will for more quiet discussion, but Will beat the chatterbox to it. “So you and Nancy huh? Do the boys know about this?” Whispering so Suzie was less likely to overheat them, Will couldn't help but smile a bit at the behaviour of his two long time friends.

“Ehh, sorta kinda and no the boys don't know. It's less a thing, and more a ‘needs met’ situation - no strings attached, purely for fun.” Clearing her throat so she didn't out the unique relationship Robin shared with Nancy (even though Will was just as gay as she was lesbian), Robin got them back on track, which was an achievement for her that she mentally noted. “Anyways, this Mateo kid; Does anyone else know about him?”

“Max does. She was getting dreams about him months before I was.” Admitting that he wasn't the only one in this situation, Will explained further. “I've only been getting them the last two months, but Max has been hearing him screaming every few nights for the last six months. And he's been “Subject Two” for about five years.”

“Hence why you're looking back five years at the missing kids cases.” Understanding a little better now, Robin did have one other question that she knew probably didn't have an answer yet, but decided to ask anyway. “Do you know how this kid reached out to you and Max? Like is there another Mind Flayer we don't know about or something maybe?”

Considering the option, Will didn't really think that was the best theory to go with. “No, but then again who knows. Max said she had a theory to run by Dustin about her getting the dreams, but when I first spoke to Mateo last night, he did know my name. Well kind of, he said “W. Byers”, like he'd seen my name on something.”

“Sounds like something your mom would write on your lunchbox or bag or something, right?” Chuckling nervously, Robin didn't like the sound of where things were headed. “I know you're valiantly trying to be this white knight for another kid in a crappy situation but have you ever asked yourself if you're… well, asking too much of yourself?” Not knowing any other way to put it, Robin hoped Will got the gist of what she was trying to say.

Will sat with this for a little bit, still tasting the bile and blood, still feeling frayed from the pain, and figuring he would feel like this for hours. “Sometimes, maybe. I mean, I thought I got out - we all did. We got two years of nothing horrible. But Robin, this kid has been in pain almost since I came back from the Upside Down. I gotta get him out.”

“If the military didn't hate us before they're really gonna hate us now.” Joking, Robin was laughing as this even brought a smile to Will’s face, before Robin was hit with an epiphany. “Hey, you know, when I was dating Vickie I spent a lot of time in the hospital and you know what else they label people's names on? Medication. But not just medication, but evidence and belongings bags too but most importantly, samples. Like Urine and Blood samples. When was the last time you were in a hospital? Like, as the actual patient?”

As this realisation hit Will, his grip on the glass of water tightened until his knuckles were white. “The last time was when I did actually get out of the Upside Down. But there was a whole year of me going to go see Dr Owens for monitoring of side effects because they didn't know what direct, prolonged exposure to the toxic atmosphere would do to a person yet.”

“We both know scientists love some good rest results. What do you think, am I maybe onto something?” Her fingers literally crossed on both hands atop the table, Robin felt pretty solid in her theory about how Mateo knew Will’s name.

Heart sinking as it fit incredibly well for the situation, Will was on board with the idea. “I don't know what information they could have gotten from me back then, but you're right. It has to be important.”

Chapter Text

Unable to contact Will again via phone for reasons unknown, Max hated sitting around whilst her (best?) friend was potentially in mortal danger. It was surprisingly easy to act normal however, since life in Hawkins practically never changed, and speaking with Lucas each night meant Max could keep the focus on him, without letting on what was happening on her end. Sure she felt guilty having secrets again, but Lucas was in college and clearly having a good time with his basketball buddies. She couldn’t drag him back into this kind of shit, not after it nearly tore them apart last time.

And whilst the Mike in her head told her that it was a hypocritical move for her to make, granted that pushing Lucas away was a key factor to Vecna killing her briefly, this felt different. It wasn’t a drowning grief of what ifs and lost choices, but rather more like protecting Lucas from knowledge that would serve only to hurt him. She loved Lucas dearly and though she’d never admit it, she really wished for nothing more than to be held in his arms again. Stupid, so stupid. Staying here… Thinking I needed time to just live as me before moving in with him. Maybe if I’d gone with him, I wouldn’t feel so damn alone right now. Then again, if I had gone with him, who would have been here for Holly?

As her mind turned to the youngest Wheeler child once again, Max checked the time. Surely school was over by now, right? Having organised in advance with Karen about picking Holly up from school, Max had gotten the weekend off from helping at WSQK by using the ‘family emergency’ card. Though she loved her real family dearly, Max definitely felt that using it for helping out the Wheelers was also classified as an actual family emergency. Even if Karen didn’t know half of the truth about what had been happening in town, and if Ted came across as a dick to all the kids that spoke to him, somehow the Wheeler Household in Hawkins had always felt like a home away from home for The Extended Party.

Exiting the school surrounded by her own Party (Mike liked to joke that they were the Junior Party), Holly spotted Max and immediately gave a big wave to her older friend. Nancy might be a sibling by blood, but the way Holly and Max interacted made it seem like they had grown up together that way. Bidding a quick goodbye to her friends and again apologising that she couldn’t run more DND for them, Holly was relieved to get into the car. The relative privacy meant she could stop bottling in her real feelings, and the air of acting like everything was normal was over.

“So, you convince your friends we’re visiting Mike for the weekend like we convinced Mrs. Wheeler?” Max asked casually, getting her own seatbelt on as she watched Holly. Convinced that the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach was shared by Holly, Max had no idea what they’d find when they got to Mike’s place.

Ready to get away from the school and dive into investigating, Holly nodded. “Yep. They might not be happy about it, but that’s what they think is going on. I couldn’t bring myself to even tell Mary that weirdness like Mr. Whatsit might be afoot again. What about you, does Lucas know you're not going to answer his calls the next few days?”

"Yeah, I told him. Don't you worry about my love life, that's mine to figure out." Pulling out of the school parking lot and onto the normal roads of Hawkins, Max glanced over at Holly briefly. “I spoke to Dustin too. I didn’t tell him Mike was missing or anything, but I did tell him about you and me. Kinda. It was hypothetical, I did throw in a lie that I was dared by Mike to write a story or some shit and I didn’t want to crawl back to his ass to ask for help.”

Laughing, Holly could see Mike actually doing something like that with Max, nagging her until she finally caved and tried to write a story of her own. “And what did Dustin come up with?”

“Well, he agrees with our theory about my out of body shit. When I died, I was in my body. I got thrown back to it because I know I talked to Lucas. I couldn’t see anything. Hell, I remember dying. But when I woke up, I was back in Henry’s head. So somehow, I think he was collecting the minds and memories of people he killed, he just didn’t have complete access to them. Or maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough when I was in his brain, I dunno.”

“Sometimes you just need a second pair of eyes to find things.” Answering with a smug grin on her face, Holly gently teased Max about the fact that she couldn’t have gotten out of Henry Creel’s head without her help. “And Dustin agreed with the whole idea?”

Rolling her eyes, but internally amused, Max pressed on regardless. “Yeah. The idea being that maybe it changed how my brain waves interact with incoming psychic wavelengths or something. I dunno, what he said basically meant I was a receiver, like a telephone pole or a radio tower. I just have to tune in, and for the last six months ‘tuning in’ means being asleep.”

“Mad Max, the Psychic Radio Tower. Sounds like a chapter title.” Grinning to herself, Holly was just trying to keep her spirits up because they had a long drive of uncertainty ahead. Max had already picked up Holly’s weekend bag from the Wheeler house, and so passing the ‘Now Leaving Hawkins’ sign marked only the start of that journey.

~~~~~

The sun had set when Max and Holly rolled up to Mike’s house. There was no car in the driveway because Mike was yet to own one, able to bike his way to work and back, or to the shops whenever he needed something. This meant it was easy for Max to pull up, and the pair got out, heading for the front door. “He better not have like, slipped and hit his head or something stupid.” Max muttered, even though that line of thought was ridiculous given the evidence proving otherwise.

Slowing down, Holly glanced over at the Burrows’ house next door, noticing Willow wasn’t in the garden. “Max, this already feels wrong. Like something’s off.”

“I totally agree. Come look at this door.” Waving for Holly to hurry up, the youngest Wheeler approached and stood beside Max. “Look, see? This door has been kicked in, then wedged shut after them. Do you have keys?”

“No, but Mike keeps a spare key to the back door under the mat. Do you mind if I go knock next door? I want to see if Willow is home. If anyone knows anything about what’s going on with Mike in this town, it’ll be her.” Dropping her bag at the front door, Holly was ready to scram on the word go. With a nod, Max gave her permission, and Holly shot off, headed for the neighbour’s front door.

Slowing down again and flattening out her skirt, Holly then ran a hand under her pigtail to make sure it was tidy before ringing the doorbell. She knew that Mr and Mrs Burrows were deeply religious, and had a very strict view on looking proper. She just hoped that her current appearance was enough to appease them into talking to her for a few minutes. If this were DND, I’d definitely be rolling a charisma check right now. The door opened to reveal Mrs Burrows, who was looking a bit more demure than her usual righteous self. “Good evening Mrs Burrows. I know it’s almost tea time, but I was wondering if I could speak with Willow for a moment? My brother isn’t home, and I had come over to surprise him, so I just thought maybe I could say hi whilst I wait for him to get back?”

Cursing herself for the ramble, Holly hoped she hadn’t blown her chances with the older woman. A small, yet empty smile graced Mrs Burrows features, not meeting her stern eyes that looked stonier than usual. “Our daughter has gone on a camp for school. She won’t be home for a while unfortunately. Good luck waiting for your brother.” Without another word or a proper goodbye, Mrs Burrows stepped back and closed the door on Holly, leaving her standing there and feeling at least a little bit foolish.

Meanwhile, Max had scooped up Holly’s bag so it wasn’t just sitting in the open, and entered Mike’s house through the back door. It was eerily quiet inside, and she couldn’t tell if it was because she was entering someone else’s house whilst it was empty, or because she’d resigned herself to the fact that something terrible had already happened to Mike, and they might be next. Get it together Max. You’ve been through some tough shit. You can handle an empty house. Gripping Holly’s bag a little bit tighter, Max entered through the small laundry room and came out into the kitchen area, sticking close to the wall so she could find a light switch. As soon as the lights did come on, Max felt a little underwhelmed. No monsters or anything in here. Seems safe enough? Putting Holly’s bag down on the kitchen bench, she decided to check the fridge. It was food time, and if Mike had been away for a few days, the fridge’s contents would definitely tell her if it was an intentional departure or an unexpected one.

The fridge was opened for less than a minute before Max had closed it again, pinching her nose. Five days was enough to make Mike Wheeler’s fridge smell terrible, despite it barely having anything in it (not that Max could talk, her fridge was usually quite empty too). The sound of a door clicking shut caused Max to jump with surprise, before relief flooded her senses as she saw it was just Holly coming inside. “Stinky fridge?” Mouth downturned from the idea of grossness, Holly was happy not coming any closer.

“Yep. Definitely left in a hurry. Or maybe… Never made it back home from somewhere?” Offering alternatives, Max pointed out that there may not be much evidence in the house as to what actually caused Mike to disappear.

“No, he was definitely home. I doubt Mike would have walked somewhere far, and his bike is still out the side of the house.” Watching Max as she then went into Mike’s freezer, Holly wondered what she was looking for. “You don’t think someone chopped him up and stuck him in his own freezer, do you?”

Flabbergasted at the sudden gory question, Max couldn’t help but laugh, tension breaking entirely as the situation stopped being so serious. “What? No, not in this tiny thing. You know Mike wouldn’t fit in here, even if he was in pieces.” The girls laughed at the thought together, because it really did seem quite ridiculous. “No, I thought I’d raid his freezer for TV dinners or something. So, you know, we don’t starve?”

“Does he have any ice cream we can take too?” Sounding hopeful, Holly genuinely hoped there was some in there, because Karen was quite stingy when it came to dessert time, even if there was only one child left in the house.

“Nah, Mike doesn’t have that kind of cash if he eats these all the time.” Knowing the pain all too well, Max took two identical meals out of the freezer, and held them up. “These will have to do. How about we get these heating up, and explore the rest of the house while we wait?”

Agreeing with that plan, they headed into the small hallway, with Holly checking out the bathroom and Max walking into Mike’s bedroom. Neither of them found anything out of sorts, Max assuming that Mike never made his bed anyway and Holly quietly relieved that there wasn’t a literal bloodbath, or bath of blood, waiting for her. Splitting up properly, Holly then went to the loungeroom and Max headed into the spare room, noticing that this door had been damaged from getting kicked in as well. Someone was definitely here. And they weren’t friendly. But this shows as a person, not some monster thing. Flicking the switch before stepping into the room, Max’s eyes saw the messy spare bed as well, but her gaze was immediately drawn to the singular bullet hole in the yellow-painted brick wall.

“Holy shit…” Checking the ground for blood splatter patterns or any signs of injury as she approached the wall, Max found nothing on the ground. The hole was higher than her head height too, which meant it was probably aimed at someone taller. But if there’s no blood, then maybe…? Max’s train of thought was broken the second she touched the hole, the entire room around her changing. Uncaring that she was standing on someone else’s bed whilst wearing shoes, Max was almost tucked completely into the corner as she watched this strange vision unfold in front of her.

She could see Mike beside the bed, and Willow right at her feet, but they were like projections of themselves. A layer of the past reality superimposed over the top of the current one. Willow was terrified, and Mike was standing protectively in front of her, whilst there were four soldiers in the room and their leader, facing off against Mike. She saw the leader gesture over his shoulder, and then felt a strange pulse briefly come from Mike, before Mike shifted to the left, with a bullet shooting past where his ear should have been, and embedded itself in the wall, through Max’s hand as if it wasn’t there. What the fuck was that? The moment the bullet had made impact in Max’s vision, the entire overlay was gone. Was that the past or am I just losing it for real now?

The microwave was loud enough that it was heard throughout the house, bringing Max back to the present and encouraging her to get off the bed. Reuniting with Holly, Max popped open the microwave so it wouldn’t beep again, and turned to her companion. “Did you find anything?”

“No, but in not finding anything there, I realised something was missing instead. Mike the Brave and Willow the Wanderer aren’t on the shelf with the DND stuff. They’re always on that shelf unless they’re being used in a game, Willow told me on the phone.” Proud of her observation skills, Holly let the information sink in before she realised something was up with Max too. “Why, what did you find?”

Swapping the hot TV dinner for the frozen one, Max explained what she saw. “There was a bullet hole. And then I saw Mike, and this girl that I think was Willow, and soldiers. Lots of soldiers. They nearly shot Mike.”

“Do you know if he’s okay?” Panic had set in again for both of them after this realisation, and Holly was suddenly less interested in eating or mucking around.

Thinking her answer through, Max was doing her best to be pragmatic. “The shot missed him. And there’s no blood in the room, so whatever happened, I don’t think they killed him.”

Standing in silence, they waited for the food to finish heating up, with Max taking the already cooked one because she was starving. Anxiety had caused her to skip lunch, which was why she wasn’t upset over taking food from a child. Eventually it was just the two of them eating in silence at Mike’s kitchen bench, before Holly had an idea form. “What? What is it, you’re making that face your brother makes right before he throws some new plot twist at us in his campaigns and stuff.”

“What? I don’t make that face! But I did have an idea.” A little annoyed at having her expressions compared to that of Mike, Holly soldiered on. “Look, you said you work like a receiver, right?”

“Yeah?” Max had no idea where this was going.

Putting her fork down, Holly crossed her arms. “Well, if you’re really like a radio tower, then you’d be sending those signals you receive too, wouldn’t you? Maybe there’s some way you can flip the switch on your power. Find others instead of them finding you?”

“El used to be able to do that…” It felt stupid to even be considering the idea. Honestly, it was wild that she or Holly even had any kind of powers in the first place, especially since the connection between Earth and the Abyss had been blown to kingdom come. But if nothing else, The Extended Party had been able to prove all sorts of impossibilities over the years, so what was one more? “You know what? I’ll give it a try. I’ve seen her do it from the outside a few times before, and she brought me into her mind once. Maybe I can try reach out, find Mike that way.” The more she thought about it, the more Max wanted to try it for herself.

“What do you need me to do?”

Chapter Text

“Mike, I need a favour.” It had been so cold that day. It was only a few weeks after he and Max had spoken at the Quarry, and found a new comfort in each other that their friends likely wouldn’t understand. Mike was confused, of course, but the tone Max had used… He didn’t feel like engaging in their usual banter. “Will you come with me?”

“Explain on the way.”

They biked a fair way, Mike keeping pace easily with Max who was still getting used to going longer distances again. She’d come a long way with her rehabilitation, but some forms of healing just took longer than others. She didn’t speak until they’d passed the cemetery, Max slowing down as she thought about her brother. “He was such an asshole. I know a lot of shit happened to him but, he nearly killed Lucas. He hurt Steve. I mean, sure he backed off after we knocked him out. None of that changed who he was though. He was a shitty guy, in a shitty situation, but Billy had still been my brother. I wanted to call his mom, after he died, but I found out she was already dead too, so I thought maybe he was finally somewhere he could learn to be a better person. Or maybe he just died an asshole and he’ll be forgotten when we’re gone too. Who knows.”

Mike hadn’t said a word, just letting Max air her grievances about Billy as she needed to. He knew Billy’s death had been hard on her, but it was nice to know that she hadn’t completely forgotten he was a terrible person.

“Vecna got in my head because I felt like I could have done more to save him. I knew all this shit about the monsters, my best friend had super powers, and I didn’t tell my family any of it. Just kept running off to help save the world and hurt myself in the process… But you know all about how that feels, don’t you Wheeler?” Wiping her eyes because the guilt still got to her some days, Max finally brought herself to look directly at Mike, the pair having stopped to rest by the side of the road.

“Yeah. I keep wondering if I could have been there more for Holly,” He’d replied, fighting his own emotional breakdown as he empathised with his friend. “If I could have saved Mom and Dad from being attacked, nearly killed, by a Demogorgon if they just knew how to fight them off. Nancy and I made a choice not to tell them anything, and we nearly lost them all because of it. I convinced Nancy we shouldn’t tell them - She really wanted to, in the beginning. But I managed to persuade her otherwise, and then look what happened.”

“We’ve both done shitty stuff to our friends and family. We’ve both wanted to die because we thought it would be easier. That’s probably why I feel comfortable bringing you with me for this… So please, don’t tell Lucas, okay?”

Wiping his own tears away, Mike felt like he had to ask for more context finally, using this as a good opening. “I won’t, but what exactly is it we are doing? I don’t even know where we are going.”

“We’re going to Pennhurst. It’s a crazy idea, but this has been bugging me for months. We killed Vecna - Henry, and there’s one person alive who deserves to know. I figured it might give him some closure.”

Raising an eyebrow as he watched Max set off riding again, Mike was a few seconds behind her as he processed, catching up before replying. “Wait, you mean we’re going to go see Victor Creel? Is he even still alive?”

“Yeah, I checked. They’re expecting me - well, us, I did tell them I was probably bringing a friend along, and we’ve got about ten minutes to speak with him. If it wasn’t for Victor sharing his story with Nancy and Robin, I would have died and stayed that way. I want to do something for him, even though we’ve never met.”

Understanding, Mike knew the sentiment was from a good place, and he was proud that he could help her with overcoming something painful in an attempt to move on, and give someone else the chance to do so as well. “You know, Lucas thought El was from Pennhurst once. The night that we met her. I remember Dustin grinning at him and going ‘Got a lot of family there?’ at him.”

“Lemme guess, his response was something along the lines of ‘Bite me’?” Max laughed, and laughed harder when she saw Mike nod. “Why did you guys think El was from Pennhurst?”

“She tried to get naked in front of us. We didn’t know anything about each other, but yeah, we all thought it was pretty weird.”

Max had seen the confused expression on Mike’s face. The feeling of nostalgia for a time now gone, amusement at the expense of a friend, but also the guilt of making a teasing remark of someone they’d lost. He’d been so confused, but it was the first time Mike had allowed himself to act in this way. In the way of someone maybe, finally moving on a little bit. “You should get outdoors more. Seems like it does you some good.” Max had teased him after letting him sit with his emotions for a bit. The pair focused on the ride to the Mental Hospital after that.

In Mike’s mind, the scene changed, skipping ahead to the maximum security area of Pennhurst, where Victor Creel had been living for most of his time in the mental hospital. Mike could recall the feeling of curiosity about how it must have felt for Nancy and Robin to stand here, having lied their way in, just to try and get a scrap of info that would maybe save Max’s life. He had been far away at the time, but he’d heard all about it nonetheless.

“Victor, you have visitors. Remember you two, ten minutes only.” The guard had warned them, before the rest of the guards cleared out. Mike had no idea how Max had managed to swing getting ten minutes of time alone with an elderly man ascribed as insane, but neither of them had expected the sight they were afforded. Victor was getting on in his years, and probably only kept going because he couldn’t let go of the guilt in his own heart about the pain wrought upon his family. Something Max had wanted to help soothe in an effort to ease her own guilt.

“You better not be reporters… The last two ladies that came in here asked some nasty questions, bringing up old memories like they did…” Victor sighed, almost a wheezing sound. He was sitting at the desk he had, scratch marks all over his cell from his destroyed and bloodied fingernails he never let heal

Max and Mike had shared a look, their combined terror somehow giving Max something to hold onto as she slowly shrugged off her bag. “No, we aren’t um… We’re not reporters.” Putting her bag on the ground, she took out a cassette player and a tape containing a single song. “Do you mind if I play a song for you? I heard it might be one of your favourites.”

The old man seemed rather taken aback by this, and Max waited for him to say yes before she actually played the tape. As soon as she did, “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” began to play, and Victor was so immediately moved that he put a hand over his heart, head raised to the ceiling as if he were looking to angels in heaven to search for the source of such a beautiful voice.

“Why this song?” Mike had whispered to Max, not knowing the significance.

Turning her head to whisper back, but still watching the elder listen to his favourite song, Max responded with, “Robin said it was his favourite. That’s how they figured out music was the key - he hummed to deal with the painful memory, and Robin worked out the tune.” Stepping forward, Max thought now might be the best time to speak with Victor, hoping that he was at his most sane state of mind. If she was right, it would help ease the processing of the new information she was about to tell him. “Excuse me, Mr Creel? My name is Max, Max Mayfield. I brought my friend Mike Wheeler with me… I came to thank you. I know you said those two reporters who’d come had brought up painful memories, but you sharing your story… Saved my life.”

Broken from the trance of hearing the song, Victor registered what Max was saying, but refrained from losing control thanks to the voice of Ella Fitzgerald, just as Max had predicted. “Say what now? The demon came for you too?”

“Yes. Well… Uhm…” This is where Max looked to Mike for help. She didn’t know how to tell someone that the ‘demon’ was actually a human all along.

Stepping forward, the paladin took over the conversation for the zoomer, feeling emboldened to speak because Max needed him, and he could actually help his friend with actions rather than presence. “The demon who hurt your family was Henry. Henry Creel, your son.” There was no other way to tell it than just say it. Like ripping off a bandaid.

“What? No, my boy, my boy wasn’t a demon. He was just a sensitive, misunderstood child.” Shaking his head, not understanding, even the magic of music was struggling to keep Victor from hurting himself in confusion. “He died in my arms!”

“No, he didn’t. Dr Brenner took him from you. He became Number One, and honed his psychic powers until he turned into the monster we called Vecna, and stole our friend away from us.” Mike didn’t want to get mad; Rationally, he knew it wasn’t Victor’s fault he didn’t understand. After all, they didn’t know if Vecna had gotten into his head and forced him to torment himself this whole time, extending his life into a pathetic footnote of pure agony.

“Look - Mr Creel, we didn’t come here to upset you, I promise. I just wanted to say thank you, for saving me from your son. Henry is dead now though, so no one will ever be hurt the same way your family was. Never again will anyone feel that pain.” Tears fell down Max’s face, the sobs almost choking the words from her breath.

Victor held his head in his hands, the song finishing before playing again from the beginning, starting up once more on its own. Victor and Max had both been overcome with sobs, with Mike holding on to Max’s shoulder so she didn’t fall over completely or hurt herself on the bars she was using to keep herself upright. “How… How did he die? When?”

“November 6th, 1987. We literally travelled to another dimension to defeat Vecna and his giant spider pet to save children he’d stolen - children like my sister Holly, and uh… Well..” Mike faltered as he realised it was a pretty brutal death to hear about, even if Henry had been such a colossal freakazoid by this point in time.

Looking at Mike, her knuckles whitened by her tight grip against the bars, Max almost pleaded with Mike not to tell Victor any more about the event. They weren’t supposed to talk about it, even if everyone already thought Victor was totally batshit insane. But Victor beat her to it, insisting that he knew. “Please, I need to know… How did my son die?”

“Brutally. He was impaled by two of our friends using their powers against him, and then Mrs Byers cut off his head with an axe and she’s not hugely strong so it… It took a few goes.” Clearing his throat, Mike felt like his entire body had just dehydrated on him. “Will did try and get Henry to see sense. But apparently he had made his choice, and didn’t back down. So… We really didn’t have any options. I’m sorry Mr Creel.”

“No, no it’s quite alright. Thank you for your honesty my boy. You… You said that when Dr Brenner had taken him from me, he became something else. So in my heart, perhaps Henry really did die that day we all did. My sweet Virginia, my dearest Alice… Thank you for your truth. I’m glad my story could save you dear girl, because it sounds like you have a lot of life left to live.”

“Th-Thank you Mr Creel. Uhm, if you want, I can leave the tape here with you? I mean, if the guards let me. I don’t think you should be without your song, since you weren’t ever meant to be locked up in this shitty place to begin with.”

“You’re both so kind. So kind to an old man…” Sighing, Victor managed to get up and shuffle to his bed, sitting down on the mattress. The ten minutes were up and the guards were returning, so it was time for them to leave…

~~~~~

Pennhurst? Why the hell am I here? So far, Max’s plan had worked. The radio static was loud enough to create a white noise cover for everything else, Holly was holding onto her hands to help her focus on finding Mike, and she’d made it back into the strange void that El usually brought her to. But when she was trying to find Mike specifically, she’d found herself back in this weird memory. “Right, the ten minutes. Mike has to be here somewhere.” Looking at the clock in the courtyard, Max realised this was exactly the same time she’d been with Mike, talking to Victor Creel about what happened to Henry. Running down the path, Max was glad to see that some things were consistent between minds when it came to memories; Opening the door to the asylum jumped her straight from the entrance into the lower levels, allowing her to find Mike with ease.

In front of her was the stone tunnel of cells with metal bars, and she could see her younger self standing beside a younger Mike. Dream a Little Dream of Me was playing on the cassette player, the first round of the song just starting, when Max leaned to the side and spotted the real Mike present, reliving the memory passively. He looked terrible, covered in bruises all over his face and arms that she could see, tinges of dried blood smeared across his neck and face that didn’t seem to be from any specific wounds she could see on him. “Mike?”

Saying his name didn’t get his attention, so she ran a bit closer, hoping that she wouldn’t have to yell too hard. “Mike? Can you hear me?”

Breaking from his trance of reliving the scene, Mike’s tired eyes shifted and looked up at Max, focusing on her with a look of absence before he leaned forwards slightly, as if trying to see her clearly. “Max?”

“Yeah, Mike, I’m here.” Standing right in front of him helped clear up Mike’s eyesight, like he’d been struggling to see through the memory and at what was here and now. But now that she was closer, she could see his arms trembling, blood even between his teeth as he spoke, and that his hair was matted with more of the same. “Holy shit, what happened to you?”

Reaching out to Mike with intent of turning his face to the side to try and better assess potential damage, Mike slapped her hand out of the way, causing Max to jolt slightly in surprise. “You shouldn’t be here Max…” As he spoke, she saw purple creeping up the side of Mike’s neck, pulsing like his veins no doubt were beneath. When he glanced back at her, Max could clearly see that Mike’s typically brown eyes had a ring of purple around the outside now as well, that pulsed in colour synchronously with the veins. “I hurt so many people… I can’t… I don’t want to hurt you too.” His voice broke and his eyes became glassy with tears, like he was struggling to stay out of his own terrible memory.

“Well tough shit Mike, you’re in bad shape and I’m here anyway. So is Holly, we’re in your house right now. So tell me, what happened? Why are you reliving this memory, of all choices?” Grabbing him forcefully by the shoulders and holding him so that Mike was unable to run away, Max stared him down, using her stubborn temper to try and force an answer out of Mike.

“Did you know he died just two days after we told him about Henry?” Mike muttered, staring at Victor, now frozen in the memory because he didn’t have anything beyond this point, in this room, to remember. “We told him the truth, and he died.”

“Yeah, I heard but, I don’t think it’s because he was in pain. I think it’s because he was finally ready to let go of the pain?” Max had chosen to believe this was the case, because that was her goal. Victor was finally free of the agony.

Shaking his head from side to side in such a way that his entire balance teetered on the spot, Mike gave her an answer to the second question first. “I can’t stop hurting everyone I care about Max. Even when I’m helping…” She didn’t expect Mike to break down so suddenly, losing all composure and now crying harder than she had in the memory they were standing in. “The soldiers… The scientists… they came into the room with the butterflies… And they scared Willow. She was so scared Max-” Mike lost all will to stand on his own, even in his own mind. Taking his weight to slow his descent, Max sat with him as she held her friend tight, Mike sobbing into her shoulder awkwardly as he continued to explain. “I had to protect her, you know? I just had to, they had guns and we… We were so mad. So so angry… They’d just hurt us and hurt El and hurt Will and hurt everyone and so we… we hurt them. We hurt them all so much they - it was a mess Max. They were everywhere… No kid should have to see that.”

Not understanding exactly what he was talking about, Max tried to pry more information out of him. “What do you mean by us? You and Willow?”

Doing his best to sit up against the corner in the wall he was sitting in, Mike closed his eyes as blood began to leak from them, running so thickly even his tears couldn’t diminish its presence. “No, me and Hush. Hush is a- well he’s a shadow. He’s our shadow friend… and we did such terrible things… But we had to… We had to protect Willow… She's just a kid…  and now - Now I can’t wake up! I’m stuck-” He hit his head against the wall behind him. “-In-” He did it again, terrifying Max with the cracking sound it made. “- This -” A third strike caused the wall to generate a massive crack, shooting towards the ceiling just from Mike’s head slamming into it. “NIGHTMARE.” One last blow and the entire memory shattered away, allowing Mike to fall onto his back, flat against the ground

Trying to understand what was going on, Max jumped up and out of the way, not liking any of what she was experiencing one bit. How the hell did El manage all of this anyway? This is so beyond freaky, it’s not funny. By giving Mike space, Max noticed that the void had begun to ripple in the ground around him, causing the watery substance to flow away from him, a hospital bed rising from the ground and lifting up Mike. His appearance changed again slightly, as he was now in the bed, his eyes bandaged but the caked blood clearly evident beneath as he’d not been cleaned up yet, and the machines audible even to Max. Which meant Holly, who had been listening in through the radio that Max had been doing her best to connect with this whole time like El would have done, probably heard everything too.

“Mike, I think I know what’s going on, why you can’t wake up.” Glancing at all the machines around him, Max recognised the images on the screens from her own time trapped in Vecna’s mind. “Mike, you’re in a coma. You’re not asleep at all, okay?” Putting a hand on his shoulder, Max leaned over him so that he knew she was still there.

“If… If I’m in a coma… How do I wake up?” His voice was so feeble it made Max choke up

Her own mind was caught on the words Mike had used to describe what had happened to him, and her brain was faltering now, processing things in jolts. Please, please don’t let this be like Billy again. I couldn’t - Not Mike. Not anyone. Never again. No more, please. Fighting back tears and hardly able to breathe for being overcome with emotion, Max’s hands in the real world tightened around Holly’s hands, searching for comfort in her other, more present friend.

“Mike, can you hear me?” Holly spoke up, having an idea and wanting to help stop the pain that her loved ones were in. She didn’t fully understand what was going on, but as the only one with a clear head, Holly did her best to take charge.

Shaking Mike slightly, Max made sure he was still with them. “Can you hear Holly?”

Reaching up with a trembling hand, Mike was able to grab onto Max’s arm despite appearing blind thanks to the bandages over his eyes. “Clearer when I touch you… It’s so faint.”

“I don’t know how to help you because I only know how to escape someone else’s head. But clearly you’re just stuck in your own head so… So I don’t know what to do.” Max was crying just like Mike was, and she leaned down to hug him because they clearly both needed it.

“Mike, can you hear Willow? Maybe listening for her will lead you to the way for waking up. I mean, it’s worth a shot, right?” Hoping that a connection to the waking world would help, Holly made the only suggestion she could think of. “Is there something in there with you guys that connects you with her? Like how the figure you gave me saved me?”

Weakly hugging Max back, Mike then lifted his left arm, still able to feel the tether gauntlet from their shared dream the other night. “Yeah… Yeah uh,” He sniffed, trying to find his voice so Holly could hear what he said too. “There’s this tether. It’s the only thing that stops them from taking her too far away…”

“If this is a natural coma, she might be your only hope. But if it’s an induced coma, then it might just be the doctors thinking they’re helping you and not knowing what’s really going on in your head.” Max cleared her throat and got up so she could speak properly, and to avoid prolonging the hug longer than necessary. “Getting out of here isn’t going to be about love and hope. I think getting out of this stupid ass dream, for you Wheeler, is going to be tenacity. Can you do that for us? For me and Holly? And Willow?”

Lip trembling, Mike took time before answering. It was like he was at war with himself, at war with the guilt pent up inside. Eventually, he found his voice again. “Yeah… Yeah I can do that. I don’t know how you’re here, or if this is even real but… Thank you Max. Thank you for looking for me. I knew you’d notice something was wrong… I just had to wait.” His breath was shaky, but he seemed significantly calmer now, like the wave of emotions had finally ebbed to a manageable level again. “Thank you, both of you.”

“We’re your family Mike. We love you, even if you’re a stupid idiot sometimes.” Holly spoke with nothing but love for her big brother, and wished she could hug him too.

Trying not to laugh as she dried her tears, Max protested faintly, “I’m pretty sure the stupid idiot part is my line, but I’m glad you’re still alive Wheeler. Holly and I are trying to track you down, and Will knows you’re MIA too. He’s trying to track down someone else at the moment, but we’re coming to find you Mike. Just hold on.” Able to feel herself starting to slip away, Max was at the limit of how long she could project herself outwards for. “I have to go now, but I’ll try and talk to you again soon, alright?”

“Maybe then you can tell me how we’re talking in the first place, yeah?” Hoping to get some info next time rather than just give, Mike felt like he might actually be able to rest somewhat now himself.

“It’s a promise.” And with that, Max opened her eyes to the lightless lounge room of Michael Wheeler’s home, her hands so tightly gripping Holly’s that her fingernails had dug into the poor teen’s skin. “Sorry! Gosh, sorry, I didn’t mean-” Realising that her nose was almost gushing blood, Max groaned as an air bubble uncomfortably passed in her sinuses, implying that some of the blood had travelled inwards as well as outwards.

Immediately scooping up the tissues and pulling handfuls to give to Max to help stop the blood flow, Holly looked sheepish in the sparse moonlight they were using to see. “Sorry, I would have tried to stop it earlier but you just wouldn’t let go.” Once Max was stemming the blood coming from her nose, Holly then turned off the radio, stopping the white noise. “I can’t believe that worked - And I could hear him! He sounds like he’s been through so much, in just a couple days…”

“He looks like it too. Dude’s covered in bruises head to toe, blood everywhere. Kinda disgusting, but that’s just Mike.” Trying to make the doom and gloom seem slightly less apocalyptic, Max realised that blind optimism still wasn’t sitting overly well with her. “Look, it’s a start. We know he’s alive. Now we just need to figure out where he is.”

Chapter Text

“Guys, it’s been two days. I think it’s about time we give the bullshit plan a try.” Will was exhausted. Between trying to take the pain for Mateo and finding someone who wasn’t even classified as missing, Will wanted to just take the obvious path

Hands on her hips, incredulous and protectively stubborn, Nancy immediately shot the idea down again. “No! Will, I’m glad you have faith in me and all, but there isn’t enough of us to pull something like that off.”

Trying to be a mediator because Robin was at least partially on board with the plan, Robin did point out, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat Nancy, and we don’t have to go in guns blazing - stealth is actually an option here.”

“You want to stealth into a military base without firepower, or tunnels, or backup?” Speaking incredulously and gesturing at Robin like she was a moron, Nancy then pressed her thumb and middle finger to the edges of her forehead, by her temples, as if shading her sight and trying to quell an oncoming headache at the same time. “We know what the military is capable of. Sneaking is right out of the question.”

Biting her nails so she wouldn’t interrupt Nancy’s tirade of a reply, Robin stated Will’s counter argument, so the tired creator of said plan didn’t have to lose even more energy, whilst Suzie just sat by at her computer, letting the girls have at each other. “But that’s what the emergency network was for. That’s why Dustin left Cerebro set up in Hawkins, so we can all reach each other. Quick phone calls and then one radio call, and we’re all on the same frequency again. You know our friends, they’d be here within hours.”

“That’s a last resort and you know it.” Storming off towards the kitchen area, Robin immediately followed behind Nancy. The concept of personal space was not in Robin’s current vocabulary, because Will’s plan was the best one they had. “We can’t just pull everyone from their lives because we think it’s important. I mean, the world isn’t about to end-”

Robin immediately interjected here with a quick, “That we know of!”

“- And no one is even out to get us as far as we know. I mean, Will has been here for two days, and it’s not like Jonathan has called us up going, ‘Hey I think the military are after Will because they came to my house’ or something.”

Robin opened her mouth to argue an easy counter, but realised the insensitivity of her next comment before it fumbled past the filter line and straight into insult territory. Nancy raised her eyebrows, amazed at Robin’s restraint, and waiting for the chatterbox to re-process her side of things to see if there was any argument to be continued. “I still think we should do the plan!” Robin finished lamely, her hands hitting her pants with a muted clap.

Surprising everyone (though it really shouldn’t have because this was a Private Investigation Service), the phone rang and cut off any further discussion about their current issues. Suzie ended up being the one to pick up, because Will didn’t want to risk someone finding out he was there, and Nancy and Robin were too far away to react fast enough. “Good morning, this is the Wheeler Investigation Agency, how can I help?”

“Suzie? Is Nancy home right now? It’s Max.” Immediately looking up around the room, Suzie hadn’t been expecting someone she knew somewhat, to answer the phone.

“Just a second,” Taking the phone from her ear and covering the microphone with her palm to muffle the sound, Suzie told the room, “It’s Max calling.”

Immediately on his feet and beside Suzie, Will did his best to be gentle whilst urgently taking the phone from her. “Did you find him?”

“WILL?! Where the hell have you been?! I’ve tried calling you like, five times, you can’t just disappear on us, not like Mike did!” Getting the well deserved anger out of the way, Will could hear Max take a deep breath and calm herself down again. “Why are you with Nancy?”

“I talked to Mateo, and Nancy is trying to help me find him. Now will you please answer my question?” Impatient for news on Mike, especially since he hadn’t actually told Nancy about it yet, Will could feel everyone in the room watching him.

Turning her head and whispering quietly to Robin, Nancy asked, “Did we know that Max knows about Mateo?”

“I knew that Max knew about Mateo, did I not tell you?” The expression Nancy gave Robin was all the answer she needed. “Whoops. Of course, the one time my chatterbox doesn’t drop info, it’s the important time. Sorry Nance.”

“Not exactly. He’s not at his house - the military took him. I got this weird vision when I touched the bullet in the wall but, Will… He’s not okay. And I don’t know where he is.”

“How do you know?” His voice went soft, and suddenly the room around him meant nothing. All Will could focus on was Max’s voice, and what this meant for his best friend.

There was a pause, and Will could hear Holly quietly encourage Max to open up and talk, because she needed to share the information. Though she did also offer to tell Will for Max, Max declined her because she’d been the one to speak to him directly anyway. “You know how El used to go find people, with her mind?”

“I remember. It’s how I was found the first time. El reached out, she spoke to me.” Knowing Max wouldn’t be saying this if it wasn’t important, Will wanted to make sure she knew he completely understood.

“I was able to do the same. I reached out to Mike. Who… was in a coma. I don’t know what happened but from the state of him it was bad Will. And I don’t know where to start when actually trying to find him.” The emotion in Max’s voice was so strong that it made Will tear up, his heart aching as it wished desperately for Mike’s safety. “All I know is that the military took him and Willow somewhere. Is it too much of a long shot to hope it’s the same place Mateo is? I’m assuming Mateo is the guy from our dreams, right? The screaming kid?”

“Yeah, that’s him. And I don’t know but… Look, I have this plan. And I don’t care what Nancy says,” Will looked directly at Nancy as he said this. She had the audacity to look offended, even though it was mostly just a shock that Will was talking in such a way. “But I’m doing it. Do you think you can reach out to me with your power too?”

“Power?” Both Nancy and Robin asked the same question at the same time, and shared a quick look at each other and waited for more answers, which Will clearly wasn’t giving yet.

On the other end of the phone, Will could hear Holly speaking again, having more faith in the situation than anyone it seemed. “You found Mike with my help, I think we can find Will if we work together?”

“I mean, it’s a nice idea and all Holly, but Mike is your brother. I think that’s what helped us find him. You’re not related to Will in the same way, so I don’t know if it’ll work for sure. We can try, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Look, trying is all we need right now, okay? It’s better than sitting around and waiting for the worst.” Wiping his eye before the tears got the best of him, Will was ready to just get going, pushing through his exhaustion with a new wave of emotion-fuelled adrenaline. “How fast can you get back to Hawkins?”

“Without using Dimension Door, a few hours. I don’t think Holly can reach that far yet.” Before Max could speak further, Holly piped up again, speaking louder.

“I can try if we need to!” Eager to help with the plan however she could, Holly was down for the attempt anyway.

Taking a calming breath of his own, Will was ready to get into the plan, and hoped that Max and Holly would be alright on their own. “Just do whatever it is you can or that you need to, okay? We’re gonna use the emergency protocol Dustin designed.”

The silence this time was almost suspicious, causing Will’s heart to catch in his throat. Eventually, Max’s whispered voice answered one last time before the phone line went dead.

“Hurry.”

~~~~~

She didn’t want to abruptly hang up on Will, but the shadows around the house had alerted both girls to the fact that they weren’t alone anymore. Uncaring of the mess they’d left in Mike’s house, both Max and Holly scooped up their bags, and headed for Mike’s bedroom, hoping that hiding in there would buy them enough time to have Holly’s Dimension Door spell to work properly. Annoyed that she had to leave her car behind, Max was trying not to let her frustrations out on the wrong person.

“Okay, here’s goes nothing.” Putting all her focus into her most practiced, Hawkins-based portal location, Holly closed her eyes and reached out to the wall, a golden crack slowly beginning to appear and filling the room with more light than either companion had hoped. Footsteps could be heard coming towards the room they were hiding in, and Max quickly locked the door, bracing herself against it to keep it closed.

Struggling to open the portal quickly, Holly had changed her hands from flat palms sliding outwards to open the cracks like sliding doors, and instead had curled her fingers into the cracks itself and was physically trying to rush the process by ripping it open as one would a cardboard box. Distracting her briefly was the rattle of the door, causing her to nearly lose her grip, a searing sensation occurring where her knuckles were curled into the portal. Gotta focus! I think I nearly lost my fingers just now!

“Got it!” When the portal finally relented and opened fully, Holly kept one hand outstretched towards it, as if to stop an elevator door from closing too soon. “Come on, hurry!” Blood was dripping from her nose, and just holding the portal was making Holly feel woozy; She’d never traveled this far with her powers before, and clearly it showed. Dimension Door was a 4th Level Spell after all, and therefore tricky to cast by default.

Only letting go of the door after Max successfully barred another forced entry, she hurried over to Holly, grabbed her free hand, and jumped through the portal, allowing Holly to close it as soon as possible. Doing so eased a lot of the pressure that had built up in Holly’s mind, the change similar to coming up from air after being underwater. Before Max could speak and ask where they were however, Holly immediately made the ‘shh’ gesture, illuminated in the small space by the still re-sealing crack of golden light behind them. Crouched awkwardly and frozen in place as much as possible, Max could help but wondering, “Why? Where are we?”

“In my closet.” Holly replied, despite her lips not moving, and the young girl physically more focused on trying to block her nose without breathing loudly as they both heard Karen enter the room.

Wondering what was going on outside, waited, holding her breath so she could hear better. Karen muttered, “Must have just been hearing things. Oh well…” Before closing Holly’s bedroom door, allowing them both to breathe easier again. Opening it with a push so the doors swung outwards carefully, the two girls emerged and stretched out. This was a mistake for Holly, as she immediately lost balance, Max barely able to catch her.

“Holly, are you okay? Did we just like, speak to each other in our heads or something?” Trying to figure out what had happened whilst whispering, Max carefully helped Holly lay on the floor, avoiding the bed because it apparently squeaked sometimes.

Eyes half closed and nose no longer bleeding for now, Holly was struggling to stay awake. “Think so… I just need to nap for a bit… Sorry Max.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. We escaped thanks to you. You rest up, I’ll go find us a ride.” Helping Holly move one last time so she was hidden between the bed and the window in case Karen decided to come peek into the room again whilst Max wasn’t there, Holly let herself pass out and relax. She wasn’t worried about waking up sore later, just focused on making the current exhaustion go away.

Doing a better job at being a ninja than young Steve Harrington could have ever hoped to be, Max was able to climb out of Holly’s window, across the roof, and drop down carefully into the front yard, keeping an eye out for anyone who might see her. Then, with as much speed as she could muster without arousing suspicion, ‘Mad Max’ strode away from the Wheeler house, breaking into a run the moment it was gone from sight. She had to be quick, since Holly wasn’t even meant to be in town, and now there were people after them again. Dreams, Dimension Doors, Telepathy. Stupid military being after us. This is why we can’t have nice things. Or even weird things.

Knowing of only one person in all of Hawkins that would help whilst asking questions, and be capable of doing something questionably moral if viewed by literally anyone else that also owned a car (Sorry Erica), Max headed straight for Steve’s house.

~~~~~

Punching in the numbers with Nancy’s phone line, Suzie was delighted that she got to call Dustin. She just wished it was under better circumstances. Having been given a rushed overview of codenames and general information that she needed to pass on to the others, Suzie was kinda glad to be staying behind. Setting up the communications between everyone was an important and helpful job, so she didn’t feel guilty about not assisting her friends to her fullest potential, but after having her faith shaken, very little sleep, and so many terrifying stories about the end of the world that almost happened but didn’t, having a bit of space seemed like exactly what she needed most in the world right now.

“Hey, Dustin here.” Answering like there was nothing wrong in the world, Suzie’s heart did a flip at the sound of his voice. She truly had forgiven him after all the pain and suffering he’d been through, and loved him to this day.

Clearing her throat as she briefly realised it was her turn to speak, Suzie greeted Dustin with as much loving enthusiasm as possible. “Dusty-Bun! It’s so good to hear your voice, things have been so stressful here lately.”

“Stressful?” Immediately empathetic, Dustin’s voice became a little worried. “What’s going on Suzie?” Wanting to help his girlfriend even if they weren’t together-together yet, Dustin immediately put aside his good mood and emptied his brain for listening mode.

Sighing, Suzie got to business, wishing the happy-go-lucky vibe could have lasted a little bit longer. “Nancy wanted me to call you, so you could call Erica, to check on Cerebro. Something about an Emergency Party Line?”

“Do you have a pad of paper next to you? It’ll be easier for you to call Erica, and I’ll call everyone else to make sure they’re actually tuning in.” Wanting to make things a little bit easier for Suzie, Dustin decided to take over the multitude of phone calls so Suzie wasn’t stuck repeating herself politely to several people

Getting up and reaching her paper and pencil from the nearby desk without fully extending the phone cable, Suzie saw all of her notes from earlier, such as who had what code name, and the essential information that needed to be sent to the rest of the party for the fastest catchup possible. Given she got all this information whilst Will, Robin and Nancy were headed out the door, the assistant investigative reporter felt she’d done pretty well. “Ready when you are Dusty.”

Dustin recited the Sinclair family phone number, since Erica still lived at home, and then asked, “You got it?”

“Yep! Oh, and just before you go, you don’t need to call Will or Robin because they are with Nancy. Also, don’t call Mike or Max.” Realising that crossing off people from the list like this was probably quite foreboding and ominous without context, Suzie threw in a quick, “They aren’t home right now,” for good measure.

“Okay, weird but thank you Suzie. I love you. And if Erica gives you any trouble, like asking why you’re calling instead of me, just tell her that I’ll cast Irresistible Dance on Lady Applejack next session for not helping you. Guaranteed to get her cooperation.”

“I love you too Dustin. I’ll call Erica, hopefully without blackmailing her fictional self, then be waiting on the radio.” Dustin hung up, and Suzie put the phone back on the receiver for good measure before immediately picking it up again and putting in Erica’s phone number.

Waiting a second time for the phone to ring, Suzie did her best to relax, having no idea who was going to answer her. Thankfully, this wait wasn’t too long. “You’ve reached Sue Sinclair, may I ask who is speaking?”

“Good morning Sue, my name is Suzie Bingham. I’m Dustin Henderson’s girlfriend, and he gave me this number so I could speak with Erica please?” Speaking with the politest tone possible, assuming that this was Erica’s mother and not a sister or aunt or something Suzie was completely unaware of, she just hoped that acting like they were on a first name basis hadn’t insulted Mrs Sinclair.

There was a smile in the other woman’s voice, which helped soothe Suzie’s nerves. “If Dustin is involved, then I know better to ask. It’s probably something to do with that game they love, am I right? Just a moment.” Even though the phone was removed from Mrs Sinclair’s face, the shout through the house was still very clear for Suzie’s end of the line. “Erica! Phonecall!” There was another pause before Sue spoke directly with Suzie. “She’s on her way, just a moment.”

“Thank you so much.” Incredibly grateful that Erica’s mother was completely understanding and easy to speak with, Suzie waited patiently for Erica herself to take the phone.

“Alright, who’s interrupting my painting time?” Exasperated, clearly Dustin’s friend had been in the middle of something, but Suzie briefly buffered on the fact that Erica’s voice sounded familiar somehow. “Hello?”

“Sorry! Sorry, I’m Suzie, Dustin’s girlfriend? He gave me your number, it’s an emergency.”

“Wait like, Neverending Story, hotter than Phoebe Cates Suzie? What’s he got you ringing me for? Lemme guess, if I don’t do whatever that nerd asks of me, he’s gonna make my rogue dance, right?”

“Well, if your Rogue is Lady Applejack, then yes.” Nodding and a little confused because this conversation was all out of order, and he really said she was hotter than Phoebe Cates? Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Suzie pushed on. “We need you to check that Cerebro is functioning at full capacity, we need to radio people across a big distance.”

“Holy shit, are we actually using the Emergency Party Line? Girl, lead with that next time! Don’t let me prattle if we’ve got something big on our hands. I’m on it.” The line went dead and Suzie carefully put the phone down, feeling rushed and still disorientated. But she got over it quickly enough and went to her own ham radio set up next to the computer. At least it made sense why Nancy asked if she could put it together for her now, and why knowing Dustin seemed to have a secret advantage when it came to getting the job as Nancy’s assistant. Though Suzie was certain the reason she was hired was for more than just her connections…

~~~~~

Thank God for the weekend. Max wouldn’t have known what to do if Steve had been in the middle of coaching baseball or worse, in the middle of teaching a sex ed class, right when she needed him most. They didn’t talk heaps, despite both still living in Hawkins, but knowing he was around was a comfort too. He’d drop by every second weekend when he was making sure one of his baseball kids got back to their mother safe and sound (poor kid had split parents across town), and so Steve said it was no trouble, because he would always come say hi to her as well. Sure they never really talked about much, but Max always tried to have a beer in the fridge specifically for him just in case.

The way he’d done everything to protect her even when she was pushing those closest away from her, had not been lost on Max. Knowing he was there to protect her from Vecna, and was the first to realise she had been taking too long to read a letter to her dead brother? Steve had a lot more emotional maturity than people gave him credit for, because he chose not to show it as often back then. But with the kids, now? He was like everyone’s cool uncle and the guy who followed the rules at the same time

But now it was an emergency, and Max was freaking out that maybe she’d come to the wrong place. Maybe she had the wrong house number, or misread the street sign, or something stupid and had come all this way for nothing. Looking around, she saw a car that looked like Steve’s (He did replace his lost-to-the-void Beamer with another one, right?) and headed towards it, hoping it was the right place. Thankfully, Steve was already outside, seeing her through his window looking incredibly distressed. “Max? What the hell happened? Do I need to go kill Lucas?”

“What? No, fuck no, this has nothing to do with him.” Actually laughing because that would have been so much simpler to deal with, Max had to catch her breath now that she wasn’t run ragged after going full tilt for so long. “No, I need you to drive me back to the Wheeler house and help me smuggle Holly out of her bedroom.”

“Come again?” Steve Harrington had gotten a lot better at understanding kids and the weird shit they said sometimes (it came with the territory of being a teacher), but even then his normal friends could throw him some real curveball sentences on the best days. Max wasn’t even like Dustin and constantly talking in science terms he never knew existed, either. Hence ‘Normal friend’ designation. “You want me to what now?”

“Just… Get in the car, Steve, I’ll tell you more in a second.” Just before she opened the door to the passenger side of the vehicle, Max realised they needed one other thing. “Oh, and we need to get the radio Dustin gave you.”

That one fact slotted everything into place for Steve, causing him to stop thinking of questions, and more about how he could achieve what Max needed as fast as possible. “Give me five minutes, and we’re gone. One quick phone call to postpone baseball today, and I’m free.” Being an adult with adult responsibilities REALLY sucked.

~~~~~

Pulling up just shy of the Wheeler house, Steve looked at Max, and went over their plan one last time. “You go in, say Holly forgot something and you made the trip back to grab it, then you help me get Holly out of there, in here, and we go again. Am I missing anything?”

“Nope, that’s the whole plan. I would have tried to do it alone, but my car is stuck at Mike’s. Someone chased us out.” Getting out of the car, Max hesitated as she saw Steve lean over in his seat to look up at her.

“Are you gonna say you just parked around the block or something? What if Mrs Wheeler calls your bluff?” Worried that even the simplest of plans could go wrong, Steve wanted to ensure Max had a backup plan.

But they didn’t have time for extra plans. There was just ‘The Plan’ and ‘Improvisation’. “Just get ready, okay?” Closing the door again, Max marched to the Wheeler house, knocking on the front door before she could talk herself out of it.

As predicted, Karen was the one who greeted her, with Ted sitting in the loungeroom (presumably) enjoying his time watching television. “Max! I thought you were over at Mike’s place with Holly, did something happen?” Always happy to see a friend of her children show up at the door, Karen couldn’t help but hide her worry that something was up. She’d learned the hard way how good her children had become at lying to her after all.

“Nothing’s up Mrs Wheeler, Holly just forgot something that she was going to give to Mike. I offered to come back and get it - you know, let them have some proper sibling time without me, and whatever.” Smiling as if she didn’t have a care in the world, Max internally panicked as she noticed Karen’s eyes sweep the street.

“Sorry, but I can’t help but notice your car is missing. Are you sure everything’s okay?” Asking again because a mother’s instinct was fairly sharp when a woman deeply cared for her offspring, Karen felt bad for essentially accusing Max of lying.

Fuck you Harrington. Internally cursing Steve for being correct even though he was just pointing out the logical and obvious, Max came up with something on the spot that had a spot of truth to it. “After driving for three hours my leg got a pretty bad cramp. I parked a few blocks away so I could walk it out before I had to drive all the way back.”

Relieved at the sensible answer, Karen’s expression changed to one of sympathy, and she opened the door fully to let Max inside. “I perfectly understand, I’ve been having similar problems after my last hospital trip. Things never really are quite the same.” Subconsciously putting a hand to the scar on her neck, Karen gave Max a soft yet saddened smile, before letting her go. “Feel free to stay and have a drink or relax before you drive on back if you need Max.” Despite the grumble this elicited from Ted, Max called a ‘thank you’ back before heading upstairs to Holly’s bedroom.

Laying where she’d left her younger friend, Holly hadn’t moved a muscle since passing out. Realising that there was still dried blood on her face too, Max snuck back to the bathroom quickly, grabbed a facewasher and dampened the cloth, before coming back to clean Holly’s face as gently as she could. Sure it was just another cramp added to their time crunch of a plan, but Max figured Holly wouldn’t want people seeing her face like that whilst she was unconscious. Hiding the cloth beneath the bed for a lack of a better place to put it, Max once again quietly opened Holly’s window, spotting Steve right outside on the roof.

“Waiting here is the most awkward thing I’ve done in a long time. Can we hurry this up please? It’s the middle of the day and if someone sees me, I’m screwed.” Speaking in a hushed tone, Steve was understandably nervous. A high school teacher sneaking into a young girl’s bedroom? He’d never be hired again.

With Steve’s help, Max lifted Holly, and then guided her unconscious form carefully out the window. “Sorry, but if it helps, I’ll defend you in court?” Muttering back, Max wanted Steve to know that his actions were appreciated, even if Max was terrible at actually just saying ‘thanks’.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Smiling as he realised what Max was getting at, Steve carefully positioned Holly on his back so that her arms were over his head, holding up the unconscious girl by the legs in a piggy-back style. “See you on the other side Max.”

Nodding once, Max closed the window and looked wildly around the room, before her eyes fell on the book, A Wrinkle In Time. “I can work with that.” Picking it up as a prop to get out of the house again, Max headed back downstairs.

“Ah, Max just before you go,” Karen had caught up with her again before she could bolt out the door. “I almost forgot. A police officer came here looking for you, about half an hour ago.” Explaining why she was rather on edge from earlier, Mrs Wheeler realised she hadn’t fully explained herself to Max yet. “Said something about your mother being worried you weren’t picking up?”

“Shoot, I forgot I promised that I’d call her this weekend, I thought it was next weekend. Thanks Mrs Wheeler, I’ll call her as soon as I get back to Mike’s.” Acting like it was no big deal, Max then added some of her own insecurity into the mix, playing it off as if it was her mother’s normal behaviour. “I must have forgotten to tell her I was headed out of town, so she would have gotten worried pretty fast. Goodbye Mrs Wheeler, thanks again.”

Getting a wave goodbye, Karen smiled and closed the door, having watched Max leave. Struggling to act nonchalant when she was so close to the finish line, Max hurried over to the car as soon as she was hidden from the view of the Wheeler home.

“Get the back door for me would ya? Thanks.” Getting Holly strapped into the back seat was a cinch, with Max sitting in the back to keep Holly safe and Steve getting the car going. “Where are we headed?”

“Anywhere that isn’t Hawkins. They’re already looking for us here.” Gulping down her fear, Max ushered for Steve to get a goddamn move on. “Drive, Steve! We need to leave town!”

“I got it, I got it.” Getting the car into gear, Steve took off, more confused than earlier, and hoping he would get some answers soon.

Chapter Text

Having ridden her bike out as far and as hard as she could, Erica couldn't help the fact that Cerebro was in fuckass no roads nowhere, and unfortunately couldn't reach it as soon as she hoped. But an emergency was an emergency, and she was doing her best. After checking over the systems for weather damage or creature interference, she determined Dustin’s years old machine to be still perfectly capable for their needs.

Tuning her handheld radio to the designated frequency they'd agreed upon before people started leaving their separate ways for life, Erica announced her presence. “Cerebro is fully operational, and The Emergency Party Line is Active. Do you Copy?”

~~~~~

Back in Boston, Will had been in contact with Mateo, reaching out to him for the first time during the day. Thankfully, Mateo had been able to sense Will’s presence, and the plan was a go. In theory, Mateo would share Will’s location with the military so they could come pick him up, whilst Nancy and Robin tailed them on Robin’s motorbike.

That's right, Rockin’ Robin rode a motorbike now. Just that thought alone could make her smile, but she fought the urge because a very important conversation was happening and her attention was causing her to miss it.

“Will, why aren't you telling us everything? How does Max have powers?” Nancy was trying to drag the truth out of Will now so she didn't have to hear about it from someone else later. If a reporter hated anything, it was definitely finding out they were out of the loop.

Trying not to be upset with Nancy since she held a very valid position in the argument, Will did his best to talk, walk, and keep himself from being too loud. “Look, we thought they were just dreams to begin with. I didn’t even know Max was having them until this week, and I’ve only been having them for two months. We had such little information, we didn’t tell anyone.”

“What kind of powers does she have?” Robin was very curious about this development, and even wondered if she had powers of her own she had no idea about. Unless motormouth counts as a power, then maybe I do know about them. Ooh, or maybe chick magnet is a power, I do seem to be pulling all the ladies lately~ Robin couldn’t help but look at Nancy with her newest derailment of thought.

“She just said she had these dreams, like someone was reaching out to her in the Void. Like what El could do. But she also mentioned on the phone earlier, something about seeing an imprint of the past when she touched something?” Shaking his head and realising he was wasting time here, Will changed tactics. “You can ask her when the EPL is online, okay? It’s her powers, she’ll know better than me. You guys need to go some place else because if you’re spotted with me, this plan isn’t going to work at all.”

Grabbing onto Nancy’s arm to slow her down, Robin realised Will was right, and that they needed to let him go for now. Clearly, Will was too emotionally wound to speak properly with them as it was, and Nancy was just going to have to live with it. “We’ll be close by, but not too close. Good luck Will.”

Turning to look over his shoulder, Will’s expression was apologetic and he nodded in understanding before heading into the mess of busy people, almost completely blending in with the crowd. He was headed for the park, where he could sit and wait in a public area without the military being able to get the jump on him. Giving himself up willingly was one thing, but he chose where he was taken from, and when. They had to be civil about it here, which was the only thing holding Will together. I’m coming Mateo. You too Mike. We’ll find you guys, I promise.

“Lets hoof it to my bike, and then we can circle around, pull up somewhere we can see Will but just look like we are being tourists or something.” Gesturing for them to head a different way, Robin felt that time was of the essence.

Uncertain about this plan from the beginning, Nancy needed more reassurance than that. “What if they take Will now? While we aren’t looking? What if they’re already set up and waiting, and we lose them completely

“You really can’t handle not being in control, can you? I mean, it’s all good and fine for the bedroom but in the real world we call that unhealthy Nance. Breathe, relax, it’s going to be okay. We’ve been through worse, and you do not want to become Joyce Byers.” An arm around Nancy’s shoulders, Robin steered her galpal away from where they had been heading, and back towards where she’d left her bike parked.  “That’s it, breathe deep breaths, in and out.”

Nancy hadn’t realised she was on the verge of having a panic attack until Will walked away. In her heart she knew something was terribly wrong, and no one was telling her anything. It was just like when her parents were in the hospital all over again, and they wouldn’t let her or Mike see them. MIKE. Her heart dropped, and her knees nearly dropped her too. “I know what he isn’t telling me.”

“What who isn’t telling you? What epiphany did you just have?” Now standing in front of Nancy and next to her motorbike, Robin waited for an answer as patiently as she could manage. It was not easy.

“Will.” The eldest Wheeler child was almost inaudible against the sounds of the city around them, tears falling from Nancy’s eyes now. “Something happened to Mike. I just know it. And Will knows. But he won’t tell me!” Falling into full on sobs, Nancy couldn’t keep it together anymore.

Pulling her close, Robin held Nancy as she let her feelings out, gently rocking her whilst sitting on her ride to keep some form of stability. “What makes you think that Nance

“When Will took the phone from Suzie earlier, the first thing he said was ‘Did you find him?’ and I thought he was talking about Mateo, because we were looking for Mateo too but what if… What if Max was looking for Mike? Will got so quiet, so so quiet, then he started tearing up and I just - I know I’m meant to go off facts and evidence because I’m a reporter but I just have this feeling that it’s him, that something happened to Mike, and I can’t - I don’t want to do this all again.”

They had a plan. They were supposed to stick to it, no matter what. But no one could account for human emotion, when it would strike, and how harsh the outcome would be. Robin had fallen victim to it, Nancy was falling victim to it right now, and honestly? Robin would stand by her choice to hold Nancy until she felt better no matter what happened, because her friend needed time to process. Unfortunately, Will was just going to have to fend for himself. Not that they were expecting the military to just appear; Mateo had to pass on the message, the message then had to go up the pecking order of macho men and women who acted like macho men to be respected, and then orders had to be decided and handed onto grunts, etcetera etcetera. They had time, even if it was just a few minutes more… Robin was sure of it.

Once Nancy was able to hold her own weight again, Robin handed her a helmet from inside the bike seat, before shoving her own one onto her head. “Let’s roll.” Sitting on the bike with Nancy wrapping her arms around her waist, Robin was a very happy girl indeed, even if the circumstances could have been better. And the ride could have been longer, because it was more like a fleeting pipe dream than a proper ride of two close friends having a good time. Perhaps another day. When this emergency is over, if we get more time again. I’ll be sure to ask.

With Nancy on Will Watch, Robin made herself look busy by unfolding a map of the country, focusing on the state they were in (it was a big map okay?) and also held onto the radio for when the signal came through. Both girls heaved a sigh of relief when they heard Erica’s voice come through, with Robin giving their reply. “Cagney and Lacey copy. Over.” It wasn’t their official codenames in the book, but Robin never was much for the rules, and figured this one suited the situation at hand better. The other nerds would just have to deal with it.

~~~~~

As soon as the phone was down from chatting with Dustin, Lucas was in a frenzy. He’d not left batteries in Dustin’s handmade walkie talkie just in case they bled out and caused the machine to fry whilst it sat unused. But of course, now that he needed it, the batteries that would normally live right next to it were nowhere to be found. Hoping with all his heart that his roommate hadn’t taken them for his boombox, Lucas started rifling through drawers to find what he needed, surfacing triumphant after getting into the bottom drawer of his clothing.

He forgot he’d hidden them there in the first place because his roommate had a very liberal idea of sharing the space. The room was always a mess, and it was not Lucas’ fault. Shoving the batteries in, he sat on his bed, staring at the radio, waiting for everyone to start flooding onto the airwaves so he could find out what was happening. Unable to recall a time off the top of his head that he’d been happier to hear his annoying (but loved) little sister’s voice, Lucas waited for Robin to finish her check in before Lucas joined in as well.

“This is Falcon, I copy. What’s going on? Over.” 

~~~~~

Rather than being unable to find the batteries, Jonathan was struggling to find the radio itself. He honestly thought he’d never needed it, and only took it because everyone else had taken one. With Vecna dead, what emergency could they possibly have use for it with that they could use a telephone?

But Dustin was always someone who revelled in explaining the smallest of details in something he knew all about. So when the team theoriser is being as vague as painfully possible, Jonathan was ready to be proven wrong about needing the radio. Sitting down on his bed in the small apartment he had in New York City, Jonathan looked out the window at the streets below, taking his turn on the air after Lucas was done. “Yeah, Short Round was pretty vague, Over.”

~~~~~

Dustin had nothing against Short Round. He was a great character that brought smiles to so many people when they’d seen him in theatres as part of the Indiana Jones cast. But that wasn’t the codename he’d chosen, and since this was HIS system, Dustin felt he deserved a little bit of respect. Was that really asking too much?

“Excuse me, my code name isn’t Short Round! And what kind of codename is Jimmy Jazz anyways?!… Over.” Sheepishly adding ‘Over’ when he remembered that his girlfriend was listening, and also that this was the emergency line, Dustin immediately returned to lurking. He’d been ready on the channel the moment he’d put the phone down from speaking with Suzie, but getting in touch with Lucas and Jonathan had been more of a challenge than he anticipated, and Steve just wasn’t answering at all.

Maybe he’s just not home. He probably has baseball to coach today, he’s surprisingly punctual about it for a coach. Trying to relax himself, Dustin had been amused to learn that Lucas was dealing with incessant phone calls because of his roommate’s chaotic lifestyle, and just as patient as he could manage when he learned that Jonathan had taken his sweet time to answer even though he only just got back to his apartment.

~~~~~

Not amused in the slightest by the childish bickering her so-called ‘adult’ friends still employed in the worst situations, Max snapped at Dustin. Was it unfair? Probably. Did she care right now? No! This was a bad time! “Oh zip it Oghma! Coach and Fox copy, but Butterfly is down for the count. Over.” Max’s gaze met Steve’s briefly in the rear view mirror as they sped out of Hawkins, before her gaze fell down to Holly, who was strapped into the back but had her head on Max’s lap.

~~~~~

“Dungeon Master, Do You Copy?” Dustin spoke into the radio again now, more seriously because he’d caught Max’s tone, and hearing that ‘Butterfly’ was down helped make the situation so much more real for everyone not currently in the thick of things. With the codenames cheat sheet written beside her, Suzie recited a quick prayer for the entire Wheeler family

“I copy loud and clear. Over.” As the one who was technically calling this ‘meeting’ over the radio, Suzie had been defaulted to Dungeon Master because she needed to tell the party all of the information that had been collected so far into one place, so everyone was on the same page. This had been a small relief to her, because she wasn’t on the codename list at all otherwise.

“Wait, what about Sorcerer and Storyteller? They aren’t on the line yet. Over.” Hearing Lucas speak over the line, Suzie pointed to his codename, Falcon, just to help get used to everyone’s voices and identify them.

Frowning a little bit, Suzie gave the line a clear second before taking her turn to speak. “Let me fill you in. Uh… Fox, if I miss anything, let me know, okay? Over.” Directing the final part to Max, Suzie readjusted her glasses because looking down so profoundly was causing them to slip off of her face.

“Take it away Dungeon Master, Over

Taking a deep breath, Suzie held her notes up in one hand and pushed the ‘speak’ button down on her microphone with the other, holding it in place. “Cagney and Lacey have eyes on… The Sorcerer because he’s currently engaging with the enemy under peaceful terms. This is a rescue mission. We have three MIA; The Storyteller, his friend the Wanderer, and the Mage. The Sorcerer believes he can find the location of the Mage with his engagement. Over.” Relieved that she’d gotten all of that information out, Suzie sat back in her chair, listening to the radio as the responses went crazy.

~~~~~

“Wait, you mean like The Mage, mage? Over.” ‘Falcon’ was incredibly confused about why this codename was being used, because the only person they’d ever really referred to in this way was dead as far as they all knew.

‘Ohgma’ completely agreed, stuttering out a followup to his fellow party member’s question.  “That’s impossible… isn’t it? Over.”

“No, it’s not her. This Mage is a male. Trust me. Over.” This was ‘Fox’ confirming things, just managing to beat Robin to it

“Uhura talking - Who’s the enemy y’all are freaking out about? Cuz Vecna died too, over.” Robin clocked this one as Erica, since she’d barely spoken, and Uhura definitely seemed like a character Erica would choose to vibe with. Who doesn’t love a sexy, intergalactic diplomat?

“Are we calling them The Imperials still? Over.” This was Fox again, less sure with this answer because they’d not really decided on codenames for every potentiality. That would have just been ridiculous, because you couldn’t plan for literally everything, everything. Just a lot of things.

Robin smothered a laugh as she heard ‘Ohgma’s’ reply, because he’d been the deciding vote at the time on the name. “No, that’ll get confusing, Over.”

“Uncle Sam will work for now, Over.” Since they were talking about the American Army, it was the fastest way to identify them. Sure that meant it wasn’t much of a ‘codename’, but it was better than nothing.

“When did all this start? And like, why? I’m so confused, over.” As always, in an attempt to receive more intel, ‘Falcon’ opened himself up to a burn of some sort from his younger sister.

But this time, ‘Uhura’ was just as clueless as ‘Falcon’, and didn’t have any ammo to hit him with verbally. “Wish I could tell you, but I ain’t got a clue either, over

“For Butterfly, since the return from Abyss. For me, six months ago, for Sorcerer, two months ago and for Storyteller and Wanderer? Monday this week, as far as I know. Over.”

“Holly has been dealing with having powers for three years and she didn’t say anything to anyone about it?” Nancy tore her gaze away from Will in the park, visible in the distance, to look at Robin, ready to break for the second time today. It was hard to focus on the goal when reality-shattering information kept being thrown your way.

Not really knowing what to say to that, Robin grimaced and half shrugged. “Maybe? I mean, she might have told someone, but it just might not have been you - I mean, have you guys been really, properly close lately?” Trying to mediate the damage of the blow with some logic rather than finding a way to completely soften it, Robin was hoping there was still a bright side to the situation. But as Nancy thought about it and tried to find a way to force herself to answer honestly, Robin held up a hand for her to pause. “Hold that thought.”

Watching Will in the distance, she could see that there were people approaching him, and Robin recognised that it was probably time for her to get the motorbike started again. “It’s showtime Nancy.”

~~~~~

“And you didn’t think to share any of this with me sooner Fox? I coulda come to help? Over.” Of course Lucas would take this hard. She knew he would, but Max had tried to keep it all from him anyway, so he could keep having a happy life. He didn’t need her crap pulling him down again. But now shit hit the fan, and everything was happening on the radio, and Dustin was throwing his own opinion in, and Max just wanted to turn the radio off, honestly. Steve gave her an apologetic look, understanding that she was in a difficult situation now, but not giving her any grief over it

“Now isn’t the time to be airing your romantic grievances Falcon - but I knew you weren’t writing a book Fox, your hypotheticals were too specific! Over.” Dustin, as usual, couldn’t help but throw in a smug remark about how he had the right idea about something more going on when Max had to cave and ask her stupid questions to him, but it was whatever. He’d gloat, and they would all move on. It always happened, it was just who Dustin was.

“This is Cagney and Lacey signing off for now, over and out.” Robin managed to wedge herself into the middle of whatever stupid spat Lucas and Dustin were having, leaving the call entirely because something had come up - at least, that’s what Max assumed. I hope Will knows what he’s doing.

“Wait, you knew too?!” Clearly Lucas was getting upset enough that now he was forgetting basic walkie talkie etiquette, because he didn’t even end his turn on air with ‘Over’. Max couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Lucas was such a sweetheart, but she didn’t always need him to protect her. So he didn’t always need to know everything.

“Guys, cool it, this is a group call remember? We need to focus on the plan, over.” Reminding everyone that he was still there, Jonathan said his piece, not really wanting to listen to idiots squabble with an audience.

Suddenly the car shot forward, with Steve abandoning road rules for speed, his eyes constantly flicking to the rear view mirror at the rapidly approaching vehicle. “Max, hold on to Holly, this could get bumpy fast.”

Sitting Holly up and holding her as best she could despite the seatbelts, Max kept Holly close, looking behind them at what had made Steve so concerned. “HOLY SHIT!” She could see a Jeep Wagoneer with red and blue lights blinking feebly from the dashboard, barreling down the road at them from behind. “Can’t you drive any faster Steve?!”

“Driving as fast as I can! Warn the team, we might not be on the line much longer.” Doing his best to both keep an eye on the road and identify the type of car that was trying to catch up to them, Steve hoped they were in the clear, but didn’t want to jinx the situation

One arm looped around Holly completely, Max used her free hand to speak into the radio again, not hearing any of the chatter after Jonathan’s comment before. “Everyone, get ready to change channels, but don’t switch yet. We’ve got a tail.”

“Switch to channel 3 when Fox gives the signal. Over.” Dustin was ready to take charge, having created buttons on the side of his that had the specific channels for their backups preset in the system, just in case someone got onto their primary line. That way, they didn’t have to announce what frequency they were changing to; Just say a number, and jump on over.

“What’s the signal gonna be? Over.” That was Lucas

Honestly, she had no idea what the signal would be. Holding down the button and clicking it to the side slightly so she was permanently the input end of the call, forcing everyone else to listen, Max spotted a cloud of dust out the corner of her eye. “STEVE, the side road!”

“Shit! I think they’re gonna ram us, hold on!” Pumping the brakes, Steve’s car skidded on the open road just enough that they slowed down, the new car pulling out in front of them. “Ohhh, that can’t have been good for the tyres.”

“At least they didn’t hit us. But if they’re with the drivers chasing us, doesn’t that mean we’re gonna get sandwiched?!” Panicked because Max didn’t know how well Steve’s driving would compare to whoever was hunting her and Holly, the zoomer did her best to have faith in the designated driver.

Looking in his rear view mirror as he regained some of the speed he’d lost, Steve saw that Max was right. No matter which direction Steve tried to swerve in an effort to get ahead, they were able to keep up with him. “Look, we got a Jeep Renegade behind us which is like, top speed 100 mph max. I’m probably 130mph at top speed and that’s pushing it. This new car looks like a pretty damn speedy Corolla, so that’s gotta be a newer one off the market. I don’t know what speeds it does exactly, but I might have one option short of just, you know, stopping for these bastards by pulling over nicely.”

“At this point, the only bad idea is death, so I’m listening.” Hoping they would get out of this just fine, and realising that their deaths would literally be broadcasted over radio to their closest friends if this went terribly wrong, Max had no choice but to put all of her faith in Steve.

Eyes flicking everywhere as he tried to time this properly, Steve managed to speak before making a break for it. “Hold on tight, we are turning around!” Changing gears and turning as sharply as he could, Steve knew that going off road would give the car behind them advantage. The terrain would have slowed the Beamer down whilst the Renegade would have been fine thanks to its higher chassis and better suspension. Mostly, he was gambling on his reaction time being better than the driver of said Renegade, and that he was able to out-speed the Corolla by heading back into Hawkins, and trying to lose them in town.

Unable to help it, Max let out a scream as the car turned around. The warning hadn’t quite been enough, and it was all she could do to hold onto Holly, who was trying to come around, but the headache she had and the actions of the car were making it very difficult to wake up. As Steve gunned it back in the direction they’d come from, he was able to avoid the swerving Renegade that tried to meet them head on, but he’d underestimated the Corolla. Holding up the radio so everyone could hear her clearly whilst she watched the newer car start easily catching up, Max had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t know if you guys can hear me. If you’ve already changed channels or not. But I don’t have a signal for you. I really don’t. Just thought you should know.” Not saying goodbye because she didn’t want to put everyone in that horrible of a position, Max nodded at Steve, saying she was still supportive of his decision to run and run until they couldn’t drive any further.

Watching as the Corolla began to pull up alongside, and then ahead of the Beamer, Steve knew that this race was lost. “Max, Holly, if you can hear me, hold tight. This is gonna hurt.”

The Corolla swerved with expert handling, the back of the car swinging away from the Beamer, before swinging back and slamming into the hood, the boot of one car lining up with Steve’s side mirror. The girls in the back (even though Holly wasn’t quite aware of what was happening right now), were bracing as best they could whilst the glass shattered around them as the windows broke under impact. The car spun out completely, causing it to swerve off the road, hitting rough patches and rolling over once before settling back on its wheels. The engine sputtered and died out as Steve shut it down to try and avoid having it catch fire on them, just before he passed out briefly from the concussive effects of whiplash. 

Before she could properly get her bearings or have her eyesight clear up, Max tried to get a response from her friends. “Steve? Holly? Are you guys alright? Someone, answer me please-” Choking back sobs as her entire body burned with pain, Max flinched as the door beside her was wrenched open. The radio she’d been holding onto had been flung from her hand during the crash, so she didn’t even know if anyone else could hear what was going on anymore. “Hey - No, let go of me!” Trying to wrench her arm away from the person slowly removing her from the car, Max was struggling to even hear properly as her ears started ringing. Looking over at Holly with one eye shut tight to let the other one focus better, she saw someone pulling her out too. “DON’T YOU TOUCH HER DAMMIT!” Screaming and shouting for these strangers to let go of them, Max saw Steve stir slightly as her shouting roused him again. But it wasn’t enough, because soon she saw and heard nothing, knocked out by the person dragging her from the car.

Chapter Text

“How are you feeling today kiddo?” Two people in white coats had come into her teeny tiny, almost bedroom. She recognised them as a nurse and a doctor, people who had been visiting her regularly now. She didn't know their names though. They barely even used her name, if she thought about it.

“Worried.” Sitting up in the bed, Willow wasn't plugged into any machines or anything yet, which was a nice change but she didn't think it would last.

Sitting down on either side of her, Willow knew better than to look at the doctor, who was about to stick her with something. It was scary to look at and she struggled to not tense up. She had this terrifying dream of something buzzing and this metal stick moving against her arm. Ever since, she’d had these three black lines appear on her wrist that were really itchy for a while. She didn’t understand it, or why it wouldn’t come off, but it made her incredibly wary of needles of any kind. “What is it you're worried about?” Her voice was kind, like she was used to dealing with kids.

“Mike. And I miss Hush. He disappeared, where did he go?” She hadn't been by her shadow friend’s side for at least a day now and she couldn't work out where he’d gone. They could talk at nighttime when she slept, but Hush hadn't wanted to talk about the real world. They were too busy playing and having fun

Willow’s breath shuddered as she felt the needle poke into her arm, having no warning because she wasn't watching. Squirming her feet everywhere so she tried not to move anything higher, the young girl’s distress was extremely obvious. “You're doing so well today, you're almost there. Whilst I have you actually, I do have something I wanted to ask.”

“Yeah?” Taking deep breaths so she didn’t forget to breathe at all, Willow watched the nurse and wondered what the question was gonna be.

Clipboard and pen in hand like usual so she could take notes when asking these kinds of questions, the nurse looked directly at Willow when she spoke now. “Why do you call Subject Gamma, ‘Hush’?”

“Because he makes the hushushshsushshsh sound.” She did her best to imitate it, but it wasn’t easy. “And he doesn’t like the name you gave him.” Willow felt the needle that had been taking a blood sample from her withdraw, and her entire body relaxed once it was gone. Sitting felt more comfortable again now. The nurse made notes, and the doctor left, leaving just the two of them in the room. “Can I see Mike again today please? Is he awake yet?”

“We can check on him, but you and I are going to play some games today instead together, does that sound fun?” Helping Willow off the bed by offering a steady hand of support to hold onto, Willow felt her bare feet tingle on the tiles because she was warm, and they were cold

Thinking about it, Willow eventually nodded. “Better than doing schoolwork.” That was the only upside she had found since leaving home, now that she hadn’t been able to talk to Mike whilst awake for some time now. They left the small room, Willow feeling a slight tingle in her right arm very briefly as she walked away from Mike, just to get closer again. Their tether was the only thing that kept Willow in the know about exactly how far away her best friend was, and it was what kept her feeling safe. He hadn’t gone anywhere without her. Just like he promised

Too short to see through the plastic window into Mike’s room, Willow was relatively short for her age. Her teachers often said she had a lot of growing to do, in her mind as well as her body. Normally it didn’t bother her though, because the animals liked her, and she liked the animals. Being short meant she was closer to their size

Standing on the cardboard box provided for her by the nurse, Willow put her palms and forehead up against the window, pressing herself into it so she could see as much as possible. Mike hadn’t moved, but he looked a bit cleaner today, which made Willow happy. She didn’t think he’d like it much if he woke up and was still stinky from a few days ago. Even she had been able to shower twice whilst he slept the days away. “He's still sleeping? Wow.” The young girl was both surprised and a bit sad. But at least they couldn’t be mean to Mike if he wasn’t awake, right?

“We're a bit worried about him but I'm sure he'll wake up soon.” The nurse didn’t actually sound worried at all. Just preoccupied and anxious to proceed.

Looking back at her, Willow had an idea. “Maybe he needs a kiss. A magical love kiss, that wakes people up. And saves them from being frogs.” Stepping down from the box again, Willow didn’t retake the nurse’s hand, wanting to stand by the door a bit longer, hoping they’d let her in.

“Maybe, who knows?” She made another note on her clipboard, Willow watching her every move.

Having reached for the door handle, even though she needed one of those plastic cards to get in, Willow tried to convince them to open it for her. “I could kiss him. I kiss him and he wakes up and then we hug and he can play with me.” One of the many guards in the hallway took the box away from the door so it wasn’t blocking the path, placing it back into Willow’s room for safekeeping.

Sighing softly and remembering she was dealing with a child here, the nurse did her best to keep her patience despite feeling the pressure from her superiors to hurry things up earlier that morning. “I'm not sure that's gonna work unfortunately.”

“But why not? I love him.” Willow pouted. Love always won out in the stories Mike had been teaching her. All the fairy tales said so. Surely it’d be the same here, right?

Fairly convinced that this developmentally repressed ten year old was misunderstanding the difference between romantic love and familial love, the nurse didn't really want to try telling this kid she was wrong, but knew she needed to try and get things moving. “It's usually a different kind of love that wakes you up from the sleeping curse.”

“Oh…” Willow was genuinely crestfallen, her hand falling off the handle to hang by her side. “But I love Mike so much. He's my hero.”

Finding a potential opening to further the experimentation agenda, the nurse took what she could and put on her energetic tone, hoping to encourage Willow into the next room. “Why don't we keep trying your new hero skills? Maybe there's another way you can save him, we just haven't found it yet?”

Knitting her brows together, Willow frowned but moved to the door on the other side of the hallway, her right arm tingling faintly. “I’m an adventurer actually. I’m not a hero. But okay.”

Walking into the big room, there was a table and some chairs set up, with an animal carrier closed up too. Willow could see cat fur poking through the bars of the cage, and she immediately sensed that this creature was just as unhappy to be here as she was. Sitting down where the nurse indicated, Willow noticed that she sat down far away this time, like she was avoiding the cat for some reason. “Alright, I have some questions I want to ask you. Do you think you could answer honestly for me?”

“Yeah?” She'd not answered questions dishonestly so far? “I can do that.”

“Great, okay so I was wondering, how do you think this cat here feels?” The nurse used her pen to gesture to the cat, before poising her hand to write.

Willow didn’t need to guess. She could feel it as if she were the one in the cage; Though technically, she was. “I know he feels confused.” The cat meowed softly, turning around in his cage as he faced Willow, looking at her whilst she spoke. “He doesn’t trust you, but no one has poked him with the needles yet like he had been told. He misses the one that loved him, the one that called him Jenemy. That’s his name by the way. It’s not Fusspot, his name is Jenemy.”

Pausing her notetaking and looking up from the paper, the nurse was shocked. “You just met this cat, and you know all this about it already?”

“About him, yes. He has nothing to hide, so he told me.” Willow didn’t like it when people treated animals like garbage. Her parents had tried to do the same when they realised she would touch random creatures in the garden, but they’d given up after a while. They just kept finding her on their own, so by keeping Willow outside during the daytime, the creatures couldn’t get into their perfectly pristine home. “Can I let him out?”

Having been told that this cat was incredibly violent towards anyone, even if they just tried to put food and water close by, the nurse almost declined this offer. But somehow, this child had gotten the cat’s attention, and could read its mind like an open book. “Yeah, go ahead. Just be careful, ok? There’s a latch on the top, and then the door slides upwards.”

Hopping off the chair and moving over to the cage, Willow gently shushed Jenemy as she opened up the carrier. “There you go. Now you have a choice. You don’t have to come out if you don’t want to but it looked cramped in there.” Leaving it as it was, and not trying to force the cat out at all, Willow wandered back over to her chair and sat down again. Kicking her legs, bored now as she didn’t want to pressure Jenemy into playing with her, but also not having more questions from the nurse to answer, Willow just waited quietly for something to happen.

The nurse was watching the cat, amazed that this terror of a fluffball her coworker had brought in that had been terrorising his home since the day his son died, was acting like a kitten in a brand new room. Cautiously sticking his nose out, Jenemy inspected the room, before carefully extending out a paw. Then, with great speed, the patchy-furred cat of terror bounded over to Willow, and jumped in her lap, curling up like it was the safest place in the world.

Willow immediately froze, but not out of fear. She just didn’t want to drop Jenemy by accident, because whilst he was a big cat, she was only small, and his fur was easily sliding on the hospital gown she was wearing. Curling her arms up around him carefully, Willow readjusted how he was sitting so she was comfortable too, and began giving him absent-minded pats, noticing the nurse watching her. “This happens a lot.” She whispered.

“Do you know why?” Wondering if the child knew how she got along so well with random creatures, the nurse began making more frantic notes.

Looking down at Jenemy, Willow could feel the comfort that her new friend was experiencing, and realised it was something she’d just always done. “I try to feel what they do. Makes me on the same level as them, and then we calm down together. When they realise that I’m not going to hurt them, or be angry with them or anything we just… We just sit.”

“Has there ever been any creature that hasn’t responded this way?”

“Sometimes,” Willow shrugs. “Street cats and snakes and shy creatures still tend to just leave instead of coming to play with me, but I don’t mind. They’re curious, and don't trust me, and I don’t get mad at them for it. My parents didn’t like it though.”

The pen continued to scratch across the page, the nurse only looking up briefly. “Was it because they were worried you would get hurt maybe?”

“No, they just didn’t like animals in their house. The poor rats were just hungry. And the spiders wanted to be out of the rain. I think the snake really scared them though. I didn’t mean to scare them, I promise.” Panicking as she remembered how much trouble she got in, Willow became very quiet, and Jenemy tensed in her grip, feeling her fear. “I didn’t bring any more animals inside after that I swear.”

The nurse noted how Willow had mentioned “their house”, as if she didn't consider where she grew up as home. “Don’t worry, you're not in trouble with us about it, I'm just curious. With Jenemy on your lap now, how do you both feel?”

Willow looked down, and Jenemy raised his head to meet her gaze. As he let out a raspy little mewl, Willow answered with him. “Hungry.” She then looked over at the nurse, gently scritching Jenemy behind the ears. “We're hungry.”

~~~~~

Food was great. It made the stomach feel better and helped clear the mind. Brought everyone closer together. Well, unless you're Willow and Jenemy because apparently animals and humans aren't allowed to eat in the same room. At least, that's what the nurse said when she told Willow Jenemy had to go back in his cage. She felt a deep, wordless sorrow for her new friend as he fought against the man that tried to take him away. But there wasn't anything Willow could do for him, and she hadn't said a word since he left.

So maybe food wasn't so great. Sure it was awesome for staying alive and stuff, but it was just cornflakes and milk. Nothing exciting. When the nurse came back for Willow, the big room had been changed up a little bit. The table had been pushed to the wall and there was only one chair, intended for the nurse to sit at as she made notes. However, there was also the strange glass cage that Willow knew to be Hush’s “room”, where they kept him almost all the time.

It was nice to see her friend again, but she was still sad Jenemy had to leave. So when he came oozing out of the tiny little hole they had for a door for poor Hush, she was surprised to see him turn into a copy of Jenemy, patchy fur and all. Oh, you didn't have to do that. A small smile appeared as she crouched down and gave Hush pats, hearing the strange noise he always made. But thank you.

Changing back to a black mass for a brief moment, Hush then became a blue finch, perching on Willow's hand as she raised it for him. Gently rubbing along the underneath of his neck Willow watched as Hush ruffled his feathers, looking happy to just chill on Willow’s hand. Of course, the nurse spoke which kinda broke the spell of the moment for Willow, but it was to be expected at this point. “Do you know why S- Uhm, ‘Hush’, chooses the forms it changes into?”

She didn’t feel much like talking, but didn’t see much choice. There was a small shrug and a sigh, before Willow admitted, “He deals more with feelings than words. He knows I feel sad, and he thought becoming like Jenemy would cheer me up. But I love birds too, and now he’s a bird.” Stopping to listen to Hush for a moment, Willow then passed along what he wanted to add too. “He just wants to see me happy he says.”

“And when he talks, is it with the strange noise you told me about earlier? Or is it actual human words, like english?” She continued making notes, constantly looking up at Willow between words.

Changing into a kitten to lounge on Willow’s shoulder, Hush began tickling the back of Willow’s neck playfully, the tip of his tail nestled between her hair so he could reach. Trying not to giggle too much as she replied, Willow raised her arm to pet Hush on the head. “No, it’s kinda just… there. Like, I feel what he feels, and the words pop into my brain. We just understand each other I guess.”

Awkwardly reaching out with a paw, Hush began swiping gently at Willow’s face, trying to get her to face him. Realising what he wanted, she turned to look at her fuzzy companion, just to jump with surprise and shut her eyes and mouth tight when he licked her face. Or specifically, he licked right underneath her nose, making her nostrils and upper lip feel strange because of his sandpapery tongue. “Hush! What was that for??”

“I think he is cleaning your face. Your nose was bleeding just now, did you not realise?” The nurse had noticed but chose not to say anything, because she didn’t want to lead her test subject on too much. Sometimes it was better to have subjects find things out on their own, to get more honest reactions out of them.

Shaking her head and trying not to sneeze, Willow had no idea that she’d been experiencing another nose bleed. “No, I didn’t feel it. Thank you Hush, sorry for being loud.” Appreciative that her amorphous friend was looking out for her and trying to keep her face clean and tidy, Willow hoped that they could play a lot today.

“When Hush changes forms,” The nurse spoke up after completing her current notes. “How does he know what to look like, or how to act? You mentioned to me earlier that you used to play with a lot of stray animals, like cats I’m assuming, but would he be able to transform into, say, a crab? Have you seen a crab before?” Wondering if the young girl had ever been to the beach, the nurse watched carefully as Willow sat down, letting Hush back down to the ground safely whilst thinking.

“I mean… I guess yeah, he gets the pictures from my head. And I’ve seen pictures of crabs before. Hush, do you wanna try being a crab?” Wondering what her companion thought of the idea, Willow asked if it was something he was interested in. Mike had taught her that there was always a choice, and she wanted to make sure Hush knew that he could choose not to become a crab if he didn’t want to. After all, she could feel how much he really didn’t like this nurse lady, and it made Willow distrust her too.

Hush was on the fence about turning into a crab, but eventually he did so, thinking it would at least entertain Willow for a bit. “Oh wow! Hush, you did it, you’re a crab now.” Smiling again, Willow reached out and gently touched his shell, marvelling at the way it felt. “So this is what crabs feel like…”

Listening to her shadow friend, Willow then touched her face, right where Hush as a kitten had licked her. Her nose had bled again, more so than before and it was dripping onto the gown. “Oh! I can feel it this time, I feel funny.” Looking at the nurse in case she had answers, Willow wanted to understand what was happening to her

“Each time Hush changes shape, he’s forming a psychic bridge that’s evidently more taxing than your method of talking, and it causes your nose to bleed. It’s the same reason why a certain someone has been asleep for so long.” As the researcher, this nurse was instructed against using the names of the test subjects. But, since Willow was still relatively new to being a test subject, it wasn’t advised to be using terms such as ‘Subject III’ and ‘Subject IV’ yet. Keeping things depersonalised was supposed to help keep the researchers subjective and reduce the chance of empathy skewing the outcome of these social and psychological experiments.

Changing from a crab into a snake because it was an easier form for Willow to subconsciously keep track of whilst she was focused on the conversation, Hush slithered up his friend’s leg and onto her hand. “You mean, Mike won’t wake up because he changed forms too? He thought about it too hard?”

“It’s the reason he fell asleep, at least. I think the absorption of Hush’s powers, and transformation into the strange creature, taxed his mind so much that yes, it nearly killed him. Just like how us trying to separate you both nearly caused you two to have a stroke.”

Upset just by remembering that, she’d been asleep when it happened. The scientists and doctors and nurses had all thought that, because both Willow and Mike were asleep, with Hush safely back in his little glass cage, they could separate the two despite promising to keep them together. Willow had woken up, unable to breathe and feeling like she was choking, her right arm burning with so much pain. There was such a physical reaction that it had nearly dislocated her arm entirely, and they rushed to put the pair back together. Mike had been put into an induced coma after that, and Willow had been allowed to rest properly, several brain scans being run on her to see what had happened. All the while, her little DND character watched over her whilst she slept, Willow the Wanderer acting as a stalwart metal reminder of the greater world outside. I really hope Mike wakes up soon.

Hush curled up around Willow’s arm, winding around and around, slithering slowly. He was trying to be gentle, both in action and in heart, giving Willow feelings of peacefulness, like a form of reassurement that Mike was going to be okay. She appreciated that, and did relax again, becoming quiet for now.

~~~~~

“Fascinating results so far.” The nurse had brought all of her notes to Daniella, the head scientist overseeing the experiments. Whilst Doctor Grey had wanted to run tests on Subject IV personally, this was difficult to do without him being awake. And with her penchant for disturbing small children with nothing but presence, she had to refrain from interacting with Subject III directly. Subject II was her brother’s area, and therefore she needn’t worry herself with that aspect. But knowing that Subjects I, V and VI were on their way, Doctor Grey was excited that their project was about to propel forward with results.

“I don’t know if she’s ready for it yet Doctor, but I have something I would like to try with Subject III if you’re amenable?” Speaking up, the nurse had made a hypothesis based on the visual results from Willow so far, even if they hadn’t started using the brain scanning technology whilst having her interact with Subject Gamma yet. Getting an indication to keep speaking, the nurse nervously provided more context. “I hypothesise that strong surges of emotion will strengthen the telepathic bridge between Subject III and Subject Gamma, allowing for a larger transformation. However, it would be at the cost of a shorter, and possibly more unstable change.”

Smiling, Doctor Grey loved to hear this. “I think we can arrange that. This afternoon, and record it, alright?” Daniella moved to leave, but the nurse stopped her in her tracks.

“Are we to fully prepare Subject III? Shaving her head to ensure the helmet achieves the most accurate results will take time, and will likely reduce her cooperation with us if we try it so soon?”

“Just do whatever it takes to get those results. I’m not the late Doctor Brenner; It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to work.”

~~~~~

After getting Hush to turn into a few more animals, the nurse had insisted it was time to eat lunch, again separating Willow from Hush before allowing her to do so. Neither of them had wanted to say goodbye, but they knew there was a high chance they’d be brought back together again soon. The experiments had leaned towards having Willow ask Hush to turn into bigger animals, but the bigger the creature, the more taxing the transformation. This explained why Hush would become a kitten instead of a cat, or a puppy instead of a dog; The younger version of the creature was more frail, and therefore easier to become.

Letting her have her lunch in the hospital-style bedroom they’d been keeping Willow in, the nurse brought back some paper and crayons. “Okay, ready for some more questions?”

“Depends on the questions.” Willow sighed and leaned back in her bed, wanting to draw but scared of accepting the crayons. She could hear her parents in the back of her head saying that girls her age should be reading and learning womanly things, not drawing like toddlers. “My parents don’t like me using crayons.”

“I won’t tell them if you don’t?” Trying to get back in Willow’s good graces a little bit, the nurse then offered, “I can get you some pencils if you prefer?”

Thinking about it, Willow asked herself what Mike might say in this situation. Sitting forward again so she was closer to the adjustable table, Willow shook her head and reached for the drawing supplies. “No, it’s okay. I like crayons.”

Handing them over and pulling up the only chair in the room to be beside Willow’s bed, the nurse rested her clipboard and pen on her knee. “Alright, I know we’ve been having a lot of fun today with animals, but I wanted to talk to you about something a bit more grown up. Do you think you’ll be okay to talk about your feelings on some maybe, scarier stuff?”

“I’m grown up.” Pouting because she was ten and she knew plenty of stuff thank you very much, Willow stubbornly accepted the challenge that was proposed to her.

With a small smile, the nurse was glad that plan had worked. “Alright, I know you don’t like writing, so I’m going to ask you to draw some things. You can take your time, there’s no rush, and there’s no wrong answers. Can you draw how you see your parents?”

Staring at her and trying to understand the question, Willow couldn’t help but ask back, “But I see them with my eyes? Do you want me to draw me looking at them or something?”

Taken aback by this line of questioning, the nurse hadn’t actually expected Willow to react like this. “No uh… More like how you perceive them?”

“Oh, you mean how I see them in my head when I think about them. Okay, I can do that. One perception check, coming right up.” Confusing the nurse even further, Willow couldn’t help but smile to herself. She definitely had guessed that’s what the nurse meant, but if she couldn’t poke fun at the people keeping her away from Mike at least a little bit, then there really was no fun left in the world after all.

It had taken her a while, and the black crayon had seen a lot of use. Actually, the only colours she had used were black, red, blue and yellow. Willow had drawn her parents as black silhouettes, only broken up by a few things. The golden thorny crown that both her parents wore (Drawn with yellow of course), along with the holy cross where their hearts would be, and red expressions that showed disappointment on her father’s face, with anger on her mother’s face. The blue had been used to outline the golden wings that both her parents had as well, to differentiate it to the yellow background of the room they’d been standing in. Blue functioned primarily for shadows, since the main bodies of her parents had taken black out of the equation.

It was a little disturbing, really, to know that a kid viewed her parents not as caretakers, but rather holy symbols that didn’t like her. No wonder she was gifted into our care. The nurse kept that thought out of her notes though, because she wasn’t supposed to be identifying with the test subject. Something that got harder to hold onto the more time she spent with Willow.

After having Willow explain the first drawing to her, the nurse asked her to draw Hush next, wondering what would happen in this image. Once again, the nurse was surprised because the freaky black shadow that had successfully killed several people and terrorised many more before Subjects III and IV came along, had the most endearing image drawn by this young girl. Again using black, but purple this time as well, Willow didn’t give Hush a face. She did give him a bright red heart in the middle, and used the grey, blue and green to draw a mossy stone temple around him.

“What’s the heart for?” Wanting to know more, and curious to know why this monster got a heart whilst her parents had crosses, the nurse felt like she’d hit a psychological gold mine on communicating with this kid

Tapping the crayon she was holding against her face for a moment, Willow wondered how to put it. “I know Hush isn’t a person person, but he has a heart. Well. Not a real heart, obviously he’s a shadow, but… He has emotions. Lots of them. And this is his home! He loves his home, I know he wants to see it again.” Colouring more of the stone temple wall, Willow had drawn the first place she’d properly encountered Hush; When she was with Mike, in their shared dream together. Willow didn’t really want to talk about the dream sharing though, because it felt special. Like a secret she needed permission to share first. So when the nurse pressed her about it, Willow clammed up, shaking her head and refusing to talk another word more about her drawing.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me. I am going to ask you to do another drawing, but this one is going to have a bit more of a procedure to it, okay?” Putting her clipboard down at the end of the bed, the nurse wasn’t all too fussed if Willow did actually see it directly. Since Willow had made it very clear she hated reading without Mike around, it was a safe bet that she wouldn’t bother to look at the notes. Picking up an electrode helmet designed to measure brainwaves from behind the bed, the nurse gently brought it around to Willow, and showed it to her. “I’m going to put this on your head, and then I need to put the breathing mask on, okay? This next part is going to be scary. You still feel grown up enough to handle it?”

“Yeah, I told you I’m grown up.” Insisting that she would be fine, even though she had no idea what was about to happen, Willow wanted to be able to tell Mike she’d been brave without him. “Can I see Mike afterwards? I’ve been good today, right?” Hoping that mostly cooperating with this lady would pay off in some way soon, Willow hoped that she would be allowed to actually sit with Mike soon. Even if he wasn’t awake yet.

Placing the gear onto Willow’s head, the nurse gave a noncommittal answer that was just enough to appease the ten year old. “I’ll be sure to ask. Ok, time for the mask.” Putting the oxygen mask onto Willow had caused the young girl to panic for a moment, since the last time she’d worn one, she was tied to the bed and had no idea about what was happening. “It’s alright, take a few deep breaths. Now, I want you to draw something that scares you. Take your time with this one - it needs to be whatever is the most terrifying thing you’ve ever thought about. We want to help you improve your courage, but we can’t do that if we don’t know more about you.”

~~~~~

Changing her focus from one monitor to another, Doctor Grey had been listening to the exchanges with Subject III, eager to see where the final stage of this mind game was going to go. The second monitor focused on a larger version of Subject Gamma’s tiny cell, giving it space to move around freely. There were four soldiers in there, with orders to just wait until they were granted release. Naturally, these big, strong warriors were nervous because they were told to bring their weapons, but weren’t given a target. Not to mention, they were now stuck in the same room as the freakish thing from another realm that had successfully killed a lot of staff and potential test subjects. This part had been particularly imprinted on them by ‘the good doctor in charge’, as Doctor Grey took delight in unnerving even her staff.

Anticipation was an enemy best fought with patience. If both hypotheses were proven to be correct, this would be a large leap forward in her research, and would give her enough data to send up the food chain, therefore beating her brother’s work in their sibling rivalry. Of course, any data was good data, and on occasion they helped each other out or would merge experiments, but what sibling pair didn’t enjoy having bragging rights over the other for short bursts of time?

As movement occurred in Subject Gamma’s chamber, the men became more uncomfortable, glancing at each other before watching the amorphous creature slowly spread out and rise, changing forms. The lights for both the cell and Subject III’s room were starting to flicker, just like they had when Subject IV transformed into the creature from Dimension X days earlier. Readying their weapons (as if they hoped to do anything against a shadow), they watched as it grew in size, flickering in shape and seemingly disappearing altogether at times even when light was flooding the area. Inky black feathers began to float through the room, causing further confusion as the shadows distorted and grew, eyes forming in the air to blink and stare before closing themselves out of existence.

Eventually, Subject Gamma formed into a coherent shape again; A being of many wings and many eyes, burning with blackened, purple flame. As the shadow began to heat up and change colour, the light was so blinding that the videofeed couldn’t handle the incoming imagery, before the electronics shorted out completely. Before losing audio, bullets could be heard as the men screamed, with everything over in a matter of minutes. Sounds of panic and alarm were heard all around, but Doctor Grey was pleased with these results. Turning back to Subject III’s monitor, she watched as the nurse disconnected her from the machinery, and immediately moved to check the child’s vitals. Blood had poured from her nose and eyes, even her ears showing signs of injury on the grainy screen. Any longer in that state, and she likely would have ended up in the same position as Subject IV. Whether it was because this was purely a psychic connection, or because she was a child, Doctor Grey looked forward to finding out why Subject III had an easier time surviving her worst nightmare than Subject IV had when he became his.

Things calmed down again, and one of her many subordinates that she couldn’t bother remembering the name of handed her a report from the field. “Fresh in ma’am, didn’t think it could wait.” Leaving her to read it alone rather than getting yelled at for standing around, the orderly left again without another word.

“Ah! Subjects V and IV are en route now are they?” Smiling, Daniella felt that this day just could not get any better. Whilst her brother was to receive the newly acquired Subject I, Subjects V and IV were to be investigated by both siblings as a joint project. After all, sharing was caring, and two brains were better than one.

Chapter Text

He hadn't wanted to be there when Nancy found out about Mike. But as per usual, Nancy had a way of forcing information out of people in the nick of time; Right before the world went to shit. Metaphorically or literally didn't matter. Pissed at himself as much as he was at the situation he was in, Will had stormed off on both of his friends, into uncertain territory just so he could have a moment alone.

Will was scared he would be too late. Max had made it sound like Mike was near death’s door since he was in a coma, and in bad shape. Mateo had gone through a life of abuse and all Will could think of was to pray his presence stalled it a bit longer. To give the child some respite from the pain he’d come to think of as a friend. Part of him wondered if he’d ever truly let go of his own pain, honestly. Defeating Vecna - no, Henry, had been a huge weight off of the world (literally since the Abyss nearly crashed into it) but it couldn’t undo what had happened.

What had gotten between them.

Will missed Mike more than he cared to admit. He pretended he was okay, that it was just a stupid crush, but even as he began dating in New York, most of his hookups had spoken fondly of their first loves as well. Like being different was a doom to being in pain, but living and accepting the fact, eternally trying to move on and never really being able to. The sting of true love was inescapable.

And thus, Will was walking straight back into the arms of the military. The reason for his (adopted) sister’s death. The cause of so many innocent deaths, here and abroad. War was for the powerful, after all.

Finding a park bench to sit at, Will wondered how much time it would take for someone to come and get him. If they even believed Mateo’s message at all; Perhaps they were already here? On their way over, Nancy had recounted a particular adventure she’d shared with Jonathan about getting the truth secretly recorded on tape about the experiments at Hawkins Lab. Will had cringed a little bit internally to learn that it was Sam Owens they’d accosted, since he was the only truly kind government scientist Will had ever met. Doctor Owens had genuinely tried to help them all. I wonder what happened to him? I know El mentioned he was in California with her, but that’s the last we heard of him. I hope he is alright.

All around him, life continued on. It always did, no matter what was going on. One place could be in the depths of despair, ravaged by war, whilst another place in the country next door was experiencing the longest bout of peace and prosperity it had known in decades. It was just one of those many facts of life, and was showcased in all forms of storytelling worldwide too. As one rockstar scientist famously said in a movie, “Life always finds a way.”

After a while, Will noticed Robin and Nancy drive by on Robin’s motorcycle (seriously, that girl would never stop being weirdly cool, even to Will) and was thankful he hadn’t caused them to give up on him completely. Not that Robin or Nancy would ever abandon him, but plans had been known to go awry at the most awkward times. Almost wishing he’d brought his drawing book with him, Will rubbed at the wrapped wounds of his left hand, watching as people worked out, children ran around with each other, and dogs generally found their way around scents new and old as their owners trailed along behind them.

It was peaceful enough that Will could have easily ignored the single soldier approaching him. Well, up until he realised that he’d actually met the soldier before. In school no less. Hailing from Hawkins himself, was none other than the well-known high school bully, “Andy fucking Harper. Christ, and I thought this day couldn’t get any worse.” Standing up because of course, the universe just loved to make his life more difficult than it needed to be, Will put his hands in his jacket pockets. “Given your army uniform, am I to assume you are the one collecting me? What, draw the short straw or something?”

“On the contrary Byers,” Andy smirked at him. “I volunteered. Now get moving, before I shoot you in the leg for breach of terms and drag your ass into isolation instead.” Gesturing for Will to get walking, Andy continued to follow Will at an uncomfortably close distance. “Speaking of, I actually had a lot of fun earlier this week. See, we had this little raid, and you would not believe how excited I got to learn I was kicking in the door of none other than Michael Wheeler’s house. The look on his face when I nearly shot him in the head was priceless.”

Immediately fuming with anger at hearing this information, and learning that Andy hadn’t changed from the tormentor he had been to Dustin and Lucas in high school, Will decided he was going to push his boundaries. Call it ego, but something told Will deep down, he was too important to the military for them to let one moron go rogue and shoot him in a public park, even if it wasn’t a ‘shoot to kill’ shot. Looking over his shoulder and speaking softly, but clearly, decided to verbally fight back. “For someone brought up so proper and straight, you’re walking pretty damn close to me there Andy.”

Realising that Will was trying to imply that he was gay and had COMPLETELY ignored the goading Andy had tried to use to get a rise out of him, the soldier lost his composure completely. Reverting to his usual tactics of aggression, Will felt himself get grabbed by the shoulder and forcefully turned around. Next thing he knew, Andy had him by the collar, holding most of Will’s weight with his shirt because he’d been pulled off balance. “Say that again you fag and I will personally end you right here and now.”

“ANDY, back down!” Getting between them suddenly were two more pairs of hands, one helping Will stay on his feet and the other holding Andy back from trying to have another go at Will. Recognising the voice, and therefore the hands helping hold him up now, Will realised that Chance was the one helping him out.

Borderline growling, Andy was hardly able to hold himself back verbally, throwing off the hands of their third teammate, whom Will did not recognise at all. “Now isn’t the time to suddenly grow a pair, Chance. Byers and I were in the middle of something.”

Now that Will could stand on his own two feet, Chance got between him and Andy, retaliating out of desperation in a plea for Andy to see reason more than anything else. “You signed us up for this damn squad Andy, don’t go pissing off our CO because you decided some high school bullshit is more important than the position you dragged us into.”

As if on cue, Andy’s radio crackled, with an authoritative voice coming through. “Harper, is there an issue? Over.”

“No sir, approaching with the target now. Over and out.” Glaring daggers at Will with every word, Andy was confused as to how he’d lost the upper hand. From what he could recall, Byers had always hidden behind the other Hellfire freak, Mike Wheeler. So when did he become so brazen when it came to confrontation?

Gesturing for them to get moving, Chance pulled ahead with Will, giving Andy some space to calm down and hopefully take his anger out on someone else for once. “Sorry about him. You are still coming in willingly, right?”

“Yeah, painfully. This isn’t the first time I’ve been under military surveillance.” Sighing as he felt like he was walking right back into captivity, Will looked to the sky. Who knows, it might well be the last time he ever saw it as a free man. Of course he had faith in Nancy and Robin, but surely they could only push their luck so far, right? “So, why are you here exactly? I thought you got into college through basketball, like Lucas did.”

“I could have, but I gave it up, actually.” Sounding remorseful, like it was one of his biggest regrets, Chance glanced back at Andy as covertly as he could manage. “I owe it to that moron’s old man to try and at least keep him alive. But after this assignment is over, I think I’m going to bounce. The military really isn’t my thing.”

“And yet you allowed yourself to get dragged into the special squad. I suggest you get out and live your life as soon as you can.” Approaching the edge of the park where three cars were waiting, Will slowed down to afford himself a little more time with Chance. “The longer you stay, the more likely you’re going to end up dead. Some really freaky stuff tends to happen around people like me.”

“And people like Mike.” Chance admitted, having been there in full gear when the raid on Mike’s house had occurred. He doubted his former schoolmate had recognised him given he was in full mask and armour for a night raid, but Chance remembered him the moment he’d read the briefing. “Mike had no way of knowing where Andy’s shot was coming from - I doubt he even realised it was Andy firing, but he moved out of the way with half a second to spare. And he was about ready to die for that kid. Sorry for picking the wrong battles to fight in high school. Clearly there were bigger things we could have been helping fight for.”

Thankful for his honesty, and for proving that not everyone stayed the same asshole as they’d been in previous years, Will put a hand on Chance’s shoulder. “I really hope you make it out of this Chance. Thanks for proving that people can change for the better.”

Nodding and pulling away to open the door for Will, Chance closed it again once he was safely inside, knocking on the roof of the car twice to indicate they were good to go. With their squadmate getting into another car without question, Chance pulled Andy aside whilst they had one last private moment together. “How the fuck could you go protecting a freak like Byers, huh Chance? I thought you were better than that. You know he was friends with that Munson bastard’s best friend, right?”

“When are you going to get it through your thick head that Jason and Patrick’s deaths had NOTHING to do with the Hellfire Club? They debunked that years ago!” Taking a breath to calm himself and speaking in a quieter, but more intense tone, Chance shared the truth with his long time teammate. “It wasn’t people in the Hellfire Club that did this. The freaks and the outcasts are just people. The ones who caused the issues in Hawkins were people like this squint squad you got us signed up to. Scientists did this shit to us, not random fucking high schoolers. Okay?”

“Get in the car before I shoot you myself Chance.” Andy clearly wasn’t going to listen to him today either, causing Chance to groan. He’d get through to him eventually, or die trying it seemed…

~~~~~

Fairly certain he wasn’t out of consciousness for long, Steve popped his damaged door open and managed to free himself of his seatbelt, dragging his ass out of the second Beamer he had owned to suffer extensive damage. “Ohhhh shit…. Shit shit shit… This isn’t good.” Staggering a few steps further than he intended, Steve had to brace himself with his hands on his knees, bent over and trying not to be sick. Wishing his head would stop spinning, he already knew that Max and Holly had been dragged from the car and taken. There wasn’t anything he could do, but hearing Max’s shout of ‘Don’t touch her dammit!’ had been echoing in his head from the moment he came back to his senses. 

Everything hurt, but once the nausea eased up enough that he could walk of his own volition again, Steve walked back to his car, trying to find where the radio Max had been using got to. Hoping that the evil fucks who had taken his friends didn’t take the radio too, Steve was glad to see it wedged under the back seat. Downside was, the antenna was broken. “Aw man… Come on Steve, think… Max’s bag. Maybe she had another one with her.” Going to the trunk of his car, Steve popped it open and found Max’s bag still inside. Though it had been clearly tossed around, and he felt a little bit ashamed at invading Max’s personal privacy by going through her stuff, he rejoiced at the sight of the second radio. “Yes! Alright, it’s showtime.” Taking the batteries from his radio and putting them into Max’s because he couldn’t be bothered finding hers right this second, Steve scrunched up his face as he tried to play back his memories to remember what channel Dustin had told everyone to change to. It was difficult, because he’d been focused on driving at the time, but it came to him after a few minutes.

“This is Steve, does anyone copy? Over.” Hopping straight onto Channel 3, Steve didn’t bother with code names. His head hurt too much to care. Finding a nice spot to stop and lay down, Steve found that he was out of the sun beside his car, and groaned again with the pain, shoving a rock out from beneath his back that was in an awkward spot.

“HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS MAN, ARE YOU OKAY?! Don’t fucking scare us like that Steve, I swear to GOD if you nearly get killed again, it’s going to be ME killing you!” Clearly, Henderson was thrilled to know that Steve was still alive and in one piece.

Sighing but smiling regardless, Steve was just glad that he hadn’t broken his pseudo-little brother’s heart. “I’m hurting. A lot. Max and Holly are gone. And my car is pretty fucking busted. So no, I’m not really okay, but yeah, I’m alive. What else did I miss?”

“Hey Coach, you want a chariot to come collect your ass, or should I send an ambulance to your location? Over.” Even though he couldn’t tell if Erica hated him for some reason or if she was just snarky with everyone, it did warm Steve’s heart a little bit that her first response to hearing he was okay was to ask if he needed help.

“Nah, like I said, the Beamer is busted sure, but she still drives. Now, tell me already, what’d I miss? Over.”

“Well to be honest, not much. Nancy is on the line with us because Robin is driving, but we don’t have a proper plan yet.” This was Jonathan answering, which honestly had surprised Steve. Less so that it was Jonathan talking, but rather that they didn’t have a plan yet.

“The girls need backup, but clearly you do too. I mean, what are the chances that the people who took Max and Holly are going to the same place Will is? And that’s before we try to figure out where the hell Mike might be. Everyone’s too spread out this time.” Recapping their major issues, Lucas sounded desperate now that it had been confirmed his girlfriend had become a prisoner of the military as well.

There was silence over the radio as everyone kept themselves deep in thought here. “If we don’t have Max, then we can’t get in contact with Will, can we?” Just to make sure she fully understood how completely screwed the plan was now, Suzie asked her question with pain in her voice, like she realised the answer part way through.

“That’s right. The whole plan is fucked. But that’s pretty standard for us at this point. Look, Lucas, how easily can you hook up with Jonathan and get to Boston?” Refusing to give up now, Steve pressed a hand against his forehead to try and stem his headache enough to think clearly. 

“Even in good traffic, at best it’s going to take me a couple hours. But I’d be happy to give Robin and Nancy some backup with getting Will out of there again.” Happy to get himself in on the action, even if it wasn’t to go directly to rescuing Max, Lucas didn’t care about missing school in this case. Sure, the basketball team would really need him, and he might lose his position in college entirely, but the lives of those he cared about would always take precedence.

“See you boys soon. And nice to hear your voice again Steve.” This was Nancy, who really did sound grateful to hear that Steve was alright, even though she must have been in tremendous pain knowing that her sister had been stolen from her family for a second time.

Making another part of their plan on behalf of the team, Dustin spoke up this time. “Erica, would you mind going to loop Mr Clarke in on all this? You two, with Suzie, can be our lorekeepers. Take shifts, keep in touch with each of the groups, let the rest of us know when shit hits the fan, make sense?”

“Yeah yeah Dustin, I’m not a moron. I got it. Suzie, Lorekeeper channel is Channel 5. Can you monitor multiple channels at once?” Not knowing the setup that Suzie had, Erica wanted to make sure they could cover all the lines with just the three of them.

Answering without hesitation as soon as the line let her speak up, Suzie was more than happy to continue aiding the Extended Party in their efforts. “I’ve got you covered. I just need the frequencies for the other channels, and I can monitor everything from here when you need a break.”

“Ok, you two can figure that out after the rest of us get our shit together.” With Lucas going to Jonathan, Erica staying safe in Hawkins, Nancy and Robin already following Will’s escort to the military base, and Suzie posted up in Boston, that left one more pairing to meet up and head up. “Henderson, want to watch my back, like old times?”

“Already packed asshole, hurry up and get here would ya?” Laughing a little bit that Steve even had to ask, Dustin was always ready for an adventure with his appointed older brother figure. And if it meant Steve was kept alive and well, then they couldn’t lose.

~~~~~

There was a rhythmic beep that roused Willow from her slumber. Time had gotten away from her, and she couldn’t quite remember what had happened last. She knew that she had been drawing, and then… Something heavy on her head. Reaching up and finding nothing but her hair, Willow opened her eyes. She was in Mike’s room, sitting in the chair next to his bed, being watched over by the nurse that had been by her side almost all day. On the monitor, Willow the Wanderer stood by Mike the Brave’s side, which made the young girl smile.

“Welcome back.” Speaking to her from the doorway of the dimly lit room (because it was night time now, Willow had asked about it the other day), the nurse announced her continued presence so Willow knew she was there. “Do you need anything?”

“Can I have a drink please? My mouth feels funny.” Needing some water because her tongue was sticking to her throat, Willow was thankful that the nurse had prepared for this, so she didn't have to wait. There had been a pitcher of chilled water put aside with some paper cups, so Willow got to have a refill right away. “Thank you.”

Putting the water back, the nurse moved the bed table so Willow could reach it. “Since he's still fast asleep, I'm going to leave these here with you.” The crayons and extra paper from earlier were on the table. “I just need to step out for a little while. I'm not supposed to mention this I don't think, but we have some more people that might be coming to play games with us. So it might be a while before I see you again, ok?” 

“What do you mean? Are they nice people?” Still waking up mostly, Willow was confused. “Are they like you, or are they like me and Mike?” 

“Like you.” The nurse said softly, unable to keep the pity from her tone. “I don't know if V and VI are coming here or not yet, so I have to go help figure that out. That means you can have some time with your friend on your own. You've been so good today, you definitely earned it.” Giving a small smile, the nurse left, so it was just Willow and Mike alone with the beeping machines and their DND figures.

Willow didn't need to ponder long before knowing what she wanted to draw. Putting Mike the Brave front and centre, Willow then drew her elven persona right by his side. Mike the Brave had some new additions to him however; His sword was bright with golden light to lead the way, and his metal shield with a heart had a magical blue sheen to it, whilst his eyes were now purple. Underneath, where Willow had put her words, she did her very best to write “Mike the Brave, a human WyldShape Paladin with Willow the Wanderer, elven Oathsworn Druid, and Hush the Magic Mystery, questing to Reunite The Party (Holly the Heroic got lost!)”. At least, she hoped that's what it said. Drawing in crayon, and writing in crayon were two totally different things. With dyslexia in the mix? She was just praying at this point it was gonna be okay. Regardless, she had tried, and Willow hoped that Mike would be proud of her for it. And if all else failed, she could just explain the drawing to him herself! That would be easiest. 

Though she had plenty more paper, Willow didn't feel like drawing after that. Looking over at Mike, the young girl decided she wanted to lie down on the bed with her best friend. Though it would probably get her into trouble, Willow was still tired from having such a big day, and she really just wanted to feel safe again. Without Hush, Mike was the best way to do that, even if he was asleep. Picture in hand and being careful of the IV drip placed in his arm, Willow clambered up and settled into the groove made by Mike’s arm and torso. Most of his bruises had healed up, but Willow knew she could help it along a bit more herself.

Putting the paper down on Mike’s chest, Willow whispered, “Ahel,” and kissed him on the cheek. Quickly wiping her nose so blood wouldn't drip on him, Willow yawned gently and put her head down, ready to go back to sleep.

The arm beneath her shifted a little bit, Mike’s arm moving out to the side so he could wrap it up around her torso, properly giving the younger girl a protective cuddle. “Willow… that you?” Mike’s voice was soft, sounding incredibly gentle despite the fact he also felt like he'd swallowed cotton wool or something.

Smiling knowingly, Willow snuggled into him. “I told the nurse I could break your sleeping curse. Just needed a kiss, hehe.”

“Sleeping curse?” Thinking hard, the conversation Mike had shared with Max flooded back to him. “Oh, right. Induced coma… yeah I can see that being a sleeping curse. Thanks for reaching me Willow.”

Turning a little bit, wriggling as she did so, the young one held up her drawing for Mike to see. “I made you a present. Whatchya think?”

Taking the paper from his chest and holding it up so he could see it, Mike had to squint a little to focus his eyes in the low light. He recognised himself easily; Willow had drawn him almost exactly like Will’s painting. Tearing up as he realised she drew them on a quest together, Mike gave her a gentle squeeze, hoping to convey the emotion he felt without being able to voice it properly. He'd teared up a bit, realising it was one of the greatest gifts he had ever been given. “I love it, Willow. I love it so much.”

“That's good.” There was another stifled yawn, Willow's voice betraying just how tired she was. “Can you be my dad? I don't want to go back to my parents. I wanna stay with you.”

Taken aback by the sudden request, Mike was lost for words. He hadn't even fully woken up yet, and his body yearned for more rest. “I don't know if I'm old enough to be your dad,” Mike blurred out, not really thinking about it. Feeling Willow shift and look right up at him, he immediately felt guilty and kept going, because it wasn't quite everything he'd been meaning to say. “I've never been someone's dad before, but… I do have some experience being a big brother. Is that an ok compromise?”

“If it means we get to be family, yes.” Smiling and nuzzling him softly, Willow was just happy Mike wanted to stay with her forever. “I promise I'll be good. I'll do my homework even though I hate it, and I won't bring all the animals into the house, I'll take all the proper good care of Hush so you don't have to worry, and-”

“Willow.” Mike interrupted her, turning his head and giving her a gentle kiss on the top of her head, wanting her to calm down. Is this how my mother felt about me when I was a kid? Part of him wondered this, as he realised Willow had begun to overthink things, and there was something important he had to remind her of. “Just remember to always be true to yourself. It's party law, ok? And you're part of my party, now and always.”

“Rules of party law. Friends don't lie. Always be true to yourself. If you draw first blood against the party, you have to apologise first and if a party member requires assistance, it is your duty to provide that assistance. Right? Did I get them all?” She'd been counting them off on her fingers.

Smiling, and maybe feeling a tiny bit guilty, Mike nodded. There were more important things he should probably be teaching her, but these had always been important to him. “Yeah, you got them all.”

Silence fell between them, for long enough that Mike had almost thought Willow finally fell asleep, until she spoke again. “So when we get out of here, what's the first thing you want to do?” They'd already covered what Willow wanted, but she was curious about what Mike wanted.

“There's someone I gotta talk to.” He admitted softly. After all, if he could become a parental figure to a kid that had come into his life by chance, it was about time he told the other person he truly loved about his feelings. “I don't think there's ever going to be a right time. And I know they've probably moved on without me. We barely get to talk lately as it is but… I miss my best friend. And after going through all this, with you… I don't want to be without him anymore.”

Raising her head, she looked straight at him. There was only one person she knew of that could make Mike sound like this, and she only knew because he loved to have their character pop up in stories. “Then it's a plan. Hush can escape with us, I'll grab my stuff, move in with you and then we can go on an adventure and you can get your real true love's kiss.” Smiling brightly, Willow liked this plan. “Then all this doctor and nurse stuff will just be a bad dream and we can all live happily ever after.”

Thankful that even with the upbringing her parents had been trying to instill in her, Willow didn't react poorly to the fact Mike had implied the person he loved was a male. It was something that Mike had adored in the kid; When she learned about what love was supposed to be, and everything that her parents had been holding back from her, Willow just wanted happiness for the world. All the love in all its forms so no one was ever upset again.

It was something precious, and Mike would protect it with his life if he had to. “You should get some sleep now, ok? You saved me, so it's time to relax.” 

“Goodnight Paladin.” Getting comfortable again, Willow was more than happy to take her shift in resting, because the big day had tired her out.

Trying not to laugh because it would shake her too much, Mike had the biggest smile on his face that he'd worn all week. “Goodnight Sapling.” And with one last deep breath, Willow was sound asleep.

Chapter Text

He wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some stage Will had passed out whilst being driven to some unknown location. So much for keeping an eye on where they were taking me. They probably knocked me out with something, I just don't remember what.

Taking in his surroundings, Will realised he was standing in a place he'd not visited in a very long time. The arcade in Hawkins had been destroyed in the Splitting of Hawkins, so Will hadn't even thought about it all that much. But standing here, now, made him feel nostalgic. He almost missed playing with his friends, taking turns at trying to beat the high scores on machines.

But only almost. Being haunted by the Mind Flayer at the time had left a stain on the otherwise perfect memory, which is why Will hadn't really been back to the arcade before it was destroyed anyway.

“Holy shit, Will? Is that you?” A new voice spoke as the inner doorbell rang, Max appearing from within the arcade. “Please tell me that's really you and this isn't actually just some freaky dream.”

His smile brightening, Will was happy to see Max in any capacity. The two crossed the space between them, hugging each other tightly for a moment. “Yeah, it's really me. I'm here. Are we dreaming, or is this the Void?” Unsure of how it all worked, even after visiting Mateo a few times, Will wondered if Max knew more.

“I think it's both. Like, maybe, we are asleep but instead of dreaming, we’re projecting. Or I'm receiving, I don't know, I didn't do this on purpose. Reaching out to Mike, that I did on purpose. But it only worked cuz I had Holly - I think.” Massaging her temples as she tried to work it out, Max and Will headed inside. It was strange to hear the arcade be so silent, since all the machines were off, and no one else was present. “Go figure. Finally get back to the arcade and I still can't play Dig Dug.”

“Dustin is still mad you beat his score. I don't think he ever passed you.” Smiling as he recalled this, Will couldn't help but laugh a bit. “I was never as good at these games as everyone else, but it was still fun to play them.” Turning to face Max, who had leaned up against one of the many machines in the area, Will realised something. “This is the first place the four of us heard about you, actually. Keith was trying to get a date with Nancy in exchange for information about you.”

“What?!” Laughing hard, Max had no idea it even happened. “That's ridiculous! Wait, is that why you guys followed me around school all day? Because I beat Dustin’s stupid score?”

“The one and only reason. We couldn't believe a girl played videogames. That showed up in our class. And could beat Dustin.” No matter how embarrassed he was to admit this about his middle school self, Will knew he had the self worth to survive any teasing Max might throw at him. Then he sighed, and admitted something else. “This is actually also one of the first times I saw the Mind Flayer. I was here with the guys that night, and then suddenly they were gone. I wandered outside and boom, there it was in the sky. Until Mike shook me out of it and brought me back inside because it was my turn.”

Getting off the machine and gesturing for Will to follow, Max put a hand on the “Employees Only” door. “This is the room that Lucas told me the truth in. He asked me, dead serious, “Do you accept the risk?” And I laughed and said of course, fine, whatever. I thought he was lying to me. Making up some grand DnD bullshit to impress me or something. But then he followed me to my house, and that's how I got involved in all this mess. Because I chose to accept the risk.”

“You make it sound like you died because you talked to a boy you like when you put it that way.” Raising an eyebrow, Will was wondering how he was supposed to actually accept her phrasing.

Considering his words, Max decided it was almost perfect, but there was a better way to sum it all up. “Nah. I died because I decided to ignore the truth, and it caught up to me. I'm just lucky I had friends to pull me back where it counted.”

It was a powerful message, one that Will could absolutely relate to, since that was the entire reason he’d come out to his friends at all. And at such an awkward time, if he was perfectly honest. He accepted the risks, let the truth catch up, and lived to tell the tale as his friends pulled him back from the brink of mental self-sabotage that would have gotten him killed

Silence fell between them, allowing both Max and Will to hear something they didn't before. “Is that… beeping?” Will pressed his ear to the door, whilst Max headed for the front desk.

“I think Keith used to leave his keys over here. It doesn't sound like an arcade machine, it sounds like something else I know.” It was too soft for Max to be certain, but she was sure she’d heard that sound somewhere before, her brow furrowed as she messed around with the lanyard of keys she found at the desk. “Step aside, I got the door.”

Doing as she asked, Will briefly wondered if this was a trap. It felt like the perfect place to set one, but this was also real life. Kinda. Real life in their heads. Anyway, it probably wasn’t a trap, so he just didn’t say anything to avoid sounding stupid. After some struggle with the key (because this shop was incredibly accurate to both their memories in the most annoying fashion possible), Max managed to get the door open, revealing the inner staff sanctum was not what it should be. “Shit. Seriously?”

“What?” Stepping in after her, Will was greeted with the sight of Mike, fast asleep whilst plugged into a hospital bed, with a young girl curled up at his side, a piece of paper laying over his chest. “Holy shit, Mike.”

“I hate that of all the facts I still have to learn about myself, the fact that I can recognise Wheeler’s stupid sleeping heartbeat is one of them. This is only the second time I’ve heard it!” Actually mad with herself, Max threw the keys at one of the shelves that did belong in the arcade, just so she wouldn’t disturb the sleeping figures whilst also letting out her anger.

“Maybe it’s just the sound of the machine you recognised. I mean, you were in a hospital for a really long time.” Putting a hand on Max’s shoulder, Will realised he could now also hear what was going on around her in the real world.

“Will, I think I’m about to wake up,” Also realising that she could hear what was going on again, Max took Will’s hand off of her shoulder. “I’m sorry but I can’t help you like I was supposed to. We got crashed, and I don’t know what happened to Steve, but they took me and Holly. Please be careful Will. You got this.” Before Will could even speak a word, Max closed her eyes and vanished, turning into dust like she had never been there in the first place.

“Max!” Panicked now because honestly, they should have spent their time talking about what was going on right now in the real world instead of being nostalgic about some stupid arcade, Will then turned to Mike. “If touching Max lets me know what’s going on around her, what if…” Walking over to Mike, Will tried to quell the rising doubt. What if he doesn’t want to talk to me? Maybe he’s embarrassed that I saw him like this - I know I was always embarrassed when he saw me in the hospital. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Will knew there was only one way to truly make sure Mike was okay, and he didn’t know how much time he had to do it.

Reaching out tentatively, Will held Mike’s hand; The one that wasn’t wrapped around Willow, anyway. In his head, he could hear a conversation happening, and he wasn’t sure if it was happening in the real world, or inside Mike’s mind. “Saw what? There was nothing to see!” That was clearly Mike, acting defensive like he’d just been caught changing details as a DM, thinking his friends (as their characters), wouldn’t notice.

“You twitched! You always twitch when there’s a Will the Wise story involved! Now I wanna know, please tell me the story?” This was the voice of a young girl, most likely the one that was laying on the bed with him. Looking down at their hands, Will wondered if there was some way that he could jump into their dream with them, if they were already sharing their minds…

~~~~~

Some time after they’d both fallen asleep again, Mike found himself feeling weighed down. Opening his eyes, he saw what he could only comprehend as a ‘dungeon’ ceiling above him, reminding him of the last shared dream experience he had with Willow and Hush. “Are we back in that temple place again?” Speaking aloud as he sat up, Mike discovered the ‘strange weight’ was caused by armour.

He was wearing armour! He really had become his Paladin self in his dream now. Immediately, Mike got a bit more excited than he was ever willing to admit. He’d always wanted to wear a real suit of armour, but never knew how to get his hands on one. Standing up, Mike noticed Willow nearby, resting on a comfortable looking pile of moss, with Hush existing beside her.

It was hard to describe what Hush was doing, exactly, even for a writer like Mike. Hush was certainly vibrating, but he wasn’t quite shaking, and he wasn’t rippling like liquid. But the shadow wasn’t still either, it was like a static fuzz on his eyes that made it hard to focus on the potential internal structure of Hush’s body, or what was almost visible on the other side. Looking away from his non-human friend, Mike approached and crouched beside Willow, just to realise that both of his friends were now non-human. Just like her own DND character, Mike could clearly see Willow had elven ears.

“Ok, come on lazy butt, I know you can hear me. Elves don’t sleep, they meditate. Come on Willow, don’t you want to go exploring again with me?” Trying to encourage the young girl to get up, Mike knew full well that she could hear every word he was saying. “Please?”

Jumping up from the moss and immediately to her feet, Willow was grinning, unable to pretend to ignore her Paladin anymore. “You got me! It’s adventure time!” Pointing in a direction because neither of them had looked around yet, Willow got Hush involved in the conversation. “What say you Hush? Shall we go that way?”

Becoming a squirrel and using his newly large, bushy tail to point, Hush agreed with this plan, the party deciding to head down a passageway in the far wall. “This place is a mystery to me as well. None of us know what is going to happen.”

“So, does that mean we’re kind of not in anyone’s head when we do this? Are we like, physically creating a new brain zone or something where we just dream as a group?” Wondering how all this worked, Mike had no idea. Unfortunately, his friends were just as clueless. “Ooh, wait if this is a dream, and all in our heads, I want to try something.”

After getting his bearings on where he was, Mike realised he actually recognised this place. Or at least, its layout. It was one of the Dungeons and Dragons campaigns he had designed himself, it just looked different. In his campaign, they had been in the ice fortress of Auril, a neutral evil ice deity in Faerun, hoping to gift the Ring of Winter back to her in return for recalling the reach of her winter dragons that had begun hunting beyond her realm. They sought peace, but ultimately they had to prove their worth to the The Cold Goddess, only being able to withstand her attacks thanks to the magical augmentation the ring had given them along their journey

Closing his eyes, and cupping his hands together, Mike imagined he had a dice in his hands. Since this was a dream, and weird things happened all the time, that technically made his behaviour totally normal, right? Shaking his hands up and down, Mike tried to see what he’d get as a dice roll. If he was remembering correctly, Lucas had set off a trap nearby because he didn’t roll for perception. “Hopefully, if this works, I roll a perception check!” Opening his hands as if dropping a die, his hopes were realised. Just like the dice set he owned back home, Mike watched as a blue D20 with yellow numbers dropped to the ground.

Rushing over to see what he got, Mike, Willow and Hush all stood over the die, heads touching as they read the outcome. “12. Okay, so it’s not terrible, but it isn’t great, either.”

“Wait a minute,” Willow realised something very important they were missing. “If you’re a player, then who is the Dungeon Master?”

“Maybe it is us, together?” Having felt the moment of recognition Mike experienced as an emotional response, Hush wondered if that was the answer she was after.

Thinking about it, there was only one option Mike could come up with for now. “Maybe our subconscious is the Dungeon Master. Like, all of us together, yeah.” Mike looked around. “I know this map layout from a campaign I created, but the area didn’t look like this. This looks more like where we found you, right Hush?”

Nodding his little squirrel head, Hush agreed with this assessment. “Like my home.”

“What about me?” Willow pouted. “Is my brain in here somewhere?” Looking around, she couldn’t see anything that specifically stood out as something she would pick, consciously or not.

Hoping she didn’t feel too left out by accident, Mike figured there might be something they just hadn’t found yet that came from her mind. “Why don’t we get this adventure started, and we can look along the way? I mean, in my map there was a trap in that tunnel, but a 12 would have let me know for sure. And I can’t sense anything. Maybe because this isn’t the Frost Maiden’s castle anymore… Maybe the story for this place comes from you?”

After all, context was in the words of the storyteller, and not necessarily a physical aspect of the place.

Loving this idea, Willow decided to start making up some kind of story to fit the place they were in. “Okay, so, maybe, what if this is the ancient temple of …” She walked forward, with a hand on her chin, the rustling of leaves as part of her druidic outfit sounding almost like music with every step. “Ooh, the temple of the Wyldshape Mages? And we are here so you two can learn more about the creatures you turn into!” Clapping her hands as she was happy with where this was headed, she skipped forward, causing Hush and Mike to hurry, lest she left them behind. “I think they might have some secret transformation ritual or something, and this, navigating this temple is our test. We have to prove to them we are friends with nature and deserving of their knowledge, before they share it with us.”

“That does sound pretty accurate for knowledge keepers, especially druidic ones.” Impressed by her improvisation, Mike hoped she would keep going, wondering where her story would go. Since he was the most common DM in the party, it was a nice change of pace. “But I do have one question; Why do I need to learn how to Wyldshape? I’m a Paladin, not a Druid.”

“Because… Because it’s your curse.” Willow turned on the spot, and put her hands on her hips, stopping in her tracks. The tether that bound her and Mike together was still very present on her arm, but rather than looking like something out of Tron, it had become a magical, bark-like bracer of some kind that connected to Mike’s metal one. “You and me and Hush are cursed with strange magic from another land. But instead of trying to get rid of it, because we don’t know what that would do, we’re going to learn to use it! Yeah, because magic spells are cool.”

Turning into a bird and launching himself off the ground, Hush had become the blue finch again. Landing on a conveniently stuck out twig portion of Willow’s right bark pauldron, Hush was ready to leave whenever his people-friends were.

“Yeah, okay. I mean, learning how to control what we turn into would be pretty cool. But I hope it’s not as draining as last time, I can only do it when I merge with Hush completely.” Nervous just thinking about the damage he had caused as the Demodog, deep down Mike was glad that Willow didn’t hate him for hurting people. That she was somehow so understanding of everything. Or maybe she just didn’t realise what he’d done yet. What if the consequences haven’t sunk in? Like all those people you killed with that bomb of yours.

Realising he was on the verge of having a panic attack from thinking about things that really weren’t the main problem right now, Mike tried not to have his mental state slide backwards right now. Hoping Willow didn’t feel it as strongly as he did, Mike pushed those feelings away, sharing a glance with Hush who silently wondered how Mike was doing.

Feelings like that were going to get him killed, if he wasn’t careful. And they didn’t know what this connection meant. So living, no matter what, was essential to protecting Willow too. Mike knew that. There was no time for self pity about the past.

“Oh, I think this is the end of the path?” They’d gone through the tunnel, reaching a ledge where they could not cross. The room below looked like just more of the temple, but a different floor. Across from them, they could continue going, but there wasn’t anything visible bridging point A to Point B. “Hush, do you wanna roll the dice?” Having collected it before, Willow held it up to their shapeshifting companion.

The bird took flight, and curved around to grab the die from her hand. Flying upwards, and doing a little loop in the air, Hush released the die forward, shooting it off into the gap… Where it bounced, and landed on the air?

“WOAH!” Willow gasped, dropping to the ground to try and see if she could find what the die was floating on. “Invisible bridge?”

“Or invisible platforms?” Wanting to point out that it might not be a continuous invisible bridge, Mike wouldn’t be surprised if there were gaps to fall through. “Or it could be hardened air that can only take so much weight?”

“How do we cross it?” Getting up off the ground again to think and breathe at the same time, Willow crossed her arms, trying to think up a solution.

Hush changed forms again, landing on the ground to become a rabbit briefly, then a snake, and then a cat before offering a suggestion. “What if I go first? I can just fly myself to safety if I fall?”

Mike was proud of Hush’s willingness to join in the puzzle solving, but didn’t know how he felt about using Hush as a type of test run. “No, we don’t know if they’re weight based or if there’s a particular requirement we have to meet before it holds us up - I mean, the die could be floating because you’re supposed to roll them on a table, there might not actually be anything there at all and we’re just gonna fall regardless.” Realising his brain was in a sort of overdrive mode, Mike tried to dial back the thinking, sitting up so his armour was more comfortable.

Smiling, Willow put up her hand, bouncing on the spot with a thought she really wanted to share. “Maybe I can see the bridge with true sight?”

At the mention of the ability, Mike inadvertently twitched his head to the side. “I mean -”

Not allowing Mike to finish his thought, Willow pointed at him, shouting, “AHA! I saw that!” Hush changed back to his finch form, flying back up to his perch on Willow’s shoulder, happy to let the two figure this out between them as he observed.

“Saw what? There was nothing to see!” Knowing that she was about to ask for a story, Mike really didn’t want to deal with this right now. It was nice just having a big old pretend dungeon to explore, making a new story with someone else. This was supposed to be his reprieve as a storyteller of tales since past.

Like a dog with a bone however, Willow was not going to back down. “You only take psychic damage when there's a Will the Wise story involved! Please, you gotta tell it to me now!” Putting her hands together and getting on her knees as if she was literally praying to him, Willow begged for Mike to tell her the story. “Please? You know those ones are my favourites, you always tell them so well!”

“Can't I tell you about it later?” Trying not to focus on the embarrassment warming his cheeks at the way Willow implied he told stories about Will better than any of his other friends, Mike gestured to the gap they were trying to cross. “We kinda gotta cross this bridge remember? You said we would be able to learn the secret arts of Wyldshape!” Taking his turn to whine, because the ‘Forever DM’ never got to whine like a player, both Willow and Mike then froze as a new voice joined the conversation from the floor below them.

“What if instead of a story, I just join this adventure instead? And then you can keep going, but with more company?” The voice came from downstairs, and both Mike and Willow scrambled to the edge to see who it was.

Of course, Mike would recognise that voice anywhere. But for Willow, what she recognised was the outfit, since she’d looked at some drawings from one of many binders Mike kept in his house. Looking down and then at each other, they had huge grins on their faces when they spoke in unison. “It’s Will the Wise!” Looking back down at him, they waved, and then had the most rapidfire conversation only the closest of friends could have, unless they were also sharing their brains. Which of course, Mike and Willow counted as both.

“Is that really him?!” This was Willow, of course, because she’d never seen Will in person before.

“Mhm.” Mike just nodded his head once, knowing Willow would be full of questions.

“Wow, he’s really here, I’m really going to meet him!” Taking a breath, Willow then changed emotional tracks like flipping a switch. “Wait are you gonna tell him?”

This very sudden change caused Mike to panic a little bit. “Tell him what?”

“You know, the thing, like we were talking about? It is him right?”

“Willow!” Speaking in an embarrassed but quiet tone, Mike immediately shook his head. “No, I’m not gonna tell him.”

“But you said-”

Holding up a finger to silence her, Mike corrected what she was about to say before it was even verbalised. “I said when we get out, not next time I see him.”

Frowning, because she really didn’t want Mike to wait anymore, she protested again. “If you don’t I will.”

“No, no you won’t because that’s not for you to tell.” Denying her this, Mike was not going to let a ten year old beat him in a battle of wills (or… determination? Because there was only one Will that mattered here) when it came to his emotions. “And stop thinking about it! We’re trying to get to the end of this test so… So focus on that. It’s your story.”

Will, who had been left a little confused about the sudden hushed voices and bickering from the people he’d come to visit, closed his eyes and embraced his inner nerd. It was always there, just waiting for the surface to be gently touched before Will the Wise came out, fully ready to cast spells and save the day in any fictional realm. Which, he supposed, the dream realm counted. Knowing he had a bunch of tiny spell components on his character, Will tried to figure out where the Grasshopper Leg would be that he needed. Ultimately, he found it in a pouch on his belt, wrapped in a small piece of cloth. Then, muttering to himself, he really hoped that his normal jump height was going to be high enough, because Jump only tripled the area he could normally jump, rather than letting him choose. Taking a few steps back, Will gave himself a running headstart before leaping from the floor below, launching himself into the air.

Landing with several steps to account for momentum before coming to a stop, Will turned and looked at Mike and his companion, sitting on the ground and now silent with awe. “What?” He looked at them both, wrapping the grasshopper leg up again before putting it away. “We’re all in DND gear. I just figured I’d cast Jump?”

Willow facepalmed, burying her expression behind her hands as she dramatically fell to the floor. Hush jumped off her shoulder just in time to avoid collision, just chilling on the ground as a bird for now. “I should have thought of that! Druid’s can cast Jump too!”

“Yeah, but you don’t have a grasshopper leg, I would remember if you did.” Since Mike had been Willow’s only DM, he knew most of the stuff she would in theory be able to do at any given time.

Lowering her hands and shifting her head with a frown on her face, Willow stuck one arm out to create a platform. Without a word, Hush jumped into the air, and changed from a bird to a grasshopper, landing on Willow with ease. “Tada, grasshopper. We could have made that gap easy.” Getting up and dusting herself off, Willow let Hush do his own thing. Turning to Will, Willow did her best to contain at least some of her excitement. “But of course you thought of it, I’ve heard so much about you, Mike tells the coolest stories about Will the Wise! I’m Willow the Wanderer, an elven Druid! Well I am in DND like I look like now but really I’m just Willow and Mike is my friend.”

Holding out a hand to her, Will was glad they got to meet properly like this. “It’s nice to meet you Willow. I’m glad Mike has someone looking out for him, we’ve been pretty worried.” Willow took his hand very gently and shook it, because she wasn’t really used to shaking hands with people. “I was talking to Max just before I got here, and she was pretty worried about what happened with Mike.”

Getting up from the ground, Mike was glad that Willow had taken up the attention of his close friend. Though he truthfully wanted to spill his guts to Will, and explain everything, part of him was ashamed to do so. It wasn’t logical, but it wasn’t easy to just talk about either. How do you tell your friend that you transformed into a version of the creature that kidnapped him as a kid, anyway? “Awww shucks, I missed meeting the Zoomer? Maybe next time.” Willow’s words pierced Mike’s thoughts, but at least she was taking it well.

Having absorbed Hush into his body for now, he could feel his shadow companion like a gas occupying his lungs, causing his breaths to become a little shorter. “Yeah, Max talked to me before Willow was able to wake me up. Is she okay?” Worried for their friend, Mike wanted to know if Max was alright.

Shaking his head, Will shared with them what was going on. “We had a plan, and it went terribly wrong. I’ve got this friend I’ve been connected with, his name is Mateo, and I was trying to work out where he was. I literally went to the military of my own volition, thinking I’d be able to contact Max on the outside, so we could coordinate with the others and make a breakout attempt. But they got Max… And Holly. They took Holly too.”

“The others are coming to play.” Willow looked between Mike and Will, who looked at her with confusion. “That’s what the nurse said. She said she had to go, because she didn’t know if V and IV were coming.”

Taking a deep breath as Will made his own connection from Willow’s comment, he put his hands on the back of his neck, lacing his fingers together. “And Mateo is known as Subject II. They’re collecting people. So if Max and Holly are actually V and VI, who are I, III and IV?”

There was a yawn, with Willow suddenly looking quite tired. “I think we might have to continue this adventure later. Willow, why don't you say goodnight to Will?” Mike spoke in that gentle voice that Will had known for so many years. The voice Mike had never spoken to anyone else with before now. And after hearing it, Will thought he might have been jealous. But it was nice to know that even his heart wasn’t that bitter, because hearing Mike treat a child with such care was genuinely adorable

Pouting but able to feel her connection with Mike getting a bit weaker as the world around her became a little faded, Willow nodded and surprised Will by giving him a hug. “I can't wait to meet you for real. Mike tells me stories all the time. He's my best friend.”

Hugging her back as best he could, Will hoped they could save Mike and Willow at the same time as Mateo. Get everyone out all at once, and just be done with the mess. Leaning down so he could talk to her at her level, Will smiled. “I can’t wait, because Mike is my best friend too.” He gave her a small smile, and a final, quick hug, before she wandered off, fading out slowly like a movie that was coming to an end.

Around them, the world shuddered briefly, some stones tumbling from the roof. Will was back in his normal clothes, and the happy-go-lucky dungeon exploration vibe was gone completely, with a sense of ominous foreboding slightly creeping up on them. Mike walked over to the platform they had been trying to cross over at, and stopped by the edge. “Why would they take Holly?” Asking softly, Mike wanted to know why his sister was made into a target again. Since Will was the one who had brought it up, he hoped his best friend would know.

“Holly has powers. She didn’t tell any of us until she scared the crap out of Max with it. Apparently, she can use things like Dimension Door and Healing Word. Or something healing, she wasn’t sure which version it was.” Looking over the edge like Mike was, Will was wondering if his ‘crush’ saw something he didn’t.

“Dimension Door, like Holly the Heroic? That’s so cool, I knew she would be a cleric if the classes were a real thing. I can see why she would want to keep it a secret though. Everyone would be asking for shortcuts all the time, it’d get really annoying…” Mike sighed, and the level below them cracked and crumbled before falling away, leaving an actual cavernous expanse. Leaning over slightly, Mike bumped Will with his shoulder, still staring down at the world disappearing below them rather than looking elsewhere. “Told you so, by the way.”

“What?” Glancing at Mike, and thankful that he was just able to spend some time with him after so long of being apart, Will didn’t know what Mike was talking about.

There was a small chuckle before Mike actually answered. “When you killed those Demogorgons, I called you a Sorcerer. And no one, not one of our Party, or even Erica or Mr Clarke, all of us self-proclaimed DND nerds, corrected me. Erica actually agreed and stood by my choice of term. But you, you were convinced you were draining Vecna’s powers to use against him. But, if that was the case, you’d still be a Cleric. Or a Warlock, because you didn’t choose to put your faith in Vecna as your patron. It would have been closer to Vecna forcing a pact with you that you didn’t want.”

“I’m not following?” Will looked at Mike, and Mike gently grasped both of Will’s shoulders, as if he was going to pull him into a hug at any second.

“A sorcerer’s powers are innate. You have always had these abilities, locked up somewhere in your head. There’s no hivemind, but here you are, talking to me like El would if she was jumping into someone’s brain.” Shaking Will slightly as he put emphasis on certain words, Mike was leaning down to look at Will directly in the eyes. “Sure, Henry and the Mind Flayer screwed up your life and El’s life so horribly that neither of you deserved what had happened. But Will? It didn’t give you your powers. It just unlocked them.”

The wheels were turning in Will’s head, wondering if his best friend was right or if he was off the mark because their puzzle was edgeless and still missing pieces. As the ground shook beneath them now, Will grabbed onto Mike’s shoulders in return, to try and help keep them both upright and stable. “Mike… What’s going on?” As ice began to creep up the walls, Mike’s eyes were slowly changing from brown to purple, which was really freaking Will out. Maybe it’s just a dream thing. But Max said that Mike was in a bad way, so I can’t assume anything.

“Willow left, so the world is becoming unstable. You’re not supposed to be in here, so it doesn’t see your mind as a stabilising force. At least, that’s what I’m guessing.” Mike sighed and hung his head a moment, feeling Hush around his heart again as he protected the shadow creature from being completely taken out in the dream state. Some dark part of Mike felt that maybe Hush was feeding off of him, causing his mind to drift into painful territory whenever it did so. It would explain why their one and only transformation had resulted in a Demodog after all. He could have become so many things, but instead he transformed into a monster right out of a nightmare

Now showing the purple, vein-like markings that were slowly beginning to grow in strength with their light pulses, Will’s alarm only continued to grow. “Mike, please, talk to me. What’s with the purple veins?”

“I don’t know how much you heard earlier, of me talking to Willow, but she’s right. Whatever these scientists are doing to us…” Mike couldn’t finish his train of thought. There wasn’t enough time to explain everything to Will now. “And you’ve just walked right back into it.” With tears forming in his eyes, Mike gave his best friend a stern look. “Whatever happens, you get yourself right back out of this, okay? If you find this Subject II, you take him. Give him what we couldn’t give you, or El. Promise me?”

“Mike… You’re scaring me.” Feeling like he was about to cry himself, Will held on tightly to Mike’s shoulders in return, before getting pulled into a hug. “This better not be your shitty way of saying goodbye.”

The world was beginning to crumble completely now, and all Will could think about was how tightly Mike was hugging him. With all the noise around them, Will almost missed what was whispered into his ear. “You’re waking up now. I can hear it. And I want to protect you but I can’t. I can barely protect Willow. Please Will… Stay safe. You’ve always been more than just an experiment, or a victim. So don’t let yourself forget who you are, now that they’re calling you Subject I.”

Chapter Text

Doing her best to put on a brave face, Holly sat down opposite a scientist that she immediately didn’t like, because he seemed like the egotistical type that thought this work was beneath him. Handcuffed to the table in front of her in the same way a police suspect would be, Holly had the added bonus of an annoyingly itchy spot on the side of her neck, just above her right collarbone, as well as being hooked up to a polygraph machine. She only knew what they were after reading a story outline of Mike’s one time that was detective themed, and then she’d asked all about it because it sounded interesting.

They were a lot less fun and much more nerve wracking up close. “Where’s Max?” Asking the first question before the scientist could get fully settled, Holly wanted to know where her friend was. “Where is she, why did you split us up?”

“The ONLY questions that are being asked here, Subject VI, are the ones that I will be asking.” With his papers ready in front of him, the scientist then nodded to a guard by the door, a beep audible in the room as they presumably began recording.

Choosing to ignore them both, Holly closed her eyes and focused on calming down. When she’d felt Max’s panic earlier that week, she had been clear across town but felt it so strongly it was like Holly was experiencing it for herself. Their connection had been around since they’d met in Henry’s mind, but Holly had taken a long time to realise just how strong that connection was. So why couldn’t she sense it now?

“If you’re trying to use any form of psychic power, they will not work. You’ve been implanted with Soteria for the safety of yourself and the staff of this research facility, which inhibits all psychokinetic abilities.” Sounding bored as he spoke the rehearsed response, the scientist then got on with the actual interview that he was holding. “Alright, for the sake of the recording, I’m Doctor Preston, here on behalf of the Doctors Grey. I’m sitting with Subject VI, about to run a polygraph test to establish some baseline information before further transfer.”

“Your test is going to be a load of shit. I heard they aren’t even all that accurate.” Holly grumbled defiantly.

Ignoring her completely, Dr. Preston asked his first question; The standard one of course. “What is your name?”

“Holly Wheeler.” Rolling her eyes and slumping in the chair as much as she could, she hoped this would be over soon. They went over hair colour, eye colour and Holly was even asked some basic mathematics questions just to get a spread on her reactions with answers the scientist could already verify without her. Then, the question type changed rather drastically, and Holly knew they had gotten into the real reason why they’d started this stupid test on her.

“How long have you been exhibiting superhuman abilities?”

“I dunno, I haven’t exactly been keeping track.” Technically this wasn’t a lie. Holly knew it had started happening since she got back from The Abyss, sure but it wasn’t like she could just do it the next day after getting home. There had been days in the hospital, days getting back to normal, nights of nightmares where she found herself back in Henry’s house, or even that random Nevada Cave - It was those nights she had started noticing something different about herself, but she wasn’t going to tell this asshole that.

“Do these abilities have anything to do with your time in Dimension X?”

This part caught her off guard. “Dimension what?” Frowning, Holly shook her head. “No, I don’t think so?”

Unamused, Dr. Preston raised an eyebrow high above his glasses, looking at her over the top of the rims as he apparently only needed the glasses for reading. “Have you, or have you not, been to an interterrestrial plane of existence?”

“Yes, I have. You’re lucky I know what that word means mister, cuz a lot of kids my age don’t even read sci-fi books. We called the blue place The Upside Down. And then the big desert place was The Abyss. I don’t know anything about anyone calling something ‘Dimension X’.”

Sighing like this was his life’s burden to deal with a kid like Holly, Preston sat back in his chair, pushing his glasses back up his nose. “Fine, from here on Dimension X will be referred to as The Abyss. However, the Wormhole will continue to be referred to as such, and not… whatever childish designation our Subject has named it.”

“Holly. My name is Holly. Not Subject. Not VI. Holly.” Furious that he was already trying to reduce her into something she wasn’t, Holly wasn’t going to make this easy for anyone if she could help it.

Again ignoring her insistence for basic human decency, Holly’s interrogator continued his questioning. “How did you evade capture in Croydale?”

“I think you already know the answer to that question.” Wanting to leave her powers as ambiguous as possible if she was able to, Holly really didn’t want to give anything away.

Realising that she was probably only being obstinate because she felt there was still some kind of power imbalance in her favour, Dr. Preston took a remote out of his labcoat, and pointed it at the wall to Holly’s right. It had a divider screen that raised up, revealing a panel of glass. On the other side was Max, seemingly unconscious and tied to a chair, with an armed guard standing over her. Pushing the button for the intercom that he had, just out of Holly’s eyesight thanks to the polygraph machine, Preston spoke into it, addressing the guard. “Please wake Subject V.”

Pistol in hand, the guard stepped forward and slapped Max in the face with the weapon, using a backhand motion to do so. It immediately cut her cheek with the ridges on the metal and made Max come to with a cry of pain. Holly gasped and shuddered with fear, her reaction being recorded on both the polygraph and on camera. “Why would you do something like that? Is everyone like you needlessly cruel?!” Afraid for Max’s safety, Holly realised what Preston was doing. 

Henry had done it to her too, wanting her to go back to him.

“Unlike you, Subject V is in the unique position of having re-creatable circumstances. With the abilities of Subjects I and II at our disposal, we have designated Subject V as our variable of acceptable loss. Something that will put research behind schedule, but won’t halt it entirely. Now, you can continue answering my questions truthfully and to the point, or your friend in there starts suffering.”

Since he’d been holding down the intercom button for this entire threat, Max spat the excess saliva from her mouth onto the floor in the guard’s general direction, before shouting out, “ASSHOLE! Don’t tell him shit Holly!” Max had no idea if Holly could even hear her or not because the voices had come out of the speakers, and the glass was one way; Max didn’t know that Holly was just on the other side of that wall, watching as this all played out.

“You wouldn't. Not really, you aren't going to kill her.” Denying this vehemently, Holly was shaking her head and at a loss of what to do with her hands. She couldn't get up and put distance between herself or her interrogator, and she certainly couldn't run to Max's aid. “You wouldn't have taken her like you took me if you didn't need her for something.”

“I'm going to ask you again. Please answer honestly this time. How did you evade capture in Croydale?” As Preston spoke, the guard with Max pointed their pistol directly at Max’s face, clearly ready to kill her without any messing around.

Max herself was pissed. Staring up at the bastard who was just standing there waiting for orders, she decided that if she was going to die here, she'd stare her killer down in the process. “I've faced much scarier shit than a coward like you.” Speaking with conviction, it was hard to give calm, threatening comments when you were livid.

Very terrified that they might actually kill Max, Holly didn't want to risk it. Henry had been willing to kill her too, and Holly couldn't bear the thought of losing the extra big sister she'd gained; the one who stayed around for her and made sure her life found some kind of normal again. The sister that didn't run away from the painful memories and instead just stuck through them to be there for her.

Holly understood why Nancy left. She didn't blame her, really. But Max had been the sister Holly needed. And she'd do anything to protect her family, because Holly felt she'd stood on the sidelines as a frightened child long enough. Sure, she didn't want to tell the scientist everything, but Holly didn't know all that much either if she was perfectly honest. “Dimension Door - I cast Dimension Door, that's how we got out.”

“How does this ability work?”

“Uhm…” Unable to take her eyes off Max and the person threatening her, words became a bit more difficult to express than Holly would have liked, she shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders. “I - I don't know exactly. But I just think and I can open doors. But I can't go too far or it knocks me out. I don't know how far is too far or if it always has to be on a wall or something I haven't - I haven't really practiced it that much.”

“Do you have any other abilities?”

“I…” Holly faltered, thinking about it. Of course, she knew she had other abilities, but did she really want to share them all? It would make sense for her to not know everything about herself yet. And it would be the Max thing to do. “I don't know what changed, but I was able to talk to Max. In my head. It's never happened with anyone else before.”

After a few tense moments of silence, Dr. Preston finally told Max's guard to stand down. “Now that wasn't so hard, was it?” Gathering his things and standing, he was definitely eager to get out of the room. “Other staff will be here soon to remove the polygraph, try not to hurt yourself.”

He said before further transfer. They're going to move us again? They better not split us up! Wishing there was something she could do, Holly had no choice but to sit and wait, watching as Max was slowly obscured from her view once more as the divider rolled back down.

~~~~~

Being shunted out of someone else's dream was a new experience. Will didn't recommend it to anyone, honestly. It wasn't as forceful as being thrown from someone's mind thankfully, but it still left Will feeling like he'd just been thrown from his bike, landing on his stomach instead of his back. His wrist stung wildly, which led him to believe it was for reasons other than the mental ejection, but with bright lights and someone touching his face, Will had other issues to focus on.

“Now who might you have been speaking with I wonder?” Standing before Will, coming into sight as the orderly moved away, was a man with slicked back black hair with hints of silver, wearing a white lab coat over a very expensive-looking black suit and an exuding an aura of foreboding not too dissimilar from being sat before the principal of a school. “The other subjects, perhaps?”

Rather than answering his question, Will just looked at him with a sense of disgust. “Who are you supposed to be, exactly? Someone with a death wish?”

“Oh ho, wish to kill me already do you? We've just met.” Laughing dryly at the perceived threat, this leader clearly wasn't feeling very threatened at all. Out the corner of Will’s eye, he saw another body, but this time the form of someone he recognised. Mateo was here, in the same room as Will physically for the first time, but he was trapped like always in his upright hammock that kept him from moving.

Despite the sight of his friend restrained in this way being an upsetting thing to see, Will was shaking his head, unable to help but smile a little bit regarding this man’s comment. “No, I don't wish to kill you. But you're probably going to end up dead anyway. Just like Doctor Brenner. Just like Doctor Kay. What makes you different?”

“Unlike my predecessors, I have a more… personal, understanding of how things work.” Stopping as if to listen, the prick of a man speaking with Will seemed amused by something as well. “And just so we are exhibiting the same level of understanding, my name is Doctor Gideon Grey. Whilst you are now Subject I.”

Subject I. That’s what Mike said they’d call me. But how did he know? Seeing Gideon turn to leave, Will spoke up again to get his attention. “Hey! If we’re supposed to be at the ‘same level of understanding’, let me ask you this; Why am I your number one? I’m your first test subject, Mateo has been here far longer than me. So what’s up with that?” The number felt cursed to Will, like Henry was somehow keeping his legacy alive just to haunt his victims long after his death.

“Oh, so you know Subject II’s original name, hm? Very curious.” Turning on the spot and walking back into Will’s direct view, Gideon graced him with an answer. “You may not have been our first collected test subject, but you were the first we had our eyes on. Years before your little stunt in the MAC-Z; Yes, we saw that, footage survived of your triple attack, we came across you. You wouldn’t remember us of course, but we never forgot you. Our first test subject. All we needed was your blood, and well,” Gideon gestured to the other side of the room, where Mateo watched silently, eyes dutifully staring down the doctor he hated so much. “Subject II was created from what we learned of you. How else do you think we were able to connect the minds of boys who had never met?”

That gave Will a lot to think about, as Doctor Gideon wandered out of the room, a metal door shutting tightly behind them. Now that it was just Will and Mateo alone, Will fully took in his surroundings. Unlike Mateo, with his weird vertical cot, Will was just handcuffed with his hands behind his back, knees beneath him as he knelt on the floor. His limbs were stiff, probably thanks to the travel that he’d done whilst unconscious, which was why it was taking him some time to feel everything happening.

“Will? If you hear me right now, don’t nod or say anything out loud.” This was Mateo’s voice, but in Will’s head. It did take Will by surprise a little bit, but so did the pins and needles through his left arm. Initially he thought he’d been resting against the handcuffs for too long in an awkward way, and that was what had caused the initial stinging in his wrist, but this was no longer the case. “Can you unlock the handcuffs?”

“I’ve never tried,” Will did his best to answer, wondering if just thinking let Mateo hear him, or if he had to focus on conveying the message, like one would when speaking with their mouth. “Can you?”

“I shouldn’t. You need to try. They are testing you. I shouldn't even be able to talk to you like this right now.” Even from the other side of the room, Will could see Mateo’s eyes glaze over somewhat due to disassociation.

Closing his eyes, Will focused on the metal binding his wrists together. Taking a deep breath, he tried to imagine what they looked like in his mind, wondering how best to go about this. Does it even work this way? It's not like Jane was sitting by his side to walk him through it, step by step. Don't get distracted like that. Mike said my powers were innate, and he was right. There's no hivemind but I've been able to talk to my friends. In theory, I can do this too.

Thinking that trying to unlock the handcuffs would be too difficult without knowing how the lock worked in the first place, Will instead placed his focus on the links connecting said cuffs. I just need to break one. Using both his hands and his mind, Will focused on the central link, trying to pull the chain apart.

It took some time, but if his nose was any indication, Will’s thought process was working out. He could feel the cuffs begin to shudder under the pressure, before a metallic snap sounded through the room. Arms free and the pressure released, Will fell forwards and barely caught himself. “Ok… didn't know I could do that. Cool!” Though the actual cuffs were still on his wrists, the chain was broken and his movement restored. Wiping his nose on his sleeve so the blood didn't get in his mouth, Will stood to stretch his legs, realising they had become really cramped from sitting on them.

The room they were in was tiny, overall. Reaching up, Will could just touch the top on his tip-toes, but it felt like the floor moved underneath him as everything rumbled briefly. “Woah! Okay, the floor moves.” Once he was fully stretched, he came over to Mateo. “I'm going to take you out of this stupid thing, ok? And no one is going to make me put you back in this time.” Muttering to Mateo as he began undoing the straps, Will glimpsed Mateo’s hopefulness in his eyes.

Whilst undoing the straps, Will couldn't help but notice there was a constant hum, just on the edge of his hearing. Like the speakers were active but not making any noise, so the natural feedback was just passing through the wires and giving the silence a weird vibe. Catching Mateo as he fell out, Will carefully dragged him away from the cot, settling himself and his younger friend against the wall.

“Did you hear it?” Mateo’s voice was much clearer now, and sounded as hopeful as his eyes looked.

Frowning and putting his head against the wall covered in eggshell foam, Will supported Mateo as he thought about the question. “That humming. It's not just me that hears it, right?” Phrasing it to be a contextual question of “is that what you mean?”, Will asked his response aloud to give the pair a more normal vibe. If Mateo had been able to pull off his ‘mute’ con against his literal torturers for years, Will didn't want to ruin it now.

Pointing up at the speakers, Mateo confirmed the source, but provided more silent context. “The ones attached to my rig were old. But that's why it was hard for me to speak to you before. They use these sounds to hurt our brains. It's worse than the zapping. Feels like you are being ripped out of your body somehow.”

“We'd probably get in trouble if I try to break them then, huh?” Feeling like just the humming was going to drive him nuts, Will hoped they didn't use this kryptonite on them for fun. “My sister was a powerful mage, and they used sound as her kryptonite too.”

There was a nod from Mateo answering the verbalized question, but no response to the mental comment. Mateo was exhausted physically, and Will could see it on his face that he just needed some time to relax. Helping his younger friend lay down on the floor, Will ended up joining him there, staying as far from the cot speakers as possible. “Just so you know, too,” choosing to be transparent with Mateo as much as he could be, Will filled him in on what little he knew. “My friends Robin and Nancy were following me. Hopefully they know where we are… and then they'll help get us out. I was going to contact Max from in here but they got her too.”

“I hope your impossible friends keep being impossible.” Mateo's voice had become softer, but not because he was struggling. It sounded more like it was because he was going to fall asleep.

Thinking to himself, Will sat up for a minute, looking down at Mateo. He could see the black, tattooed II on the inside of Mateo's wrist because of how he was laying, and Will finally decided to look down at his own. Beneath the broken metal ‘bracelet’, Will's wrist was red with irritation, centred around a black Roman numeral. 

He'd become Number One. Or rather, a version of. Technically, he was Subject I. But in the end, to the scientists at least, it was all the same thing. “You're more than just an experiment or a victim,” Mike had told him. “Maybe…” he then muttered to himself. “Or maybe I'm just a fool for ever thinking I was free of him…”

Chapter Text

They'd left Mike and Willow alone for most of the day, coming in to do tests on them both periodically. Something wasn't sitting well with him about it, but for Willow’s sake Mike tried to push the feeling down, mostly ignoring the doctors wherever possible so he could focus on keeping Willow comfortable. They played card games mostly, losing track of who was winning how much after a while. Willow had watched with wonder as they took the divider out of their room again, making the two tiny rooms into one large room, allowing them to keep each other company until they fell asleep.

The protective figure's fears were realised the next day. They had deemed him properly recovered since his accidental coma stint, meaning they had no idea what was going to happen next. Willow was afraid and therefore stuck close to Mike, which honestly made him feel more comfortable too. Though she wasn't saying much, Willow whispered to him that morning that the nurse she usually saw hadn't been around yet. “It'll be okay.” He had whispered back, but it was a hollow hope rather than the truth

Being led to a testing room with an escort of four armed guards, and two doctors, Mike and Willow saw three glass tanks against the wall. The centre tank was full of dark mist that seemed incredibly agitated in the bright lights, but Willow lit up when she saw Hush again. Also recognising the creature he was bonded to despite the gaseous form, a feeling of comfort settled in Mike’s heart. It was like seeing an old friend again each time Hush came into Mike’s view; Eliciting similar to the sensation of the fuzzy, almost nostalgic idea of childhood memories that fluttered in the back of your head.

Reluctantly, Willow allowed herself to be separated from Mike, heading up into one of the glass chambers beside Hush. The door hissed shut behind her, meaning the tanks were properly sealed. I hope they're not going to try suffocating us or something. Even for them that feels a bit extreme. I'm really not looking forward to this. Walking into the third tank with the same, hermetic-hiss occurring behind him, Mike realised what was going to happen the moment he saw the speakers.

These doctors were about to try and kryptonite them, the same way they had on El. “Willow?” Trying not to panic too hard, Mike turned and knocked on the glass. One of the guards immediately moved to discourage this behaviour, but a doctor intervened. Turning to look at him, Willow pushed some of her mousey brown hair out of her face, looking up at him with frightened hazel eyes. Unsure of how well the sound of his voice was travelling through the tanks, Mike decided to indicate his intentions as well as speak them. “You might want to cover your ears. This is probably going to hurt.”

The doctors had a shared expression that was partly surprised, and partly disconcerted, simply because Mike had accurately guessed what they were trying to do. Crossing his arms as he looked at them, he went on to pointedly note, “Yes, I'm familiar with the sound cannons, and yes I know what you're going to do to us.”

Even though they had been instructed not to speak with the subjects more than necessary, a now annoyed doctor decided to hurry things along. “Then let's just get started, shall we?” Since the speaker directly facing Hush’s tank was already online, the two doctors pulled large switches to activate the ones in front of Mike and Willow. Hush settled back down into his somewhat slime-like shadow form, still agitated (as sensed by both Mike and Willow) but calmer now he wasn't alone.

It was hard for the trio to tell specifically if there was any sound actually coming from the speakers or not, but if you asked them they would agree that there was something just on the edge of hearing, like a static to the silence you couldn't actually hear. Easy enough to ignore in a crowd, but enough to question your sanity if you were in a sensory deprivation tank.

Watching the reactions of the trio, the doctors started to write notes, discussing things. Two of the guards gathered by the door, also talking among themselves, wondering what the hell was going on in here because they couldn't hear anything. But as the dial was slowly turned up, Mike could feel the sound get louder, becoming a humming that was worming its way into his brain. It wasn't at its loudest yet, but it was enough to cause all of Mike’s body to tingle, just the same way it had when he was nearly shot in his house the night they took him and Willow away.

Turning to look at Hush as his body screamed at him to be careful, he noticed their shadow friend quaking even more now. When they weren't dreaming, it was harder to directly understand what he was communicating, but Mike felt he knew. They were all terrified of what was about to happen, and there was no way he could comfort either Hush or Willow right now. As the sound slowly got louder, and pain began to set in, Mike felt like his thoughts were being sliced into pieces by a rain of mental razor blades. Hands clamped over his ears even though it wasn't really helping, Mike didn't even realise he had fallen to his knees.

The sound was over again before he could hear fully, his senses distorted in every regard. His eyes couldn't see straight for the tears in them, his ears rang with the lingering effect of the sound cannons, and his tongue felt like a chewed up jujube. With the sound gone, his mind was also overwhelmed with the emotional influx of both Willow and Hush’s experiences from the canon, and he could tell that Willow’s mind had completely shut down with shock. Hush was furious like a wounded animal, using his still gaseous form to attack the glass that contained him. However the cage he was in was much stronger than that of Willow and Mike's cages, since the scientists observing him learned their lesson a long time ago.

The air hissed as it rushed out the open door, two guards opening it to check on Mike in case the sound cannon had injured him more than initially realised. Unaware that his nose was in fact bleeding as his nerves were still all on fire, Mike tried to push the guards off of him. It didn't work so well given his muscles were acting like jello, but the intent was there.

“Hey, we got a problem over here!” One of the guards in Willow’s cell called out, and the doctors headed over to help investigate. Mike was pulled to his feet, effectively being dragged out of the glass box they’d held him in due to his unsteady balance. “Docs, we can’t touch her. There’s something blocking us.”

The doctor that had gotten pissed at Mike earlier came storming back over to Mike just as he found his feet, the fire through his body starting to die down again. “You’re blocking us from reaching Subject III, aren’t you? That’s why your nose is bleeding, this is a new psychic ability manifestation?” Demanding answers as if Mike knew what was going on, this so-called medical professional was stressed to the point of breaking.

“Don’t…” Mike was struggling to speak even though his other senses were slowly starting to clear up due to how dry his mouth had become. “Touch Willow. You’ve hurt her enough for today. So take us back to our room or whatever, but I swear if anyone else comes close to her again…’ He couldn’t find the right words to make a properly appropriate threat, or the energy to back it up. Wobbling a little bit as he made his way over to Willow’s tank with the two guards obnoxiously close by, Mike pushed past the doctor and single guard remaining in the tank. There wasn’t much space in there to begin with, and Willow was taking up a large portion of the floor, her hands over her ears and eyes shut tight, curled in the fetal position due to shock. A yellow dome protected her, flashing and rippling any time someone tried to touch it

“Are you doing this?” The second doctor asked this question in a much softer tone, more curious than mad about what had unfolded here. Not saying a word, Mike crouched down beside Willow, and the shield disappeared, along with the pain dully occupying the space between his eyes. “Here, give him some space.”

As the second doctor backed up and ensured no one was in the way of the tank’s exit, Mike gently scooped up Willow into his arms, leaning against the glass so he didn’t drop them both. “Willow. Willow, if you can hear me, you need to breathe. The scary pain is over now, and we’re worried about you.” Hoping to use the connection he felt to Willow’s emotions to convey his concerns, Mike slowly made his way out of the tank. Trying to keep his own breathing steady, Willow suddenly sucked in a large, terrified breath and curled up into Mike’s grasp properly, wrapping her arms around his neck

Gasping for air like she’d just been saved from drowning, Willow also began to cry, her emotions finally finding a way past the stony mask her parents had forced her into adopting whenever anything went bad. If there was a championship for bottling emotions, Willow and Mike were generally considered as ‘up there with the champs’. “There you go, let it out, you’re okay now. I got you.” Walking slowly so he didn’t trip, Mike looked back at Hush one more time, who had finally calmed back down into his semi-solid form. We’re going to get out of here. We have to, soon. And I swear, you’re coming with us.

Feeling Hush accept his conviction and reciprocate it with hope and understanding, Mike finally left the room, following the guards back to where he and Willow could rest again. As the doctors split off from the group, Mike heard them discussing who would be telling Doctor Grey of their new findings; not just his new power, but the fact that their kryptonite frequency was higher than that of other subjects. Seemed like a ‘whoever draws the short straw’ situation. Sitting down on his bed with Willow in his arms, Mike was thankful to see she had her breathing back under control. Neither of them said anything, as there wasn’t anything to say anymore. They just sat together in the silence, holding each other until they couldn’t any longer.

Chapter Text

“Hey man, I know we’ve never really… had any reason to hang out before, but thanks for putting up with me.” As the designated driver, Jonathan and Lucas were almost ready to meet up with Robin and Nancy, who had stopped in at a motel to regroup. Due to merging and splitting convoys, the girls had lost track of which direction the military had taken Will, meaning their plan was ultimately a bust. Whether it was because the army knew they were being followed or not was another matter entirely, 

“It's cool, I mean we've known each other for years. Was gonna happen eventually, right?” Lucas hadn't minded, because Jonathan was overall a very chill dude. He kinda had to be, to deal with Joyce as a mother. Not that Joyce was bad in Lucas’ opinion, he'd never ever say that about Mrs Byers! 

Chuckling to himself with an affectionate thump of the steering wheel, Jonathan couldn't help but agree to that. “Yeah, I guess it was.”

Neither of them were going to mention the fact they had equal stakes in this newest ‘adventure’ though. With Will and Max held by the military, both men would do anything they could to help get their loved ones back; Both had proved so time and time again in the past. “Is this the one?” Breaking the silence in the car, Lucas pointed at the motel coming up on their right.

Driving without music had been somewhat nerve-jangling for Jonathan, but he had understood the importance of being able to hear the radio at all times. It had been their only contact with Nancy and Robin for the last three days, and with constant corrections to their course so they’d be able to meet up with the girls, the drive had taken longer than either one would have liked.

“Yeah, you should let them know. Maybe they can meet us in the parking lot.” Giving Lucas the go-ahead to radio the girls, Jonathan looked forward to being able to stretch his legs.

Holding up the radio so his voice came through clearly, Lucas hoped they weren’t asleep. “Nancy, Robin, this is Lucas, do you copy? We’ve arrived at your location, over.”

As Jonathan turned into the driveway of the motel, Robin’s voice crackled back in reply, “We see you. Be down in a minute!” Having stayed here in this motel overnight, Robin must have gotten a wonderful night’s sleep because she was sounding awfully perky over the radio. Either that, or Robin was more of a morning person these days than either of them realised.

Getting out of the car and stretching his legs with various popping noises, Jonathan let out a groan of relief, closing his car door so he could lean on it. Lucas had been aching from sitting down so long too, but didn’t have quite as much stiffness as he’d been free to wriggle around during the drive. Seeing Robin up on the first floor, leaning on the railing as she greeted her friends, Lucas and Jonathan waved back, shading their eyes so they could see her. Nancy joined her a moment later, and both women came down to meet their backup.

“Hey boys, nice of you to join us.” Not quite as perky and bright as Robin was, Nancy wore a sympathetic smile when greeting Jonathan and Lucas, because she knew they must be in the same pain right now as she was. “We’ve been pouring over maps and whatnot trying to figure out where they might have been headed, but so far we’re coming up blank. Maybe you two can lay eyes on it after we get you a room sorted?”

Shaking his head and instead putting his hands on his stomach, Lucas had other plans. “Nah, can we skip the room for now? I'm starving. All we had for dinner last night was snacks. And don't get me wrong, I love my snacks but they don't seem to like me so much anymore.”

“Woes of an athlete.” Robin understood, nodding as she'd felt the same pain.

Looking between her friends, Nancy devised a plan for their morning. “Alright then, Robin and I will go get us all some breakfast, and you two can use our room to clean up. Car sleeping might be cheaper but you two could definitely use a wash.”

“Ouch.” Lucas hissed through his teeth at the emotional backlash of that comment but didn't fight it, whilst Jonathan just nodded his head in agreement. It was why he hadn't moved to give Nancy the usual reunion hug they would share. “Ours is 126, where you saw us before.” Nancy pointed to the room and handed over the key at the same time.

Looping her arm around Nancy’s and pulling her along, Robin bid farewell to the boys. “See you soon, with food!”

“Do they seem awfully close to you?” Jonathan spoke quietly to Lucas, heading up the stairs now that the girls weren't in earshot.

Shrugging, Lucas didn't really know. “I mean, they've been friends for a while. And we all fought the end of the world. I figured that means we're all pretty fucked up in some way or another, and I just stop questioning things. Especially other people's relationships.” Since he had been focused on keeping his own strong with Max despite their time apart, Lucas had actively avoided anyone else's relationship drama. He'd tried to help Mike once with El, and that experience left him feeling like maybe he wasn't the best mentor after all. Better to learn and move on than trying the same things and failing, right?

“Okay, that's fair…” Opening the door to the girls room, Jonathan couldn't help but notice there was only one bed. “But this doesn't help make me feel any better. Yeesh…” Over the years, Robin had come out to all of her friends, especially thanks to Vickie briefly joining the Abyssal Armageddon they had all taken part of. So to explain Vickie’s presence, Robin had been forthcoming with most of her friends, explaining over time because she knew they’d be okay with it, thanks to Will coming out to everyone before her.

“Dude, they’re grown ass women. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that you don’t mess with a grown ass woman. So, do you wanna shower first or should I?”

~~~~~

Robin and Nancy weren’t the only ones at a loss. After Dustin and Steve met up at Dustin’s college, they had done their best to track the most likely direction Max and Holly’s abductors would have gone. They’d made it to a military base in which the cars went in, allowing Dustin and Steve to take a brief break. After monitoring the base at a distance, doing their best to be as sneaky as possible, Dustin and Steve had glimpsed Max and Holly being loaded into a convoy. After following the convoy for a day or so, the same thing had happened to them as happened with Robin and Nancy; A second convoy had merged with the first, and then they couldn't figure out which one the original was. They'd followed until the convoys diverged, finding the first place they could to stay and regain their bearings. After conferring with Erica that night about Nancy and Robin’s trajectory, Dustin had been awake late trying to determine the most likely direction the military would have gone. But without more data points, his theory was loose at best.

“You think Lucas and Jonathan met up with Nance and Robin by now?” Having been waiting all morning with occasional naps and a lot of nervous energy, Dustin didn't want to waste time calling over the radio for them all morning, just wasting battery. Checking his watch again, it read nearly 10am.

Lazing on the bed with his hands under his head, Steve opened one eye to gaze over at his best friend. “Dude. That's assuming Jonathan and Lucas survived a car trip together. They've never been paired up for anything, so we don't know if they're best pals now or want each other dead for some reason.”

Blinking, Dustin hadn't even considered that when he made the plans. “They're fine… right? Yeah, probably.” It sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince Steve.

A small sign escaped Steve’s lips, as the older man sat up and gave in. “Yeah, you might as well call them up on that radio of yours. Waiting is boring, even if I'm waiting with you.”

Not offended in the slightest and more than happy to get the ball rolling, Dustin pulled the antenna on his radio up and called out on line 3, “This is Dustin, does anyone copy? Over.”

“I copy! I'm listening to the channels to give Mr Clarke a break. Over.” This was Suzie, letting the frequency know that she was monitoring and ready to take notes, just in case.

After a moment, Jonathan answered the call too. “We copy. Lucas and I are with Nance and Robin, you got all four of us.”

“Well, I hate to say it guys, but I'm at a loss. Nancy, do you have your military notes? About potential base locations?”

“She's grabbing it, just give her a second…”

~~~~~

After more travel, Max and Holly were reluctantly separated from each other, without a word as to why. Max hadn't been mad at Holly about the interrogation, and was instead just thankful that their bond was so strong they could withstand something so terrible together. It was a hollow sensation, knowing that Holly’s feelings had been sitting in the depths of Max’s heart the last three years, helping keep her own spirits up even if she hadn't noticed before.

Being forced to change into a swimsuit, Max knew El’s struggles well enough to have a guess at where this experiment was going. She didn't like it one bit, but if there was any chance she could get at messing with these scientists, Max was definitely going to take it.

Having been rather forthcoming yet also blunt with her answers about her powers, Max was well versed in acting pissed off. Being able to hide the information about the weird psychic imprint incident from Mike’s house, Max made it sound like she hated her powers because they weren't very useful. She made her radio tower analogy, and left it at that, excluding the fact she had been able to reach out and talk with her friends as well as receive random signals from other psychics.

With this knowledge, the scientists were hoping to use Max as a beacon to identify other humans with dormant psychic abilities. Add in a little threat or two about how her life, and Holly's, could be a lot more miserable if she didn't co-operate, and Max was officially done with their shit. Wanting to get this over and done with, she let the scientists fit her with the weirdest diving helmet she had ever seen, and lower her into the water on the metal, trapeze-like platform.

As the metal shield shuttered itself around the glass to block out the light, Max felt strange. The weightlessness in water was one thing, and something she knew from experience having grown up by the beach as a small child, but this just felt… off. El must have been such a brave kid, Max thought to herself, trying to focus on the memory of her more experienced friend. But could it really be considered bravery if it was all you knew? If you completed the actions deemed bizarre by normal standards just the same as breathing?

For El, being brave was trying to leave. Being brave was reaching out and making friends; Living a real life while she could. It wasn't floating in some tank doing whatever a crazy asshole asked of her. At least, that was what Max figured.

If she truly was a receiver for psychic signals, and this bath was supposed to help her expand her abilities, part of Max wondered if she could find her lost friend. Determine if she had actually survived the military raid, escaping with her freedom instead of dying in the collapse of the Upside Down. But the loyal, protective core traits in Max would never allow that. Regardless of her best friend's fate, Max would never willingly endanger her just for an answer. It wasn't worth it.

Instead, Max just listened. She could hear her breaths in the helmet, which she tried to calm. Closing her eyes, it was like the Void had just been waiting for her. Stepping out into it, Max realised she could hear something odd that she hadn't picked up on before. It sounded like the thrum of electricity. There were speakers in the room. Maybe they're hoping I can project what I hear onto them, like El could. Even if I don't have control of my powers, they sure know a lot about the last batch of psychic kids they fucked around with.

Focusing on the speakers, Max saw them appear in the Void with her. Lifting one, she placed it in front of the other, pointing them at each other. Since she could act as the microphone, she wondered if there was a way to create enough reverb between the two that they shorted out. 

Outside the tank, sparks flew. Max’s plan was working, with the speakers growing louder and louder until everyone was covering their ears, the decibels much too high for any normal human to handle. It was too much for the speakers too, because they nearly caught fire with the electrical overload. Several lights began to burst as they also suffered from the supercharged psychic energy in the area, meaning anyone with some mental capability began scrambling to fix the situation.

When the speakers shut down, Max felt like she had shattered too. But not painfully; the deconstruction of her consciousness was weirdly blissful, like the water she was still in. She floated gently before rushing out with the wires, becoming one with the energy they carried. Slipping through them, parts of her joining up briefly to regain a sense of thought before splitting off again, Max had never felt more free. She could hear radio stations and more power lines, flying on the frequencies that would accept her energy. 

She could even hear her friends. Max could hear Lucas, her dearest sweet Lucas, talking to Dustin over the radio. She could sense Will, reaching out to Mateo, though it was very weak because the sound blocking them interfered with her frequencies as well. She even found Mike and Willow briefly, before coming to an epiphany.

Realising this could be her moment, Max managed to pull her mind together just enough to interfere, before being forced back towards her body, overtaxed by this sudden display of power.

~~~~~

Chaos ensued. Lights flickered, radio channel static increased, and the party of four didn't know the cause. Once everything calmed down again, everyone checked what they could for Demogorgon activity, thinking that something from the dimensions they had tried to blow up was coming for them.

It was Jonathan who found the real anomaly first. Having heard chatter by voices he didn't recognise, Jonathan checked all the radios, before pulling his own out of his bag. Apparently it was on, and calibrated to a channel all of its own. “Must have accidentally turned it on in there without realising.” Feeling that he needed to explain himself for potentially wasting batteries, Jonathan was subsequently shushed as everyone else tried to listen in.

“That's a military broadcast.” Robin spoke up. “Right? American military this time? Cuz last time I overheard one it was a recording of Russians.”

Agreeing, Nancy confirmed that's exactly what it was. “But how? There's no way we lucked into a radio just happening to tune into the military channels right when the lights freak out.”

Smiling as he sat back on the bed, Lucas knew exactly who had helped them. “Max.” He spoke her name like it was worth the world to him. “Her new powers. ‘Like a radio tower’, right?” He quoted. “I think Max just reached out to us the only way she could.”

“Hey, does anybody copy? The radio kinda fritzed out there. Over.” Dustin’s voice came through on Lucas’ radio that the group had been using to contact the others with.

Picking it up as she was closest, Nancy answered him this time. “We copy, Lucas thinks the interference might have been Max. The lights went crazy, then Jonathan's radio was suddenly tuned to military broadcast.”

“Holy shit, that's actually so cool!”

Before anyone could say anything else, Suzie’s voice interrupted them. “We have someone on channel one I don't recognise. They're saying it's an emergency, what should I do?” As the designated channel watcher currently available for the team, Suzie didn't want to go against party protocol somehow as the newest addition.

Grabbing his own radio, Lucas turned it on and changed to channel one, with Steve doing the same elsewhere with Max’s radio. Listening carefully, they waited for the message to repeat. “This is Lucky, I have an emergency. I need to speak with The Party. Over.”

“Who is that?” Jonathan didn't recognise the voice, looking to the girls for an answer. Neither of them recognised the voice however, as three out of the four present hadn't ever met someone called Lucky.

Meanwhile, Lucas, Dustin and Steve recognised the voice. Dustin and Steve knew it well as one of the aggressors that backed Dustin's biggest high school antagonist, Andy Harper. Meanwhile Lucas had the strongest connection to this newcomer on the airwaves, as a former member of the basketball team.

“No, no way. How the fuck is he on our channels? Better question, why is he on our channels?” Dustin was not happy about this new development.

Picking up the second radio from Nancy, Lucas held the two apart just to avoid feedback as he answered Dustin. “I'll answer him. We don't know what's going on, so everyone else stay quiet, okay?” Before anyone could protest his plan, Lucas handed Nancy back the radio connected with Dustin, whilst using his own to speak with the newcomer. “How do we know we can trust you? If you are who we think you are, you were a dick to my friends. Over.”

“Because I have an urgent message from the Sorcerer. And I need you to take a chance on me the same way he did.”

“Alright, that's definitely Chance. And he's even using our radio chatter to talk to us, so he has to have talked to Will, right?” Lucas looked around and got nods from the others. “Alright. What's the message?”

~~~~~

It took time for the scientists to rescue Max from the “bath” she was in. With the power out, and everyone scrambling to restore the building, Max was effectively trapped in the tank. Exhausted from reaching out so far suddenly, Max was doing all she could to hold herself upright. Blood was getting in her mouth from her nose, which was gross, but she couldn't reach her face because of the helmet, without risk of letting water in.

Keep holding on. This won't be forever.

Huh? Who was that? Looking around, Max couldn't see anything in the tank with her. And it didn't sound like it had travelled through the air pipe giving her fresh oxygen to breath. Closing her eyes, Max tried to see the Void again.

I'm proud to call you my friend.

The metal platform shuddered beneath her as it began to rise. Black spots dancing in her vision, Max felt her knees crumple beneath her, and was out like a light as hands caught her when she fell forwards from the platform.

Chapter Text

“Major General, do you copy? This is Sergeant Chance, over.” Sitting beside his driver, Chance knew that his vehicle was getting close to the ambush area that his new allies had set up. As Sergeant, he was responsible for the people under his command, but Chance didn't want to have them caught in the inevitable crossfire that was coming. Split loyalty was a difficult position to be in, but Chance had made his choice. He was tired of being the despicable person, and this was his time to redeem himself.

“This is Reicher, what's going on?”

“We have a civilian tail. Permission to shake?” A yellow motorbike had been diligently following the convoy for some time now, which was cause for concern enough to radio ahead - Chance had made sure of it.

“Permission granted.”

Signalling for his driver to take them down the next side road, where the others were already laying in wait for this specific vehicle to arrive, Chance was honestly surprised at the riding skills of whoever was currently driving the motorbike. Clearly they had been ahead of the convoy, and had to loop around to get behind them, just to catch up again to appear as a genuine tail for the fleet. “We can stop in at the motel here, in case anyone needs a bathroom break or something whilst we’re at it.”

Nodding once and pulling off, the squad was thankful to stretch its legs, but Andy, who had been watching Chance for the last two days, felt something was off. Not only was he pissed that Chance had gotten the title of Sergeant in this squad instead of himself, but Chance had been sneaking off at the strangest times to use his radio. Given this chance to speak with his high school ‘friend’, Andy figured it was time to get to the bottom of things.

Watching as their two squadmates watched for the civilian vehicle supposedly tailing them, Chance and Andy left to secure the area, giving them time alone. “Hey Chance. Got something I wanna ask you.”

Slowing down beside the block of motel rooms, in the shade from the sun and between the two security cameras, Chance stopped, looking Andy dead in the eyes. Once, Harper would have easily been able to see the fear and subservience in them. But now? Nothing. “I’m all ears Andy.” He sounded tired. Like he was done with the conversation that hadn’t even started.

“What the hell are you playing at?” Set off already, Andy pushed Chance in the chest, sending him staggering two steps backwards, almost into the wall. “I know you’re up to something, I just can’t quite put my finger on what. So, out with it.” 

“You’re right.” Not even denying it, Chance saw no point. He’d made his peace with the team he had chosen, and Andy deserved to know that. “You signed up for the army to let out your anger. You saw a way to use that rage and hurt people, and they validated you for it as long as you kept it just under control enough that they didn’t see you were out of control. But you already slipped once, and now you’re livid they gave me the rank of Sergeant, aren’t you?” Speaking honestly, Chance wanted Andy to attack. Not because he felt he would win the fight in a normal situation, but rather because he figured he deserved it. Betraying a friend like this, even out of love, respect or on behalf of someone else who does care for them deeply, was still a betrayal. It was hard to come back from. And so Harper, for once in his life, was actually quite valid in his throwing of punches out of anger. “Because I pulled you off of some punk kid we went to school with?”

“You’re walking a dangerous line Chance. What the fuck are you trying to get at here?” Advancing on him slowly, Chance watched as Andy fumed, face red with anger he could barely contain.

Stance wide as he backed up in pace with, Chance was doing his best to get ready to grab his pistol without giving away his intentions. Harper was always the brawler type, so his best bet was to get a shot off before it was too late. “I never wanted to be in the army. I only followed because you insisted we go together. I actually thought it was because you cared about me, and our friendship; Because you wanted to stay together, bonded until the end. For Jason’s memory, we were going to do this together. But that was never the case. You just wanted someone to boss around, and act like the world was yours to burn and I should be happy about that.”

A smug sneer curled Andy’s lips, almost like a smile. “Are you saying you are in love with me Chance? Is this some sort of sick confession?” He cracked his knuckles, and the two turned slowly, as Chance led him back towards the blindspot between the buildings. The less on camera, the better. 

“So what if I was?” Spreading his arms in a ‘come at me’ gesture now that the wall was behind him again, Chance finally invited Andy in for combat properly. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

Letting out a roar of anger, Harper charged at Andy. Expecting this however, since Chance had seen Andy fight plenty of times, immediately ducked and rolled out to the side, drawing his gun on the way up and firing it as soon as possible, aiming for Andy’s shoulder. The bang was startling, the bullet lodging itself into Andy’s right scapula, shattering the bone on impact. Andy had hit the wall from his missed tackle into Chance, but when the bullet hit, Andy fell to his knees, turned slightly to try and face Chance. “So what?” Spitting into the dirt to clear his mouth, Andy failed as he fought back tears of pain from the wound in his shoulder, blood already seeping out and creating a strangely warm, wet area in his clothing on his back. “You gonna kill me for your sick mind?”

“No.” Lowering the gun, Chance shook his head. “I admired Jason for his leadership. He was like the sun we all orbited around, the person who made us feel useful when he looked at us. But I always loved you, because you actually got shit done. If Jason was God, you were his right hand man. But what I had thought was devoted loyalty, was just hidden rage. If anyone has the sick mind, it’s you, Andy Harper. You need therapy, or something, anything, that gets you through your anger and stupid beliefs. You need to be a better person. I didn’t shoot you because I hate you Andy, I did it because I’m your friend. And if you don’t finally see the freaking truth after all this, I can at least say I tried everything. I kept my promise to your father, and he’ll understand what I’ve done.”

Having raced around the corner to check on what was happening, Dustin, Lucas and Steve appeared, slowing down as they caught most of Chance’s confession. Holstering the gun again, Chance looked at Steve. “Can you get the First Aid kit from the back of the Humvee? He’s gonna bleed out if we don’t treat him.”

Thankful that the guy who had hurt Dustin, and wouldn’t stop bad mouthing Eddie, was finally getting his payback, Steve obliged. “Yeah, I’m on it.” Racing off back to the car, he wasted no time in trying to find it.

Dustin stepped forward, not quite meeting Chance but also not headed for Andy specifically either. “Chance?” When the Sergeant looked up at him, Dustin continued to speak gently, wanting to ensure there was no malice in his voice. “Thank you. This… This has got to hurt a lot for you right now. But man, we appreciate everything you’re doing for us now.”

Shifting so he could sit against the wall, Andy glared at the newcomers. “Seriously Chance? You’re throwing your life away for the freaks that fucked up our home? The traitor and the moron?”

“No. Because if I was throwing my life away, I’d still be blindly following you.” Chance shook his head, and Lucas came over, giving him an appreciative rub of the shoulder, and a pat on the back. 

Crouching so he was on the same level as Andy whilst Steve came back with the first aid kit, Dustin smirked at Andy, knowing that the bully had finally gotten his comeuppance in full. “You know Andy,Chance isn’t doing this because he’s suddenly our friend. He is doing this because it’s what’s right. A lot of people go their whole lives without someone who isn’t afraid to lay out the brutal truth to you. Hopefully one day, you’ll see what a good friend Chance has been to you, and you might actually apologise. I’ve heard people can change.” Standing again, Dustin wanted nothing to do with the first aid process for the guy who royally messed him up for defending his friend’s honour, even if it was years ago.

Leaving Steve and Chance to treat Andy’s wound, Lucas and Dustin went back to help Jonathan, Nancy and Robin with their other two, now unconscious, army privates. Currently undressing them in the privacy of the motel room just enough to be free of their fatigues, Jonathan, Lucas and Nancy were set to become fake soldiers. “It’s not quite Navy SEAL, but it’ll do.” Lucas held up one of the vests and looked at Robin. Realising what he was talking about, Robin laughed and slapped him on the shoulder, appreciating the joke. 

Since there weren’t enough spare outfits for everyone, Steve was going to be riding in the humvee with the others as a civilian, with Dustin and Robin on the motorbike. Their cover story was that they had precious information to deliver to the army base, and had been trying to catch up with the convoy so they could get a line on who to talk to about it. Always the nerd, and unable to let go of the past as much as anyone else in the Party apparently, Dustin had brought along Dr. Brenner’s journal. The one he’d located in the Upside Down version of Hawkins lab during their last adventures there. “I kept it because I thought I could learn from it. And I brought it with me because I figured there might be something hiding in its pages I hadn’t quite found yet. Something to help us with our new situation.”

As always, Dustin had somehow been right. His crazy leap of faith had paid off once again, providing them the perfect cover for getting their entire rescue group into the compound. Now they just had to hope the rest of their plan to get in there worked, since none of them wanted to contemplate getting out again…

~~~~~

The truck Will and Mateo had been in finally stopped at its last location, giving the boys a sense of respite from the constant rumbling beneath them. Both had since been restrained again with the speakers playing a constant, low hum that made thinking difficult, let alone using psychic abilities, so the pair had remained silent. Chance had stopped visiting them, meaning no more moments of respite for Will in the mind of another, even if it really only lasted a few seconds. Chance had been one of the guards bringing them food and checking their restraints, which was how Will had managed to speak with him at all, thankful that he was willing to help, rather than betray them. Mateo hadn't been certain; But he had no reason for blind faith in strangers. Who could blame him?

Gideon himself had been with their transport, personally ensuring their ‘delivery’ was a success. Now as the one to escort them out, Gideon almost smiled as he watched Mateo’s reaction. They were outside, something Subject II hadn't seen in years. The real sky, unsterilised air, and no walls boxing him in. “I'd imagine this would be almost overwhelming for you, wouldn't it Subject II?” Speaking up, the Doctor thought it would be more fun to taunt the boy a bit. Over the years, getting Mateo to break in new ways was as much of a challenge for Gideon as actually manifesting proper psychic ability in the boy.

Saying nothing as always, Mateo refused to acknowledge him. He kept in pace with the group, taking what he could get without pushing his luck. “Don't worry Mateo,” Will spoke to him telepathically now that there wasn't the constant hum of the speakers. Sure the shock collars were uncomfortable, but Will wasn't surprised either. El had worn one just like this, once. “You'll be seeing so much of the outside when we're free again, you will be sick of it.” 

This earned a slight turn of the head, and a glance with eyes of amusement in return. It was all Will needed, glad he could make Mateo smile internally. Following Gideon inside, Will decided to ask him a question. “So what is this place, exactly? I mean, it doesn't feel like a testing facility.” Having been to Hawkins Lab as a patient personally, Will knew what they were like. And this place? It almost felt more like an airport. Things going in and out, wide roads with space for big trucks. Clearly they received shipments of some kind.

“All in due time, Subject I. You are quite the perceptive one, aren't you?” Gritting his teeth because he'd given Gideon an opening to call him by his stupid designation, Will decided not to answer his cryptic reply with anything at all. Maybe Mateo had the right idea, and just silence was the best option when dealing with this madman.

Following along as they were led past various rooms full of soldiers and scientists alike, the armed guard accompanying Will, Mateo and Doctor Grey lessened, but tightened in formation. It made it harder to get a good understanding of the place, so Will just focused on looking forward.

Entering into a room at the end of so many hallways it was easy to lose track, Will’s eyes lighted upon a sight that initially filled his heart with joy. Seeing his friends was always something that made him smile, because it meant they were alive, and there with him. But this joy was fleeting, as Max was wearing the same kind of collar he was, whilst Holly was bound by the hands, held behind her back.

The door closed behind them, promoting both Will and Mateo to look briefly, before a woman spoke. Her features were awfully similar to Gideon’s, so her introduction proved their relationship to be purely familial. “Wow, Subjects I, II, V and VI in one room. I'm Doctor Daniella Grey, it's glorious to have you all under one roof finally! Cheeky little rascals, all staying so far away from each other.” Chuckling, Daniella sat back on the couch behind her, as this room was set up to look like a break room of sorts.

“Though my boys already know who I am, I'm Doctor Gideon Grey, Daniella’s older brother.” Introducing himself specifically to Max and Holly, Gideon chose to keep standing up.

“What are you going to do to us?” Holly asked, afraid but trying to keep her voice even. “I mean, you already took my powers away. Are you going to do that to my friends too?”

“Oh, oh no darling, no,” Daniella waved off the idea with her hands as if it was a fly that needed shooing. “The Soteria was supposed to be the very final line of inhibition of your powers. Those idiots we left you two with went right for the end result instead of approaching it logically, as we have with everyone else.” Daniella gestured to Max, Will and Mateo with this comment, implying the collars were a preferred measure instead.

Continuing the answer for Holly's question, Gideon spoke next. “We intend to push the boundaries of science here. Once we have you all settled in, we will get rid of that pesky Soteria and truly start on working with your powers.”

Looking like she was about to explode, Max let loose what she had been holding in for half an hour now, directed at both the doctors. “Oh would you two SHUT UP?! I can hear you bickering like lovers in the goddamn dark and it's driving me nuts! I don't want to hear your petty bullshit about who's ego is bigger but I can't exactly turn my fucking brain off!” Breathing heavily, Max bent over slightly to better catch her breath. The collar felt like it was suffocating her, and hearing the telepathic conversation between the siblings whilst they spoke out loud as well had just been a bit too much for her.

Hands unrestrained (bar the metal cuffs still adorning them from the other day), Will made a bold move and approached Max quickly, putting a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “Max, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I'm alright.” Putting a hand on the one Will had placed on her shoulder, Max was appreciative of the action. Standing straight again, she glared at the siblings causing them all grief. “It's just a lot of noise. Still trying to get used to it I guess.”

“Your nose isn't even bleeding,” Daniella sounded amazed and looked at her brother. “Clearly it doesn't cause her strain to do.”

“It should be noted, yes.” Turning from his sister to face Max, Gideon had a question of his own. “How long have you been listening to our conversation?”

Looking at her friends, Max decided to tell the Doctors the truth, not wanting someone else to get hurt because they figured out she was lying. “Since she walked in, and you pulled up in the base.”

Before either doctor could say more, another man arrived in the room, his presence announced by the force he'd hit the doors with. Immediately commanding deference from both doctors just by arriving, the soldier spoke without apology. “Doctors Grey, I understand you're having a moment with your little subjects,” he said the word with the same demeaning tone someone who dislikes pets would use. “But three civilians have just shown up claiming to have some of Doctor Brenner’s personal research. I want you to verify it.”

With a quick “yes sir”, both doctors left, and it was clear who had the power in the room now. Major General Reicher wasn't someone to be trifled with.

~~~~~

Making it to the front gates, Chance identified himself to the guards and indicated that the motorbike was with them, both Dustin and Robin identifying themselves by removing their helmets as an act of compliance. Though they'd both directly opposed the army before, out of everyone on their team, they had hoped that their faces were the least likely to be considered “most wanted”. It worked well enough and got everyone inside, the group of fake soldiers letting out a sigh of relief at the fact their lie wasn't uncovered immediately. 

“Relax, we went over everything on the way,” Chance tried to help calm the group down. “You'll do fine. And don't forget, if fighting breaks out, standard bigger guns have nonlethals, they don't want to risk killing their experiments. Handguns are lethal, last resort weapons.”

“I'll believe we are fine when we make it back out of this hellhole.” Speaking honestly, Steve didn't want to get his hopes up too soon. Something usually went catastrophically wrong at this stage of the plan-following, and he hoped they would all be ready for it this time.

After pulling up in the vehicles bay, the squad split up. Nancy, Jonathan and Lucas followed Chance's instructions, heading to the cells. The idea was that they would offer to take over guard duty down there for whoever was currently bored out of their brains, because their unit wanted to “hide out” being useful whilst their sergeant dealt with the doctors. Given their reputation, it wasn't hard to see why a greener company would want to stay out of their way.

As for Chance, Dustin, Robin and Steve? Well they had to do the “dealing with the doctors” part. As veteran “we don't know how we got here” army base infiltrators (and by veteran they meant it had only happened twice, really) as well as best friends, they all silently hoped they hadn't gotten in over their heads with this latest mission. Bag clutched to his chest protectively, Dustin kept the book close to his person. Knowledge was power and it had always been a lifeline for him. Steve was able to get through life with his good looks and boundless charisma, an unflinching confidence and the ability to be humble when recognising he was beaten. Robin had a ton of quirky skills that complemented her personality that came in handy at the most surprising of times, and encouraged the weirdest ideas if she thought they had a chance. Whatever they had to face, they were proud to do it together.

Being shown into the waiting room designated for visiting personnel of higher ranks, they were introduced by Chance to the Doctor waiting for them. “Doctor Grey, this is Dustin, Robin and Steve. They were the civilian tail I radioed about that have information for you.”

“How curious!” Daniella got up from her couch and came to inspect these newcomers personally. “You all feel familiar, almost like we've met before. Where might I know you from, hm?”

“Well, we all lived in Hawkins when the ground exploded.” Steve suggested to her, since there had been so many doctors and scientists with the military there too.

Smiling knowingly, Daniella realised she felt as though she knew them because she had intimate knowledge of their unredacted files. “Ah, yes that must be it. I did do some work over there. Doctor Brenner was my mentor for a time, and so I've been asked to verify this book I was told you possess?” Holding a hand out, expecting it to be handed over, Daniella waited to see this for herself.

Still clutching his bag, Dustin was wary of handing it over. “If we do give you the book, what're you gonna give us?”

Impatient now, Daniella put her hands on her hips. “Well that depends on if you've got the goods, doesn't it? Which, by the way, how could three like you get the hands on written work by Doctor Brenner?” 

Looking between his friends, Dustin decided to take the plunge and answer as best he could. “We went monster hunting once, like kids do when they think they stand a chance, and I got stuck in the wormhole replica of Hawkins Lab. I thought if I could just understand what he was writing in the book, then I would understand what had happened to my home. And your name is in it, actually. Yours and your brother Gideon's.” 

Reluctantly removing the book from his bag, Dustin finally handed it over. Snatching it up, Daniella opened the book and was amazed to be greeted with the real deal; Genuine work by Brenner thought to be lost during the attack on the lab. “So? What're we thinking here?” Getting more and more anxious by the second, Robin couldn't help but opening her mouth at least once. Her friends should have known her better than to stay silent by this point.

“What is it you want, exactly?” Pausing her reading, Daniella looked up at the trio. “Though you could clearly use it, you don't seem to be the type to ask for money. And according to your files, you're all royal pains in our ass.” Her semi-friendly demeanour had dropped and now she just sounded like a classic supervillain.

“Well we were rather hoping you'd be so kind as to let one of our friends go? We couldn't help but notice some of them were suddenly missing of late.” Steve crossed his arms, staring this woman down with the eyes of a protector who would never give up his burden, no matter how tired of it he was.

“Ok, we aren't greedy, we know the book is probably only worth one of our friends, so we were kinda hoping you might trade the book for Holly Wheeler.” Dustin clarified Steve’s intent, asking for one specific friend rather than hoping for three of them.

Clearing her throat, Robin then also felt the need to clarify why they wanted Holly, making it seem like they had no idea what her abilities were. “See, Holly has gone missing before and we know what it was like to lose her, and Mrs Wheeler is going crazy back in Hawkins because her daughter is missing again and we really wanted to bring the two back together because GOD knows we've all been through so much shit and we just don't… it hurts so much, y'know? So please? Would you give us our young friend back?”

A chuckle quickly turned into full blown laughter. “I'm sorry, how rude of me,” Daniella cleared her throat when she had finally calmed her giggles. “Counter offer; I take this, and we don't kill you immediately, we use you as spare subjects instead! Yes, I think I prefer that arrangement,” Looking at Chance and another guard in the room, Doctor Grey gestured to the trio. “Take them to the cells would you? I look forward to seeing how compatible they are with our tests.”

“What?” Robin immediately made a fuss, knowing they'd look more suspicious if they didn't. “No wait, please don't okay? I'm terrified of needles and stuff and ok so maybe it was too much to ask for the safety of one of our friends but please can't you at least let us go? We promise not to tell anyone anything if you just let us keep our freedom!”

Now with guns pointed in their faces, all three of them immediately put their hands up in surrender mode and were ushered out of the room. “So that didn't go well.” Steve spoke conversationally, wondering what their actual next move was. It was one thing to get into the base, but getting out again seemed to exclusively hinge on Chance’s ability to out-do his fellow soldiers at this point.

“It honestly went better than I expected, kinda thought she would just kill us.” Dustin shrugged, since it went better than he had assumed. A rare time where he was glad to be wrong.

With an insistent shove into Robin’s back, the guard they didn't know grumbled, “I'll kill you myself if you don't shut up and hurry up.”

“Sorry, Jesus, I just talk a lot when I'm nervous and those guns are making me very nervous and holy crap we gotta move!!!” Turning her fake panic into real panic, Robin pointed into the distance.

Since the meeting room was in a different building to containment and testing, the trio were being escorted outside and through the compound, directly across the large, central processing area for trucks and large vehicles. One such large vehicle could be seen approaching the front gate from where they stood, and was a new sight for the veterans of freaky events.

Rushing at them, ready to barrel straight through the front gate, was a truck being assaulted by a flock of birds so large, they covered the entire windshield.

Chapter Text

The drive had been a boring one. Stuck in an airtight tank like a pet being rehomed, or a specimen in a jar was not on Mike’s bucket list. Hell, they were even made to wear collars like the one Mike had seen Dr. Brenner forced El to wear when they rescued her in the desert. A positive of the situation though was that they were given clean clothes to wear instead of the stupid hospital gowns they’d been stuck in so far. Wearing a simple black shirt and grey tracksuit pants, Mike and Willow’s outfits matched, even down to the fact that they were both barefoot. It was an odd sensation, standing on the metal floor barefoot, but it was what he had to deal with, so there was no point in complaining.

These tanks had been smaller than the ones from the sound test, too. In a much more claustrophobic situation because they were transport size, Mike’s mind had frequently wandered into the dangerously curious territory of whether or not he would suffocate in his tank before they reached whatever destination they were headed for. With Willow in the same position however, Mike did try not to linger on this fact too long. He didn’t care as much if it was just himself that was in this strangely dangerous, airtight jar but Willow was another matter entirely.

They had one guard in the truck with them, sitting opposite the tanks on the ground as she read a book, mostly as bored as the Subjects she was helping transport. Most of their proper protective detail was outside of the truck, because they didn’t expect an attack from within. 

Terrified of the speakers, Willow had immediately curled up on the floor, facing away from the guard and trying to get as comfortable as possible despite the collar. With Hush’s tank between hers and Mike’s, it was difficult for Willow to feel a sense of calm. Even though she shared an empathic link with both of her fellow prisoners, they were all uneasy. But the little girl had a plan, and this was the only way she could think of hiding it until she was ready.

Speaking to Mike and Hush didn’t require too much effort, so she didn’t suffer a nosebleed when explaining her crazy plan. Calling out to whatever animals could hear her however, did. Since they were driving along in a truck, nothing ground based would have heard her for long, but the guards helping escort the truck (particularly those in vehicles without canopies) began feeling uneasy when a flock of birds followed along with the company, growing in size as they progressed through their route. Despite general protest, some members of the detail had tried to shoot the birds in an effort to deter them, but they dispersed around the projectile as best they could, before closing ranks like nothing had changed.

As they approached the military base, the birds began their assault. Launching themselves at the windshield of the truck beaks first, several birds were able to form cracks, shattering the glass with their determined strikes. The moment they were free to get through, some birds scattered to attack the other vehicles, distracting the soldiers as best they could, whilst many others focused on attacking the driver. Claws scratched everywhere, and blood splattered awkwardly as they aimed for his face, hands and eyes. Once the driver was taken care of, the birds watched as his passenger fled the moving vehicle, not wanting to be gored to death by the most random assortment of birds possible. With the now-dead driver’s foot leaden against the accelerator, there was no hope short of a building in stopping this truck.

Sitting up slowly and wiping her nose on the inside of her arm, Willow did her best to brace herself against the glass. “Excuse me, miss?” Speaking up to get the guard’s attention, Willow saw that their watcher had become awfully nervous, able to feel the truck speeding up more than it should. “I’m sorry, but this is probably going to hurt a lot.”

Without much more warning than that, the truck collided with the gate, plowing through the metal obstacle and causing the now standing guard to lose her balance. As she tried to stand again, the truck collided with the mess building; Fortunately, the same building that Robin, Dustin, Steve and Chance just exited from, heading to the other side of the compound. Thrown against the wall and knocked senseless, the guard slumped to the floor without a word. Mike’s shoulder ached like crazy from where he had collided with his glass wall, and was thankful that Willow had thought to brace herself, so hopefully she had avoided getting hurt the same way. Since their tanks were bolted into the floor of the trailer, the trio had technically been safe in their own, weird little seat-bubbles.

“Ok, jailbreak time.” Without anyone to watch them directly and zap them for using their powers, Mike focused on creating the same shield he had made accidentally after the Sound Test. It came up blue this time, but it was a relief to see the construct at all. Focusing on pushing it outwards, Mike pressed against the inside of the glass, increasing the pressure until eventually - CRASH! The glass shattered around him, and he lowered his head, eyes shut tight to avoid getting any glass in his face. Once he was safe, he brushed himself off and stepped over the jagged edges of his former cage. It wasn’t easy to stand barefoot on broken glass though, so Mike had another idea. If he could summon big wall shields around him, could he create one between his feet and the floor, like a platform, to stop his feet from getting hurt?

Turns out, he could! A small, blue platform appeared over the glass, allowing Mike to hop out without causing injury to himself. “Now that is pretty sweet.” Wasting no time at all as he was certain someone was about to open the back of their trailer and really try to ruin his day, Mike opened up Willow’s tank, helping her step out before rushing over to the body of the downed guard. Finding a gun on her, Mike smiled. “Perfect. Willow, you might want to cover your ears, these can be pretty loud.” Making sure it was loaded and ready to fire, Mike stood in front of Hush’s tank, figuring this would be the easiest way to break out their amorphous companion. “I’m going to shoot the glass, hopefully I can make a crack big enough for you to use your mist form to get through. Ready?”

With confirmation from both his party members, Mike fired the pistol at the glass. The bullet was caught in the wall of the cage, a shatter pattern fracturing the surface, but it wasn’t enough to break completely through. Two more awkward shots later, and finally the glass broke enough for Hush to escape, using Mike’s suggested method of becoming the mist-like version of himself. As Hush began reforming however, the doors opened, revealing four military personnel pointing large guns at the escapees. Throwing up another shield, Mike absently wiped his nose with his wrist as rubber bullets began pelting their only protection. The now yellow wall had started cracking already under the spray, only able to take so much damage. Each strike was like a dull pinpoint pain cropping up briefly in Mike’s mind, meaning he was basically taking a form of psychic damage in protecting his friends from physical damage. 

Growing in size, remaining in his mist form, Hush also wanted to protect his friends. Enveloping them both, he brought them into his own mass, briefly joining with Willow and Mike to draw them into the floor. Using Shadow Travel, he appeared behind the bewildered officers, giving Mike the element of surprise. Having been distracted by their targets disappearing, leaving only the electric collars behind, it took them all one second too long to register what was happening. With one more golden shield, Mike shoved it forwards into the four soldiers, forcing their heads to collide with the truck itself and knocking them out like their guard had been.

The birds Willow had summoned were still adding to the general chaos, but had lost direction without their ‘leader’s’ empathy to guide them. Whistling loudly, Willow reached out to the birds one last time, telling them they should attack those with helmets on, because they had shot down the other birds. Amazed that it worked, Willow, Hush and Mike now had a chance to escape out of sight, in an effort to regroup and figure out what they should do next.

Taking up Willow’s hand, Mike pointed to a nearby door. “We should try in there. I wouldn’t be surprised if this truck exploded soon, so we should get away from it.”

Happy to follow the lead of her hero, Willow felt Hush turn into a snake, wrapping himself around her waist so she wouldn’t lose range of movement, but they would remain close together. Running off, both Mike and Willow did their best to avoid the discomfort of asphalt beneath their feet, or to slip up on the empty rounds now scattered throughout the area.

~~~~~

Having made it to the cell block with good speed due to the freakout of a truck coming their way, Chance took this chance to urge all personnel to assist with the transfer that was going south outside. “My squad and I can take care of three standard prisoners; We will keep an eye on things here, go see if they need assistance outside.” He definitely wasn't the highest ranking officer present, but his suggestion was a sound one.

Agreeing to this situation, since the prisoners were still being watched, the excess personnel headed out, leaving Chance in charge. “Well, that certainly worked in our favour.” Amazed at the timing of the runaway truck, Chance took over the controls that opened and closed the cells. Rather than actually trying to lock up Dustin, Steve and Robin, he turned off the speakers and opened up the four cells with the captive friends inside.

Will, Max and Holly stepped out eagerly, knowing something was different now, but Mateo couldn’t be as certain as the others. Was this really happening? “Will, why did the doors open? Are these the friends you were talking about? They look like soldiers.”

“Yeah, these are my friends.” Having watched as Jonathan, Nancy and Lucas took their helmets off, Will couldn’t be happier to see a group of people in his life. “If you want to come out, I can introduce you to everyone? I won’t get to the connections until later, but I trust all of these people with my life.”

At this notion, Mateo stepped out of his cell, hovering at the edge of the group as everyone reunited. Max and Lucas gave each other the biggest hug they could manage without breaking each other’s ribs before kissing briefly; Jonathan and Will also shared a tight hug, like Holly and Nancy did. Steve, Robin and Dustin stood to one side, greeting their friends once they were free of their closest loved ones, knowing that whilst they were all good friends, they weren’t the top of the pecking order when it came to checking in with the others. And that was fine by them.

“I’m so glad you made it out of that crash okay, that was terrifying.” Max and Holly came to hug Steve at the same time, thankful for all his help, even if it hadn’t ultimately been enough.

“It’s been far too long, Byers.” Dustin greeted Will, getting a group hug in with Lucas. “We need to get the party back together more often. But, less military bases next time, I think.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Pulling back, Will also approached Chance, who was standing by the door to keep guard. “Thank you, by the way. I don’t think we would have made it this far without you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. I finally got some good advice that felt right to follow.” Nodding to each other in an acceptance of camaraderie, Will headed back to the centre of the group, standing between his friends, and Mateo.

Before he could speak however, alarms were set off throughout the base, with speakers from other areas calling out loudly that there were escaped prisoners. “Since we don’t have much time, I’m going to speed run this part. Everyone, this is Mateo. Mateo, this is Jonathan, Lucas, Dustin, Steve, Robin, Nancy, Holly, Max and, well, you’ve kinda met Chance already.” Pointing to everyone as he said their name, Will knew it was a lot to take in. “These are my impossible friends I was telling you about. Don’t worry if you can’t remember everyone right away.”

“They’re insane.”

Smiling proudly, Will agreed. “I know.”

Though she loved a heartfelt reunion as much as the next person, Nancy hadn't lost sense of the urgency in their current situation. “We can do proper catch ups and whatever later. We're still missing Mike and his friend, aren't we?”

“Willow.” Max, Holly and Will supplied the name Nancy was missing at the same time, purely by accident. It had been slightly unnerving to the rest of the group, but no one said anything.

“Shit, they're going to be in the truck that just crashed.” Realising their distraction may have been less of a blessing than he originally thought, Chance paled a bit.

“Well that's just great.” Sighing and looking at her friends, Robin was at a loss. “I really don't want to go back out there. Holly, you're the one that can do the doors thing, right?”

Shaking her head to immediately nix that plan, Holly shared what she'd learned from her interrogation days earlier. “They put this thing called Soteria in me. I can't use any of my cool spells and stuff.” 

“Well I guess that plans a bust. Any other idea - Whaaaaat is happening to them?”

Coming to life again despite Chance’s earlier intervention, the speakers began playing the psychic kryptonite frequency that affected the four Subjects in the cell block area. As Will, Mateo, Holly and Max fell to their knees, tears from the pain formed in their eyes. Though Max, Will and Holly were crying out verbally, Mateo was silent in his pain, experiencing nothing else quite like this one.

“The speakers!” Lucas remembered how the sound cannons would affect El, and figured it must have been the same thing here. “They must have turned back on!”

With that, Nancy, Jonathan and Lucas began trying to shoot the speakers out, but they didn't know when the sound had stopped. Unable to hear it, it was difficult to help to their full ability. Dustin, Robin and Steve moved to help Max, Holly and Will, whilst Chance ran back into the control room to see if he could turn them off in there once more.

It took a few tries, but eventually the team had stopped the sound, leaving the four psychics on the floor, panting for breath. “I can rip the Soteria out. But it's going to hurt. And she will bleed.” Immediately communicating to Will what he had wanted to share before the crazy sound, Mateo didn't realise Max could hear him too.

“We can't do that here,” Max cut in before Will could answer, causing Mateo to recoil defensively. “We have to get her to a medical bay or something first.”

Coming back from the control room, Chance explained what he discovered. “Security overrode the controls down here. If we want to stop all the speakers from doing the sound thing, we have to get in there.”

“Is there a med bay up there?” Will spoke aloud, asking the room. 

Chance nodded, and Dustin raised a hand. “I know this isn't top priority right now, but is there perchance a way to access research records in that direction?” Dustin looked like he was cautiously hopeful on the matter, as the ever-curious Bard of Knowledge wished to learn more.

“Seriously Dustin?” Holly wasn't impressed. “As DM I love a good lore drop as much as the next person but this is hardly the time?” Looking for support around the group, Dustin and Holly were basically waiting to see who picked what team.

“On the contrary, it might be perfect.” Jonathan looked over at Chance. “Is there something like that on the way?” He got a nod in response to this.

Pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt they were wasting time, Nancy readied her gun. “Then if we get time, we'll hit it. But no promises.”

“What's the point, exactly?” Wanting to make sure he was on the same page, Lucas wanted to get the hell out ASAP.

“If we know what they're up to, like if they're trying to do Wormhole 2.0, then we can stop them, sooner this time.” Steve, of course, sided with Dustin here too.

Standing by the door ready to go, Nancy gestured for Holly to stick close. “Everyone with a gun should pair up with someone affected by the speakers. Objections?” She didn't get any, but Chance came to stand by Will and Mateo regardless.

“We don't know each other. But everyone else is basically paired up. Can I trust you to stick with me?” Hoping Mateo wouldn't try ditching the group and escape alone, Chance wanted to offer his assistance. After all, Lucas and Max were a couple, Will and Jonathan were brothers, and Holly and Nancy were sisters. Only Chance and Mateo were the proper outcasts of the group, since the unarmed trio had been through situations like this together before as things stood.

Gazing over at Will, Mateo knew he only had moments to make a choice before they all ran out into the warzone outside. A single, curt nod was all he would give, but it's all that Chance needed. “Let's get going then. I'd appreciate your help, I've also got to lead the way.” Not forcing Mateo to use his powers, but implying any use of them towards their objectives was appreciated, Chance left it at that. Joining Nancy and Holly at the door, everyone took a deep breath before rushing outside.

The outdoors was in utter shambles. Soldiers were fighting off birds or escorting non combat personnel to evacuation vehicles if they hadn't already been taken out. Some were trying to control the fire threatening to blossom from the truck that had crashed, with the party noticing the trailer was wide open. The glass tanks were briefly in view, causing Will, Max, Nancy and Holly to exchange worried glances. They all knew, thanks to Chance, that had been the vehicle Mike was in after all. 

Using this chance to move to the next building over, the team found the area thankfully low on personnel. With how quickly events had been transpiring, the medical bay would have already been evacuated with scientists doing their last mad scrambles to protect their research or collect their most valuable possessions before escaping to a safer location. However, the moment they stepped into the room, the entire building seemed to power up its speakers, causing the psychics portion of the party to become incapacitated again. Searching for all the speakers they could, Dustin, Robin and Steve moved to barricade the door behind them, so any soldier trying to get in would have difficulty reaching them.

Taking out the speakers in the foyer helped reduce the direct pain that the susceptible were in, but the echoes of speakers from other rooms still caused discomfort throughout their nerves, and made it difficult for them to think, let alone use their powers. “I won't miss this sound. If I ever hear it again, it'll be too soon.” Max groaned, feeling like her skin was crawling, writhing to remove itself from her body. Of course, her body was just fine but the nerves had been heavily convinced otherwise.

“Hey Steve,” Lucas called out to his friend, figuring that of the three unarmed, he would be most capable. “Wanna take this? Too much recoil, I think I'm just wasting bullets at this point.” Having been struggling with the semi-automatic that was seemingly standard issue in this base, Lucas was willing to give up his main firearm.

Surprised by this, Steve didn't want to argue. And Nancy wasn't going to stop him this time. “Yeah man, I'll take it.” Catching it easily, Steve quickly looked it over to make sure he knew how it worked. Holding Max steady, Lucas gave her a reassuring smile, wanting to be there for her to his fullest capacity; Which included recognising his faults and changing tactics to be more useful to the group.

“This is where we should split up.” Chance addressed the team. “We can move forward as a group, but Archives are through the left hall, Med Bay is to the right, and Security is a straight push on ahead. The Med Bay has emergency evacuation doors that will need blocking off to avoid unwanted company, and there are guaranteed to be people in the Security Offices still. Archives should be empty, aside from maybe a scientist or two who stayed back, I can’t be certain.”

Agreeing with Chance, Nancy turned to her friends, wondering who would go where. “I’m going through Security, we all know I’m the best shot out of the usual team.”

“Steve and I can head to the left and right halls to take out speakers before coming to back you up.” Jonathan then added, volunteering Steve for the same job as himself.

“I am obviously on Team Archives, as it was my idea. Robin, wanna help me?” Dustin asked his fellow unarmed occupant, choosing the path of least enemies because they stood a better chance of being helpful to the team in the long run that way.

Completely on board, Robin couldn’t have hoped for a better assignment. “Count me in.”

“I’ll come with you guys. I don’t think I’ll be any help in a fight, but I have this psychic imprint thing I can do- If those ‘Doctors Grey’ have been in there, I can find it.” Max then took the team by surprise in volunteering herself to team Archives, raising the group to three.

“Mateo, Holly and I will go to the Med Bay then, deal with this Soteria situation.” Will looked between his two younger friends, hoping they were alright with that.

This left Lucas, who was at a loss on who to go with. “Have any of you actually used a security system before?” Wondering if Chance had any experience with them most of all, given he was the actual military member of the team, Lucas sighed when everyone shook their heads. This was probably the same reason he had been deemed ‘keeper of the radio’ when they decided to only take two of them into the compound, one being kept on Chance, and the other on Lucas.

“We covered it in basic training, but it was more of a ‘here’s what it looks like, you’ll be told what to do if you have to use one’ situation. They’re very… focused on getting people into what they’re already good at.” Chance had been a physical athlete, so of course he wasn’t placed with the recruits that focused more on knowledge-based pursuits, and rather was lumped in with the general privates at the time for grunt-based work.

Shrugging, he pulled his pistol from his holster, and made sure it was ready to go. Lucas hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, since it was full of live ammo instead of rubber bullets like the rest, but whatever happened, happened. That’s what his dad always said anyway; ‘War has a habit of teaching you things you would never know about yourself otherwise’. “Guess I’m on team Security Raid then.”

“I’ll take the Archives corridor, make sure I’ve got the hang of this thing for real before I take backup.” Also choosing to go down the initial corridor of least resistance on speaker destruction duty, Steve essentially was hoping to get some target practice in. 

Whilst Jonathan had never been the best shot, always acquiescing the shooter position to Nancy, he had secretly done a little bit of rifle practice in the past years. Now that the idea of defending himself had been firmly segregated from his father’s toxic view of ‘being a man’, Jonathan had wanted to make sure he could defend himself for real. A baseball bat only worked at close range, and even then, Steve had made off with that weapon years ago. “That’s fine with me. I’m ready to go when everyone else is.”

Keeping the psychics in the centre of the group along with Dustin and Robin, Steve and Lucas watched the rear of the group in case their barricade was breached, with Chase, Nancy, and Jonathan leading the way, taking out speakers where they could. As they advanced through the halls, the group passed several offices, of which sometimes other humans would appear. Occasionally it was a soldier who had been holed up, waiting to ambush the group under orders from the security office. More than once, the team passed groups of scientists who had felt brave enough to weather the storm and continue working despite the chaos, only to become terrified when they were actually found. Even Steve got in on the action, as two soldiers surprised the team by popping out of offices behind them, trying to take down the group with a surprise attack.

Coming to the end of the hall where they needed to split up, everyone had done their best to swap weapons or reload on the people they had knocked down on the way through, ensuring they had as much ammo as possible to keep their whole team safe. Splitting up without words of farewell because they knew there wasn’t any time, Nancy, Lucas and Chance held their ground, waiting for Jonathan and Steve to return before advancing on the most difficult part of the team’s mission.

~~~~~

Fifteen minutes earlier

Keeping low as they entered into the new building, Mike and Willow had no idea what they would find. Keeping their ears out for danger, Mike felt like they were walking into a trap, but they couldn’t head back outside. It seemed like a back door they’d entered through rather than the main entrance, which is probably why they had come across a locked utility closet before any major rooms. “Hush, think you can unlock that?” Knowing that Hush’s formchanging characteristics had been the literal key to removing their collars, Mike was curious as to how far they could take that nifty trick.

After a quick moment of confusion from both Hush and Willow, Mike explained that they should be able to take the power out. “No speakers to hurt us, less light for the bad people to see us. Hush’s powers thrive in the dark. They can’t see him coming.” As soon as the tactical advantage was established, both of his companions were all for the idea. Opening the lock like he was a key designed specifically for it, the trio had no issues getting inside. As soon as Mike had access, he began flipping all the switches to the ‘off’ position, creating a ruckus in the next few rooms. “Sounds like we had a lot more company than I thought. We need to be really careful in this next area, okay?” Mike had hoped they would find the others, since they knew the transfer was bringing all the subjects to one location; Doctor Daniella Grey had specifically come to speak with Mike and Willow herself on the subject.

“I’ll stay close to you, like always.” Promising to be on her best behaviour, Willow wasn’t as scared now that they seemed to have the upper hand in sneaking through. Closing the cabinet again and having Hush relock it to slow down anyone trying to get back in, Mike thought they were ready to get moving.

Hush wasn’t as sold on the ‘sneaking’ plan however. Sending a surge of his anger through to Mike, the human male was overcome with feelings of pain, agony, sorrow and hate, though they receded just as easily. “Hush, no. That’s the worst case scenario, backup plan if there’s nothing else we can do.”

Though he heavily disagreed with Mike, Hush knew when to fight these battles with Mike, and when to stand down. Their connection over the last week and a bit had grown strong with incredible speed, and there was a mutual understanding between them. Recognising that Mike knew best when to show their hand, rather than go in with the strongest attack first, Hush quietened down, but merged into Mike’s body to ensure they were ready for anything.

Taking Willow’s hand into his own, Mike took the lead, heading further into the building in the dark. The markings caused by their combined form was the only light gently pulsing in the darkness for a time. Using the strange tingling sense that Mike had learned meant ‘danger’ or potential to get hurt, they navigated the rooms in the dark. Exhausting their pathways, Mike knew they had to go into the room his senses told him to avoid, because they couldn’t turn back.

Pushing the door open to the shared dorm area that connected the back half of the building to the front, a series of torches immediately found themselves upon the pair, with guns following just seconds later. “Surrender immediately and identify yourselves!”

Keeping hold of Willow’s hand, Mike spoke for the trio, his voice surprisingly calm. So much so that he almost sounded bemused, which he figured was Hush’s assistance, because internally Mike was panicking. “I’m sorry officers, but we can’t exactly do that. See, we’re trying to escape your facility, and now you’ve gotten in our way.”

Whispering spread throughout the room, as everyone in this area had been woken up or pulled from their breaks, meaning none of them were ready to actively fight off a threat; The ‘Escaped Prisoners’ announcement had been made less than two minutes ago, after all. They’d literally been caught with their pants down in some cases. In the rapidfire rumour spreading, that Mike and Willow patiently waited through whilst Hush thrummed with impatient energy, ready to spring like a coiled wire, the self-appointed speaker of the various squads spoke up again. “Are you the test Subjects that the Doctors were bringing in?”

“We are three of them, yes. You might know us as III, IV and Gamma, but we don’t really like those names much.” Mike shook his head, his black locks tickling his forehead as he did so. It was nice to let it grow a bit longer again, even if it wasn’t ‘normal’. “Now I’m going to give you all the chance to leave. As a good friend of mine once said, ‘There’s no shame in running away’. And are you really the kinds of soldiers that want to go down in history for shooting a child? Shame on you.” Making it sound like he was disappointed in them, Mike was now internally grateful for his practice at being a shameless Dungeon Master. It was the only thing giving him the ability to pull off whatever tone or voice he needed for the situation, including an insane one like he was in now.

Some of the greener members in the company had read what these “Subjects” of the Doctors Grey were capable of. They'd heard tales of events from the MAC-Z, and none of them felt ready to face something quite like this yet. However, a new voice spoke over the dissent, quelling thoughts of retreat with only the authority a veteran American soldier could command. “These subjects are just more freaks from the science bank. For all I care, they can get the results from an autopsy. Fire at will, that's an order!”

Throwing up a shield just in time, Mike’s wall of protection was a bright golden beacon in the dark, taking the incoming fire, but shattering quickly. Doing everything he could to reinforce it, Mike knew he couldn't hold back so many bullets for so long. There was a door behind them, but that would only prove to have upwards of thirty men in this shared dorm, potentially following them.

Once again making his wishes known, Hush knew he was capable of taking on the soldiers alone, but not at a speed in which Mike and Willow would avoid getting hurt. Not without Mike's help, at least. And Willow knew that ‘the monster’ had become a difficult thing for Mike to face, because no matter how hard he had been holding his pain in, bottling everything up and pretending it didn’t matter for her sake, Willow noticed. Willow always noticed. So when Hush's ‘request’ became more insistent, Willow decided to chime in on the side of the shadow this time. “Don’t worry Mike. You won’t be doing it alone. I know you won’t become the monster in your heart. I’ll be here to guide you! And Hush just wants to protect us as much as you do.”

“Willow… Do you realise what we’re asking of you?” Mike was shocked at how comfortable Willow was with what was about to happen. “This… this isn’t DND, no matter how much we pretend or notice the similarities. Okay? People are dying, for real.”

“I know this isn’t a game. But I also know I can save you. We save each other, like best friends should when they’re in trouble. I don’t know if I can stop you from killing them, but… I know I can pull you back before you get lost in the monster completely. Anyways, you gave them a choice. They chose not to take it. So now it's our turn, to make our choice. Right?” Gulping because she was terrified, but doing her best to be brave, Willow gripped Mike’s pant leg, knowing his hands were busy helping support the fracturing golden wall. “You and me and Hush; Heroes together?”

“You are one of the bravest kids I have ever met. I hope you know that.” Taking a deep breath, Mike closed his eyes and gave into the darkness that tugged so insistently on his soul, knowing that whilst not all of it was his alone, there was undoubtedly some born within his own heart as well. “You might want to stand back for this.”

~~~~~

Max, Dustin and Robin were in the Archives, Steve having left to resume his position as backup. Dustin wasted no time getting to work on searching the room, whilst Robin helped Max stay standing until the sound had stopped buzzing in her head. Steve and Dustin didn't need telepathy or heartfelt moments of potential goodbye with Steve; they'd been through enough to know that they'd never do something so stupid as get themselves killed nowadays.

“Alright, what have we got so far genius?” Approaching Dustin, Robin spoke whilst Max drifted into the room, her eyes closed as she focused.

Having hit a bigger roadblock than he would have liked, Dustin gestured to the filing cabinets. “We need keys, and I'm trying to find my lock picking kit; I swear I packed it.”

“You just carry lock picks around with you now?” Surprised though she ought not to be, Robin helped Dustin go through his bag, removing random things that Dustin kept as standard.

Despite their noisy approach, Max closed her eyes, trying to see if she could sense anything in the room that felt off. After her time in the bath, she couldn't help but notice that everything seemed louder to her, like the sensory deprivation tank had literally cleared her mind to better hear signals around her in general. Feeling drawn towards a specific draw of the cabinets, Max tapped it twice, causing a loud, metallic and hollow rattle. “If you find that kit, this is the draw you're gonna want.”

Elsewhere, getting Will’s help to move one of the stretchers, Jonathan figured the best way to block the emergency escape was by wedging a bed in the way. Since they had bars on the sides, they were able to hook it over the handles of the double push/pull doors, jamming it in place with a heavy obstacle. This left Holly and Mateo alone together in the med bay, waiting for Will to get back before they began.

“You don't talk much, do you?” Bored, nervous and wanting to know more about their newest party member, Holly opened the conversation with her biggest observation about him so far. 

Mateo on the other hand, didn't really know how to react. Ultimately just staring at her because she was stating the obvious, Mateo then resumed looking around the room. Sure, she wasn't a scientist, doctor or asshole with weapons training looking to hurt him or anything, but Mateo didn't have any reason to break his silence for her either.

Shrugging and continuing regardless, Holly didn't mind. “That's alright, I can talk enough for both of us. Since Max and Will were talking to you before, I figured you could talk with your head to certain people. I did that with Max by accident once, but I can't because of this stupid thing… and so I wanted to say thank you.”

Stopping again to look directly at this weirdly cheerful girl in such dark times, Mateo simply raised an eyebrow at her; an expression he had learned to mirror with perfection thanks to Gideon’s consistent use of it over the years. 

“I'm saying thank you because you stuck with us even though you didn't have to. You could have run away, or just stayed behind, but you offered to help us. So I just wanted to make sure you knew I appreciated it.”

“If you want to say ‘you're welcome’ back to her without talking, just close your eyes and bow your head a bit slowly before standing straight again. She'll get the idea.” Having heard the last part of the conversation, Will offered Mateo some advice.

He took it, enacting the instructions Will had given him, but internally he was asking his friend, “Is everyone in the wide world this talkative? Or just her?”

Unable to contain a little bit of laughter at the sudden question, Will smiled and spoke aloud to explain to Holly its cause, whilst also answering Mateo. “I think it's just a trait of the Wheeler family. Being talkative, that is. Mike used to talk enough for the both of us when we were really little.” Despite the nostalgic memory summoned from this conversation, the reality of what they were about to do set in. Grabbing some supplies from nearby shelves, Will made sure they would have everything they needed to stop the bleeding as soon as Mateo had completed his part of the process.

“When she is in pain… Will she scream?” Honestly to have a 12 year old beam a question like this into your brain because you're both just built differently didn't stop the question from feeling incredibly morbid. When Will gave him a look of horror (hidden from Holly's sight), Mateo realised he needed to give more context. “If she screams loudly, the soldiers outside might hear her. We don't want them to know we are in here, or they might break the windows.”

Taking a breath to calm himself a moment, Will realised Mateo had a very logical point to his question. “Right, yes that is something we're going to need to address…” Looking around the room, Will found a collection of cotton buds used for the aftermath of dental surgery. “This should work.”

“What are they for?” Having no clue why Will would bring the cotton wads over, Holly was starting to regret her decision somewhat.

Gesturing for Will to hurry up, Mateo wanted to get this over and done with before he or Holly could back out. “Look, Holly, there are so many drugs in here that might be able to help, but I'm not a doctor. I don't know what they are or what they do. So, to avoid you biting your own tongue off by accident, and to prevent soldiers outside from hearing you… you need to fill your mouth with these. It'll dampen the sound and protect your tongue.”

Making a face, Holly didn't like the sound of that at all, but she knew how important this was. Without her power, they might not make it out of the compound at all. “Alright… For the Party, right?” Opening one of the cotton wads from its packaging, Holly made sure her tongue was firmly pressed against the bottom of her mouth before placing it in.

Helping speed up the process, Will opened the packs and handed them straight to Holly until she couldn't comfortably fit any more. Then in a surprise move, Mateo offered one of his arms to Holly. “She can grip my arm to help withstand the pain. The pain it causes me will be incomparable.”

On an instinctive level rather than a learned one, Will could tell that Mateo didn't like to be touched all that much. So an offer like this was truly him offering every comfort he could, likely because Mateo understood various forms of pain more intimately than most people would in their entire lives. “Mateo says you can grip his arm if the pain gets too much.”

Gently putting her hands around Mateo's arm, Holly then indicated with a nod that she was ready. On standby, Will watched as Mateo reached out, hand hovering over Holly's shoulder.

Closing his eyes, Mateo could feel the disturbance in Holly’s body. The implant that didn't belong. Making that item his sole focus, Mateo grabbed it with his mind and began pulling upwards on it, trying to free it from Holly.

It was a good thing they muffled her, because the screams would have been unbearably loud otherwise.

Chapter Text

Linking back up with Chance, Nancy and Lucas, Chance took the lead on breaching the next area. Opening the door for him, Lucas held the door so his team members could go first, as they would prefer to not kill anyone if it could be avoided. Gunfire began immediately, as the team inside were in contact with the control room, having the advantage of the cameras to know when and how many were coming for them. Using their training, Nancy and Chance put up a strong fight going first, actively entering the room to take up positions whilst Jonathan, Steve and Lucas stayed back by the door. Aiming for the closer ones, Chance and Nancy took advantage of Jonathan and Steve providing covering fire, as even though the bullets weren’t technically lethal ones, one wrong shot and you could be down for good.

The room was another hallway of offices, this time used primarily as videotape storage, reviewing and meeting rooms, with the actual control room at the very end. Using the doors as their only cover, Jonathan nearly celebrated as he took out one of the further assailants, hitting him square in the forehead twice before they went down. Firing as soon as the front two assailants broke cover to attack, Nancy and Chance immediately took the option to steal said cover for themselves, using the downed bodies as backstops to prevent the doors from being knocked closed.

The final shooter was trickier to pin down, because it was too far for Jonathan and Steve to fire at the same time (they would literally butt heads in the doorway if they tried), Nancy was in directly line with him and so out of cover meant complete exposure, whilst Chance was risking partial exposure just trying to peek from cover due to being diagonal to their final opponent. Deciding to risk it anyway, Chance knew that he had a lot to make up for when it came to at least half the party members in the crew he had joined.

Rushing forwards, Chance felt bullets hit his vest, knocking the breath out of him. But his charge was not to be stopped, as he rammed into the door with his shoulder to knock the wood into the final shooter, disorienting them just long enough for a followup strike to the head thanks to the body of a large gun. “They’re down for now, but who knows how long. Ready to move to the next room?”

Emerging from her hiding position, Nancy held up a hand, wanting Chance to slow his roll a bit. “Hey, thanks for that. You didn’t have to take direct fire, you know.”

Shaking his head because they had little time for sentiment, Chance waved for Steve and Jonathan to hurry up and join them. Hopping over the stray limbs of unconscious soldiers on the floor, two of the three backup members joined the front line assaulters. Lucas was still in the last hallway, thoughts running through his head like crazy. “Lucas, come on!” Steve called out, not wanting to leave a team member behind.

Emerging from the outer hallway to the inner one, Lucas saw that Nancy and Chance had moved to breach again. “Guys, I think we’ve missed something, this isn’t a good idea.” If they had time to set up four shooters who knew how many people were coming in just the hallway, why did it feel too easy so far? These were military men, trained in the art of combat and praised for their ingenuity in crazy situations. Lucas had heard enough war stories from his dad about the Vietnam War, and this situation just felt wrong.

Looking at Lucas, Steve had to agree; Something wasn’t right about all this. And it wasn’t just the fact that a group of random adults and college students were able to take out the military base with the help of just one Sergeant becoming a turncoat. Before they could convey this worry up the hall however, Nancy was ready to breach whilst Chance opened the door this time, reversing their roles from the previous door. Jonathan was behind Nancy and ready to go in after her, but as Lucas and Steve called out, it was too late.

Opening the door had explosive consequences. A concussion bomb had been rigged to the door as a trap intended to go off upon opening, only able to be disabled from within the room itself by the two remaining security personnel inside. Blowing Nancy back several feet and onto the ground, her ears were ringing and her sight was addled by the additional flare of light that the charge had given off, acting as a flashbang at the same time. Jonathan had been knocked back somewhat as well, though Nancy had taken most of the initial blast, and Chance had been hit by the door itself, which had plenty of force behind it.

Rushing down the hall to provide assistance, Steve was seconds behind Jonathan as they entered the room, unable to see due to the sudden darkness compared to the brightly lit hallway. One figure was illuminated by the light from the open door, which Jonathan had taken aim at, only to scream in pain as a shot rang out. A bullet tore through his knee, shot from close to the ground by the second, more hidden soldier in the room, causing Jonathan to fall to the floor. It was a pistol round, and therefore live ammo rather than a rubber bullet like he had been using.

Headed for the visible combatant as well, Steve let out a cry of frustration as he charged, choosing to tackle his opponent instead of fire his weapon. In close quarters, Steve thought he might have a more even chance, even if his overall track record of fighting in brawls wasn’t in his favour.

Recovering from his shock, Chance saw Lucas checking over Nancy, who could barely hear him for the ringing in her ears. When they both heard Jonathan go down, they decided to breach the room together, as they were the last two left of their team still able to fight.

In a matter of seconds, Steve had gone from even ground, to losing slowly. Free of their guns, Steve had gotten a good punch or two thrown in before surprise wore off, and his well-trained opponent began to gain the upper hand. A knife drawn from a hidden sheath on their leg, Steve had been flipped onto the floor, and now struggled against the soldier’s hands. One hand gripping his enemy’s wrist, the other gripping the forearm of the blade-wielding hand, Steve knew he didn’t have the strength to push back forever. The knife was getting dangerously close to his ribs, free of armour because there hadn’t been enough vests when they were infiltrating the base. His left arm was weaker than his right, and so whilst Steve could slow down his inevitable death at the hands of this stranger, the knife inched closer until it painfully parted his flesh, trying to find its way between his ribs. No doubt to get to his heart. Seconds felt like minutes in a situation like this, and he just hoped his friends were going to make it out alright. They had come too far to lose now.

With the live weapon in his hands, and last into the room, Lucas had a fraction of a second to take into account what was happening in the dark room. Chance was aiming at the man attacking Steve, trying to ensure that when he pulled the trigger he didn’t further injure his companion, but another muzzle flash meant that plan was a bust.

Before he could fully comprehend what he was doing, Lucas fired his pistol at the man over Steve, and then aimed to the right of the muzzle flash, firing again less than a second later. Chance had cried out ‘FUCK!’ at some point, a bullet having made its way through his hand and into his own rifle, leaving Lucas as the only uninjured person left in their team.

Pushing the dead soldier off of himself was difficult, and so Steve was thankful when Lucas came to help. With pain radiating like a solar flare from beneath his left arm, it sure felt like that knife had found a new home in his body, and Steve didn’t like the look on Lucas’ face when he was inspecting the wound with what light he could from the doorway. “Dude, I’m gonna take the knife out, but it’s gonna hurt like fuck. Ready?” Steve nodded slightly, (because honestly who could actually be ready to have a knife removed from their body?) and clenched his teeth, gasping in pain as just a portion of the blade came out of his body. If the whole thing had made it in, Steve would have been dead on the floor already.

Vision clearing of black spots but still not in focus yet, Nancy struggled to her feet and turned on the switch for the lights inside the control room. Greeted by the sight of blood on her friends and foes, her concussed state wasn't helping hurry things along. Nursing his hand by cradling it close to his torso, Chance was trying to help Jonathan to his feet so they could get out of there. Given he couldn't walk, this meant they were both easily pulled off balance. Unable to see what was happening between Lucas and (presumably) Steve, Nancy went to help stabilize Jonathan.

“We should go back to the med bay!” Accidentally shouting louder than she intended because her ear drums had been blown out, she recognised the thumbs up Chance gave with his good hand. Able to take most of Jonathan's weight, Nancy began heading back with him whilst Chance came to help Steve.

Coughing as it became harder to breathe, Lucas looked over and shook his head. “We can't move him like this, but if we aren't fast he might drown in his own blood. Bastard opened his lung.”

“Well you opened his brains, so you definitely win-” Not entirely sure where he was going with that statement, the sentiment was supposed to be closer to “Nice Shot”. Shock made people do strange things. “Uh, we can grab a stretcher from the med bay? Work it out from there?” Trying to be properly helpful again, the pain was a lot to deal with, hand bleeding all over his fatigued.

“Go, I'll stay with Steve.” Taking off his own vest so he had something to apply pressure with, Lucas did his best to slow down the blood loss, speaking with Steve now to keep him awake.

Running from the room, Chance bolted past the downed soldiers, around Nancy and Jonathan who were still making their way back, and straight for the medical bay. “Guys… do we have any stretchers in here? Something to move bodies with?”

“Bodies?!” Will had no context for what Chance was on about, and so of course his mind automatically assumed the worst.

“Not dead ones - well - Steve. We can't move Steve.” Looking around, none of the remaining beds looks fit for moving patients. They must have been used during the evacuation or were kept in another room they didn't have time to look for.

Turning to Will briefly, Mateo communicated, “I can move him. I'll bring him here," Before rushing out blindly. Seeing Jonathan and Nancy as they came through the corridor, Mateo took that as a sign of where to go, ducking past them before racing down to the end. The blood trail made for a good marker.

Hearing someone reenter the room, Lucas was surprised to see Mateo there, alone. Understanding the gesture of ‘back up’ without being able to hear him telepathically, Lucas reluctantly released Steve, figuring the psychic had a plan or some power he wasn't aware of. Holding out his hands like he was reaching for a child, Mateo focused on Steve’s weakening form. Clenching his fingers, the jacket tightened around Steve to return the pressure Lucas had applied earlier, before lifting Steve from the ground. Having practiced something similar in the past, Mateo was much more proficient with his telekinesis than he was telepathy - outside Will now, and that weird redheaded friend of his.

Being gentle where he could, Mateo basically towed Steve out of the control room one step at a time, backwards, being directed by Lucas whenever he was about to step on someone. When they reached the medbay, Jonathan had laid down on one of the beds, his knee bleeding everywhere. Will was doing his best to help him, but panicking in the process, with Nancy's incapacitated help wherever she could get her brain into gear. Holly was panicking as well and trying to help Chance, who was wrapping his own hand in an attempt to staunch the bleeding whilst Holly held the bandage taught for him.

With Lucas and Mateo coming in, Steve coughed up blood from his lung the moment he was set down. Lucas rushed back to replace the pressure on it, allowing Mateo a break. Wiping the blood from his nostrils, he hadn't been fully rested for a while, so this took more effort than Mateo would have liked.

“I can do a healing thing, but I don't think I can help everyone and cast Dimension Door if we need it?” Holly hated sitting by, feeling useless whilst her friends, her family, were dying slowly around her.

Fighting through his pain, Jonathan made the choice easier. “Help - Steve! Chance and I’ll live, we just gotta stop the bleeding. But Steve-” Shaking his head and gasping from tears because of the damage to his leg, Jonathan couldn't say much more.

Taking the end of the bandage from Holly so she was free, Chance gave her an encouraging nod. “He was stabbed in the side, it punctured his lung. If you can do something that seals it up, stops him from bleeding into his airways somehow, it'll save his life.”

“Let's hope this Soteria thing isn't still stopping me somehow,” Walking over to Steve whilst avoiding bumping anyone else, Holly had hoped that whatever effects the now-crushed implant had on her body earlier, were now worn off. She had her own gauze bandage stuck firmly over her neck where the implant had been removed, which meant moving her right arm was painful, due to the pulling on her wound. Trading places with Lucas, Holly did her best to keep the reflexive need to vomit at bay, removing the spare army vest to get to Steve’s body. She believed she needed to be touching the skin directly for her ability to work, with Lucas helping to rip a bigger hole in Steve’s shirt to give Holly space. “Ohhhhh gross, so gross, I'm sorry Steve, this better work.” Gagging a little as she laid her hands down, immediately being hit with fresh blood from the wound and feeling sticky from the already coagulating blood present, Holly focused on helping Steve’s body remember how to fix itself. “Please, let this healing thing work. I know I helped Mary with it and I know it'll help you too, just, oh my god, please let it be enough.”

Lucas, Mateo and Chance watched as a golden light shone around Holly’s hands, and Steve’s bleeding did seem to slow. Blood dripping from her own nose, Holly experienced a wave of dizziness, breaking her concentration and forcing her to step away. Unfortunately, she discovered she was just a bit too grossed out by the situation, remembering all too vividly when the monsters attacked her mom. “That was amazing Holly, seriously.” Lucas hurried to get some bandages for Steve so they could finish sealing up the puncture wound to avoid any further complications.

Finding a bin, Holly needed to take a minute and empty her already rather empty stomach into it, not coping well with the feeling of blood all over her hands.

Blood erupting from his mouth like a volcano trying to bubble over, Steve coughed up some more of the gunk from his lungs, turning onto his right side to clear his airways without crushing his injured side. Hurrying to help, Will took over with helping Steve so Lucas could step back. Now that Jonathan was in less danger of death by blood-loss, Nancy wandered over to Holly and gently rubbed her back, uncaring of the blood she was getting on the dull clothing Holly had been changed into after getting transferred.

“I didn't get a chance to check the security tapes. We kinda got in there, it was a mess, and then we got the hell out of there.” Explaining to the uninjured that their goal hadn't been completed, Lucas was concerned they wouldn't have much time, and would have to leave without all of their friends.

Glancing over at Mateo, Will figured they should reconfigure the groups a little bit. “Lucas, go get the others from the Archives room. We need more able hands. Mateo and I will go look for Mike and Willow. With the speakers disabled, we should be fine between the two of us to get around with a bit more stealth.” With their drab clothing, they probably had better urban camouflage than the actual soldiers did. 

“Take the radio,” Lucas removed his personal radio from his belt, hooked in place where the army radio should have been. “Chance has our other one, we can keep in touch that way.” Nodding to each other, Lucas and Mateo headed to the door, Will stopping by his brother briefly. “Jonathan, I will be right back.”

“You do what you gotta.” Appreciative that his brother took a moment to speak with him before leaving, Jonathan was in no position to stop Will from doing what he thought was right. “Whatever it takes … for us all to come home safe.” Wincing from the pain as he tried to hold it in, Jonathan wanted nothing more than to pass out. Instead, he watched his brother leave, hoping everything would be alright.

~~~~~

After picking the lock to get into the filing cabinets, Dustin was having a field day. Hardly able to keep up with the papers he was rifling through as potentially interesting, Robin ended up holding a stack too large for herself to carry, and putting them down on the nearby desk resulted in some of the files going AWOL. After getting a decent earful from Dustin, Robin and Max began helping sort them back out. 

Until Max touched a book buried in a folder, and experienced a massive nosebleed that even she wasn’t expecting. The book was full of so much residual psychic energy that coming into direct contact with it caused Max’s brain to overload, trying to see too many images at once. After that, the trio took things much easier, going through things slowly that caught their interest, trying to absorb whatever they could without damaging things. Some files also contained the psychic residue that Max had been able to detect, so those got priority when being added to Dustin’s backpack. Losing Doctor Brenner’s ‘Upside Down’ journal variant had been a blow, but things were starting to look up again.

Sitting posted in a corner as she was overcome more recently with extreme nausea, Max had been forced into assuming a resting position by Robin, just in case it was a psychic side effect. Jumping out of their skins as the door to the room burst open, Dustin quietly cursing himself for not thinking to bar it off just in case, they all relaxed again when they saw it was Lucas. “Jesus Lucas, you scared the actual crap outta us!” Speaking for the group, Robin ran her hands through her hair to release the rest of her pent-up tension.

“Sorry guys; Max, are you okay?” Immediately clueing into the fact that his girlfriend was not looking well, Lucas could spot the blood on her arm, as well as around her nose.

There was a weak nod. “Nothing I can’t handle. We found some stuff though.” Gesturing to the two that had been doing the most reading, Max let the others carry the conversation.

“So thanks to Max’s psychic resonance powers and the fact that Dustin can apparently pick locks-” Robin began, before Dustin immediately interjected to continue with the same train of thought.

“We found information about the project, why it was started, Brenner's original notebook from this world-” This time, it was Dustin’s turn to get interrupted.

Internally thankful that this hadn’t been a bust for his friends, Lucas felt it was a great time to remind the nerdiest of his friends that they had bigger priorities right now. “Guys! Look that really does sound awesome and all, but we need to get our asses moving!”

“What happened?” Groaning slightly as she got to her feet, Max looked like she was ready to be sick. “All I can tell is Holly feels seriously grossed out.”

He didn’t want to worry his friends, but there was a lot to be worried about, and Lucas wasn’t about to lie to any of them. “It was nearly a full on massacre, it was bad.” Gesturing for them all to hurry, no one wasted another second in getting ready to leave. “Hey, Dustin, save some space in that bag of yours, because we have tapes to grab. I passed some that have names we have to look into along with your research papers, but we gotta get going.”

“What about Mike?? And what's her name, Willow?” Clicking his fingers when the name came to mind, Dustin didn’t want to leave anyone behind, but it sounded like Lucas was implying they were about to leave the base.

“Will and his new friend are working on it.” Closing the door behind them, pistol in easy reach, Lucas followed his friends out of the Archives area and back to the med bay, detouring through the Security Storage room with Dustin on the way.

~~~~~

When they inspected the Control Room, Mateo and Will discovered that they could only forcibly redirect certain aspects of the compound. According to the map of the base, there was a secondary control tower that could be retreated to for specific personnel instead of evacuation that ran on an entirely different system. The moment he saw it, Mateo’s tone when speaking telepathically with Will soured significantly. “That’s where they will be hiding,” Mateo pointed to the Tower with an angry jab. “Reicher, and the Greys. They’re holed up in The Tower.”

“Sounds like a supervillain or two I’ve read about.” Making the connection more out of habit than because he was trying to be funny, Will sighed and turned to Mateo. “We didn’t come here to kill anyone. This is already much further out of hand than any of us would have liked, but it’s too late now. Let’s just focus on getting out of here in one piece, like I promised. We can figure out how to deal with these creeps another time.” Trying to keep him on their real objective, Will hoped that some day, Mateo’s rage would be calmed and he could truly learn to let go of what had been done with him just enough that his whole world view didn’t end up being coloured pain as the only pigment.

Nodding absently, Mateo looked at the screens next, trying to understand what each image was showing, and which would be most important to them. “Can you make them go backwards? Show us the things that have already happened?”

Although Lucas was the one with the most direct understanding of the security systems, Will wasn’t too shabby with electronics himself. There was a reason he joined AV club with his friends in middle school after all, and Bob had taught him a thing or two in the brief months they had spent together. Rewinding the tapes to when the truck crashed, Will and Mateo watched the birds flee from the truck moments before it collided, and then watched as a dark mass formed up behind the soldiers. Pausing it, Will pointed out his childhood friend to Mateo. “There, that’s Mike. He’s in the same kind of clothes as us, so that has to be Willow.” Pointing to the young girl in the frame as well, Will retreated his hand before hitting play again. “How did they do that…?” Muttering to himself, the sudden appearance concerned Will.

Watching as the pair snuck off around the side of a building, the boys surmised that Mike and Willow had gone into The Barracks, which was a concern. Using the fast forward function on the tapes to get to current events again on the cameras, neither Will or Mateo could see Mike and Willow come out of the building anywhere. “I guess we have to head to the barracks. With the speakers disabled, I should be of more use to you now.” Waiting for Will to take the lead, Mateo knew he would be stronger now that nothing was impeding him from using his telekinesis. The actual cameras in the barracks area were showing nothing but darkness, so it was hard to tell if they were offline or the lights were all out, giving no indication to the psychically bonded Subjects I and II of what awaited them.

“Let’s hurry. We shouldn’t keep the others waiting if we can help it.” Radio in hand, Will and Mateo raced back down the hallway, only pausing so Mateo could knock one of the incapacitated soldiers back into the realm of unconsciousness on their way past Dustin and Lucas in the tapes room. Not stopping by the med bay, they instead ran back to the very front of the building, which was about to lose what brief barricading Steve had managed to throw together when they first arrived in this room. “They’re about to come through, are you ready?”

“I have waited a long time for this.” Hands up and ready, Mateo reacted as soon as the doors burst open with the breach. Throwing the incoming soldiers back with a wave of telekinetic force, Mateo knocked the initial breachers backwards into their squadmates, the team of four having come to infiltrate the building and take out their enemies - also known as Will and his friends. “And stay out.” Keeping this smug thought between just the two of them, Mateo hurried outside, Will trying not to laugh as he followed. Watching a twelve year old take out four grown men with his mind wasn’t really supposed to be a laughing matter but the one-liner thrown in by Mateo had changed the tone of the entire situation. Realising he should probably alert his friends to the new opening in the building, Will tested their radio connection to the group.

“Rescue Party, this is Sorcerer, do you copy? Over.” Keeping the radio close to his ear so he didn’t miss anything, Will and Mateo kept close to each other, passing the remains of the destroyed truck and copying Mike and Willow’s entrance into the Barracks, hoping nothing had happened to them in the process.

It took a few moments for an answer, the pair crouched at either side of the back door when Lucas spoke up. “This is Falcon, what’s your status?”

“The front door of your building has been breached. We took care of the first squad, but more might come. You should barricade the med bay.”

“Understood. Any sign of them?” The easy assumption was that ‘them’ here referred to Mike and Willow.

Looking up at the door and hoping no one nasty was on the other side of it, Will answered one last time before gesturing for Mateo to open the door. “About to check. Over and out.”

Heading inside first, Will could immediately discern that the cameras were dark because the lights were out. Seeing the utility cabinet in the light from the open door, Will restricted his communication with Mateo to just telepathic. “Can you unlock this? I want to see if we can turn the lights back on. Breaker might have been tripped.”

Raising a hand and flicking it to one side, Mateo just ripped the lock off the cabinet entirely, doors popping open slightly now that there wasn't anything to restrain it. “Go for it.”

When Will opened up the cabinet, he noticed all of the breakers were set to the off position, and found the switches specifically for the lights. “The rest of these can stay off I think.” Not wanting to give anyone the chance to get the drop on them with a method of powering those crazy speakers, Will closed up the cabinet the best he could before stepping further into the building, Mateo cautiously following behind.

The smell hit them first. Mixed with the general scents of body odour and dirty clothing, like any en masse sleeping area with terrible airflow would be expected to have, was that of an abattoir. Not that Will or Mateo had ever visited one in person before, but thanks to owning Chester as a kid, he knew the smell of raw meat, still full with plenty enough blood the meat dripped when moved. Covering his mouth and nose with his hand as best he could, Will continued to lead the pair.

The sight was just as bad. The bunk beds were a destroyed mess with blankets, bedframes, pillows and mattresses everywhere, making the room nigh impossible to navigate. And that's before you took into account the light struggling to stay powered, flickering above their heads, only allowing them to see the carnage of human bodies throughout the room for a second or two at a time.

Blood covered every walk with splatter patterns, like an artist had flicked the brush at a textured canvas with great abandon. Pools of the slowly darkening liquid had massed around their major providers, bodies mutilated and mauled, crushed and contorted. But, somehow, a few bodies still moved, at first just seeming to be a trick of the mind, but with careful study it became evident that some of these people were still breathing. One violent twitch of flesh to the left had Will and Mateo’s gaze sharply turned to check out what it was, their adrenaline-fueled brains assessing if it was a threat to their persons.

A soldier was trapped beneath one of the beds that had landed against the wall, pinned between it and the unforgiving cement blocks this building was made out of. “Can you free him? He might give us information if we help.” Understanding completely that these people were their enemies, Will had resolved years ago to never let go of his compassion. Empathy made him human, and it was a key comfort any time he questioned who he was as a person. When you've had a heartless monster that forgot their humanity occupy your brain, there were times where even Will thought he'd lost his way. But the ability to connect with others through genuine emotion and understanding was something he had never lost.

Reluctant but also concerned by the massacre that arrived without him, Mateo focused on the bed and shifted it for long enough that the trapped soldier was able to crawl free, Mateo dropping the bed back into its knocked position at the first chance he could. “Th-Thank you… Th-that thing - It's not coming b-back, is it?”

Gently moving towards the man, Will could understand his fear. Anything capable of creating such a gruesome spectacle like the one in this room should be granted a healthy level of respect for its lethal capabilities. “No idea. Can you tell us what happened?”

Reaching out to touch the quivering man’s hand in an effort to calm him down, Will’s eyes became white as he accidentally jacked into the soldier’s mind. Will had felt this kind of terror before, so visiting this stranger's brain telepathically had occurred like slipping into a comfortable jacket. Inside the memories, Will couldn't see much. He heard the rattle of gunfire, both lethal and nonlethal bullets in the mix. The lights were out but there were torch beams flailing about the room as people tried to use them, or died holding onto them. Shouts of disorientation clamored for focus as well, but Will’s mind had heard a familiar creature amongst the ruckus, and it nearly stilled his heart with fear.

It sounded like a Demogorgon. But that's impossible. Vecna didn't have any more to call, and we cut off the connection between our worlds; How could there possibly be a Demogorgon here?!

Withdrawing from the man like he'd been bitten, Will nearly slipped in the blood on the floor during his attempts to get away. “Come on, we can't stay here.” Ushering for Mateo to follow, the shoes they had on did little to assist in gripping to the floor. Unlike Mike and Willow, Matteo and Will had been given light grey slip-on shoes that functioned like more structured socks.

Just as eager to leave as Will was, Mateo hurried after him, the pair trying to get through without falling like they were on an ice rink. Noticing a set of bloodied footprints from a four legged creature, they chose to follow the trail.

~~~~~

Finding the bathroom had been instrumental in their time at the barracks. With Mike in the shower and Willow needing minimal cleaning up, the young girl made it her sworn duty (with the help of Hush!) to stand guard against any soldiers that might come along. Pulling Mike and Hush back from the brink of complete destruction had been more exhausting than Willow would have liked, but it was worth it to see Mike come out of the situation still standing, and able to keep moving. He just needed some time to empty his guts and clean his face was all.

With all the lights in the building off, Willow didn't want to get lost, so she sat beside the door that led to the bathroom, just out of the bloodied footprints left behind by Mike. Willow's feet were clean thanks to Mike carrying her, but they were cold in the fall air. Trying not to fall asleep, Willow waited patiently, feeling Hush hover around her in the darkness, like a protective spirit.

Flashlights cut through the darkness from the hall that connected with the front of the building, two soldiers coming in to do some recon in the area. With a significant percentage of the total force on the base going radio silent without warning, they knew something was up, but not what. Sweeping the area carefully, Willow knew she had to do something clever to keep Mike safe without getting hurt. And Hush was the perfect creature to help.

With her legs out in front of her, blood splatter already on her clothing, Willow hung her head and pretended to be knocked out against the wall, forcing the guards to approach her. “Hey, kid. Talk to me, you alright?”

The soldiers paused and looked at each other. Getting no response from Willow at all, one stayed back to watch their rear whilst the speaker came closer to her, his gun shifted to the side so he could crouch. Cautiously moving his hand towards Willow’s, the young girl did her best to hold her breath to make it look like she wasn't moving.

Reaching for the wrist, this soldier went to check for a pulse, any sign of life in this kid, and caught sight of the black III tattoo on her inner arm, just below her palm. Freezing for a second as he rapidly reassessed the potential danger he was in, the man gave one last final squeeze to her wrist to double check her pulse was still there.

Eyes half-lidded shut with her hair in the way, Willow could barely see for the torch shining brightly directly at her. Thankfully, Hush could get around just fine without his eyes. Emerging as smoke from Willow’s mouth, Hush formed as a tendril shape and began solidifying into a viper. Raising her head without warning, purple rings around Willow’s irises glowed as Hush struck with lightning speed, biting the soldier’s face with his fangs. The awkward angle meant the upper fangs sunk into the corner of the man's eye and just below the cheekbone, whilst the lower fangs punctured the cheek and dug into the jaw along his chin.

Vanishing into mist again, Hush left Willow’s body completely, letting her slump back against the wall, accidentally hitting it too hard and sliding sideways. Pretending she was a corpse again, Willow tried not to groan as she headbutted the floor by accident, letting Hush take care of the second soldier. From what she could hear, the soldier called out to his friend when the torch swept over his writhing from the venom Hush had injected into his system. But before he could take even three steps, his foot slipped, and then there were sounds of retaliation that were met with no resistance. The click of an attempt to fire his gun. And after the struggles to breath, a loud slump to the floor, gear clattering as he fell. Soon the soldier that had been snake-bitten in the face also ceased to move, but Hush told her it would be alright. 

Her shadow friend promised he didn't kill them, just forced them to stop so that she, and Mike would be safe. And Willow didn't have the heart to check the bodies herself, instead trusting in her protector. After all, if she could so easily fool them into thinking she was dead, couldn't they do the same to her? It was safer to just leave them alone, and wait for Mike to come back.

Returning to see two fully grown men on the ground, unmoving whilst the little girl he was supposed to protect was untouched, Mike felt guilty about taking a few minutes to help himself feel better. He'd just been sick and only came out because the retching finally stopped, most of the blood and vomit washed clean from his face. “I'm so sorry about that Willow, everything okay out here?”

Immediately getting to her feet, Willow nodded and held up Hush, who had turned into a rabbit for the young girl to cuddle. “Hush and I scared them, so we are ok. I pretended to be like that zombie lady in your DnD book, and Hush even did the snake bit!”

“Zombie snake lady…? Oh, do you mean that Victim of Zehir? Damn, you went straight for freaky huh?” Impressed that he could even remember the picture, Mike and Willow had spoken about it early into his young friend learning what DND was, because she had been flicking from picture to picture. “Nice work you two. Now let's get going before more people come… Let's take their flashlights, so we can see.” Scooping the closer one up, Mike handed it to Willow, who's hands became free when Hush changed into a cat to walk alongside them. Wiping her nose absently, Willow followed Mike down the hall into the next room, glad to be moving again. Her feet were getting so cold!

Coming across a lounge area and a laundry area across from each other, Mike saw an opportunity to find better clothes. Walking in, they were immediately greeted by clean linens, and the pair had a field day trying to make the clothes fit Willow, because she was just so small. Eventually they outfitted her in five pairs of socks, so thickly around her feet that they were like “cloth armour boots” Mike had said, along with a belt that scrunched up her pants so tightly it almost looked like the waistband was made of ruffles, the pant legs folded up several times so they wouldn't get caught under her feet. The tank top they'd located was fucked into her super tightly done pants, with a shirt hanging loosely over the top to keep her covered up more. They rolled the sleeves of the shirt up as well for her hands, but it was clear none of this fit the poor girl even slightly.

Not minding in the slightest, Willow was just happy to be warm. It felt silly, which helped take away from the scary, and her parents wouldn't have ever done this for her. She loved Mike and his creative thinking, always amazed when it worked for real world things like this, and not just his fun stories.

Able to find clothing in his size, Mike actually looked dressed like a normal soldier, able to find a pair of shoes in his size to top it all off. Though his jacket lacked a name patch, showing instead a patch of Velcro where one could be added, Mike could have blended in with the soldiers if he just put a helmet on to hide his hair a bit. “Ok, now that we have the crazy clothes thing figured out, let's see if we can't find some food. Or at least water… We both need to recharge a bit before we go taking on too many more soldiers.”

“What about that other room?” Pointing across the hall, back to the lounge they passed, Willow figured it couldn't hurt to take a look. 

Taking the chance worked in their favour, as there was a fridge full of water and various snacks the soldiers had been saving for another day. Helping themselves, Mike and Willow froze as the building’s lights turned back on, scaring them. “We need to be careful. We have to rest but we can't stick around long, okay?” Still recovering from his vomiting session earlier, Mike just hoped they were strong enough to finish their push, to escape the fence surrounding this place and back to their freedom.

Hiding in that room until the food and water had settled in their stomachs, Mike shot to his feet as a familiar voice called out to him. “Mike? Mike, are you around here?”

It was Will. He was here, really here, right outside that door. Both Mike and Willow's faces lit up, rushing to the door to peer out, opening it just a crack in case this was a trap somehow.

But no, it was just Will and his own young friend, looking at each other as they silently discussed what they should do, not knowing what each door in this area was. “Will!” Whispering with insistence, Mike wanted his best friend to hear him, but without echoing his voice down the halls.

Both Will and Mateo turned to face Mike, freaked out that someone was talking to them, before Will was filled to the brim with relief. Letting them both into the break room before carefully closing the door behind them, Will and Mike immediately pulled themselves into the tightest hug they'd ever given each other. “Dude, it's so good to see you. If you're hungry or something, feel free to raid the fridge; we did.” Just happy to see another friendly face, Mike didn't know what Will had been through.

“I'd love to stay and chat Mike, but we have to go. The others, our friends, they're in bad shape, but we refused to leave until we found you.” 

The look of confusion told Will everything he needed to know; Mike had no idea their friends had come to save them. Getting caught up as quickly as they could, Will learned that Mike only knew Max and Holly had been taken as well, but didn't know they had even been here at this base, or the fact they'd arrived before him. 

Whilst the old friends worked out a plan to move forward, Willow offered the silent child some food. “There's chocolate pudding and frozen yoghurt if you want some?” With Hush keeping watch for them, Willow felt lonely, and wanted to meet this other kid for herself.

Not realising how hungry he was, Mateo took one of the plastic pots from Willow, opting for the chocolate pudding. Watching how she opened the frozen pot of yoghurt, Mateo struggled a bit with his lid, since he hadn't opened something like this that he could remember. Staring at the strange, brown insides that weren't quite liquid but didn't behave solidly either, Mateo could feel the little girl watching him carefully. “It's chocolate pudding. Normally a goo you eat with a spoon, but I don't have any spoons so just lick it out. Then you clean your face afterwards.”

Doing her best to be helpful, Willow didn't know what this boy had been through. She didn't know what his minimal expressions meant, or if he even understood what she was saying, but it didn't stop her from trying to help. Watching as Mateo brought the plastic little cup to his mouth, she nibbled on the frozen yoghurt she has, resorting to teeth because she also didn't have a spoon.

Tears formed in his eyes, surprising even himself as Mateo tried the pudding. “My brother used to give me this,” He remembered suddenly, forgetting that Willow couldn't hear him. “I can't believe I forgot what it was…”

The radio broke into the minds of everyone in the room, Lucas’ panicked voice coming through over comms. “Sorcerer, do you copy?!”

With the radio still in his hand, Will immediately broke off conversation with Mike to answer Lucas. “We copy, I found them. What's your status?”

“Requesting backup! We're pinned down in here and I don't think we have long.” Panicked because his friends were in trouble, it seemed they had less time than even Will thought.

A plan came to mind almost instantly for Mike, ideas running faster than story ideas had brewed in his head in the last few months. He glanced at Willow and Mateo, before taking the radio from Will. “Lucas, I need to speak with Holly. I have a plan.”

There was an agonizing silence as they waited for Holly to speak. “Mike? Is that you?”

“Yeah, it's me Holls. Listen, can you cast Dimension Door right now?” As it was a crucial part of the plan, Mike needed to know what her strength level was at.

“Yes but not far. Why?” 

“You don't need to go far. If we provide a distraction for you guys, we can draw the guards away from the front of the compound,” Having seen a map in the laundry when they were getting changed, Mike knew where and what some of the buildings were now. “You just need to make it to the carpark, jack their vehicles; Dustin knows how to get them started without keys, and get the hell out of here.”

Immediately after stating all of this, the inevitable, “But what about you?!” Came afterwards.

“We'll be fine, they can't take all four of us on at once. I'll see you again soon Holly, okay? I love you, but I gotta go. Keep everybody safe for me.” Handing the radio back to Will, Mike grabbed his partially drunk bottle of water and finished it. “Now I know I said that we could provide a distraction, but I'm not gonna force you two to help us.” Being absolutely clear on the situation, Mike would have preferred to send Will and Mateo out of here with the others. “If I could do it alone, I would but that's not an option for us right now.”

Mateo and Will looked at each other, not even needing to speak to know they weren't leaving Mike and Willow alone on this. Will had almost lost too many people, and wasn't about to add two more, whilst Mateo had been wanting to put the hurt on these soldiers from the moment he was freed. A distraction would allow him the perfect opportunity. “We're coming with you. You're stuck with us Mike.” Smiling at Mike's amused reaction, Will felt they had a chance of getting through this. His hope had returned.

“Let's go kick bad guy butt!” Willow erupted with enthusiasm from the other side of the room, ready to follow her heroes into battle once more.

Chapter Text

“You all heard that, right?” Frozen in place, hiding partially behind the bed, Holly held out the radio as an indicator of what she was asking. “Mike isn't stupid enough to stay behind, right?” She was in a spiral of panic, not because Mike had said they would provide a distraction, but because he had explicitly said the words ‘I love you’ to her. Unless it was a rare quiet moment with Karen Wheeler herself, love had always been implied in the Wheeler household, and never really spoken.

It sounded like Michael had a death wish. And Holly was not okay with that.

“He has friends with him. Mike's gonna be okay, but only if we get out of here in one piece too.” Sitting beside her, Nancy tried to be reassuring, her hearing still mostly butchered from the concussion bomb she'd been hit with earlier.

“Hey! You lot in there!? How about a truce?” One of the men trying to break down the door called through, voice muffled by the door and barricade holding them out.

Becoming designated negotiator for the team because she decided so, no one objected when Robin decided to answer. “That depends! What are the terms and conditions of said truce? Because a truce means we both benefit from the peace, and right now you're going to have to do a hell of a job in convincing us you won't betray said truce, as soon as we open this door!”

As Robin was speaking, Lucas managed to pry open a metal cabinet, finding mobility aids. “Hey, there's crutches and a wheelchair in here. Jonathan, think you'll be ok to move on crutches?”

“I'll have to be, Steve needs the wheelchair.” Knowing they had few options, Jonathan would work with whatever he got to make sure he didn't slow the team down. Handing over the crutches, Lucas and Max then got to work getting Steve into the wheelchair. It wasn't easy, because they didn't know how bad his wound still was, and he had lost plenty of blood in the process.

Nancy had convinced Holly to get up, trying to talk her sister out of the mental spiral she had fallen into. Hearing Max’s support and feelings also helped Holly become more confident again, ready to try using her dimension door spell. “Wait, where am I opening it up? Usually I've seen the place?” Realising she wasn't sure if this would work at all anyway, Holly hoped Max could help.

“Remember when they got us out of the trucks when we got here? It was where all the cars were parked.” Having a headache from all the noise around, Max blocked her ears, stepping away from Steve so Dustin could watch over him closely instead. 

Thinking back, Holly recalled what Max was talking about, and nodded. “Oh, I kinda saw that area. Here we go then.”

Seeing Holly open her eyes and look around the room again, Nancy figured something must have been worked out. “Are you good to go?”

There was another nod from Holly as soon as she found a spot on the wall she could use to open her door. “Just give me a few seconds, and I'll get that door open. Be ready, I don't know how long I can hold it for.”

Chance had remained quiet during this exchange, not wanting to get in the team's way, since Robin had made herself the faux negotiator for the situation. Everyone gathered around behind Holly, watching as the golden light spread up the wall, a door opening faster than Holly was used to. I guess the shorter the distance, the slower the door. She wasn't game to try forcing it open faster like she had back at Mike's house, because Holly was aware she already felt weak, and didn't feel like risking her fingers again.

Once the door was opened, Holly stepped back, holding her hand out to it to keep her concentration focused. “Time to go everyone, I can't hold it open long.” Max and Lucas went first to make sure no one was on the other side, before Jonathan, Steve and Dustin followed them. Nancy went next, and Chance threw a discarded plastic cap from the first aid equipment they had used at Robin to get her attention. 

“We're leaving now.” He gestured to the portal with his good hand, and Robin understood.

“Go, I'll be right behind you.” With that, Chance left and Robin loosened some of the hasty barricading on the door. “How about,” speaking slowly to drag this last moment out as long as possible, Robin addressed the angry soldiers on the other side of the door. “You give us ten seconds to clear the door for you, and then you can come in and get stuff for your injured men?” Believing that other people in the base were hurt and in genuine need of medical attention, Robin didn't want to have something like that on her conscience. Goodness knows she already had a lot going on up there, she didn't need any more.

Once the barricade was loosened enough that a few good knocks would do it in, Robin bolted for the portal, pulling Holly along behind her. As they both passed through, they heard the soldiers try to break through again, the wall sealing up just in time to protect the party from any unwanted additions. As Holly wiped the blood from her nose, the rest of the team had already gotten to work on the closest jeeps, Dustin surprising everyone yet again with another criminal activity he seemed to be familiar with; Hotwiring.

He claimed it was one of the only things that Eddie had taught him, but it was dubiously believed at best. Everyone who knew Eddie well, knew he had a rocky relationship when it came to his father's style of activities. But this wasn't the time or the place for questions and doubt, instead the group were just thankful they didn't have to also go hunting for car keys. It took a team to help Steve into the vehicle, as Max, Lucas, Robin and Nancy worked together to get him in and comfortable. Riding with him would be Holly and Dustin, whilst Max agreed to drive. She promised she was far less reckless since the last time she'd driven with an injured Steve in the car, which managed to elicit small smiles from Lucas and Dustin.

Chance, even with his injured hand, helped Jonathan into the back of the second vehicle, Nancy coming over to help with the crutches. As Dustin began working on the second M151, Robin pulled Nancy to one side. “I'm going to ride my bike out of here. Freedom, here we come!”

“Be safe, please?” Holding Robin back from running off straight away, Nancy instead waited for her promise that she would be alright.

“Yeah, I promise.” Putting her hand on top of Nancy’s for a moment, Robin smiled at Nancy, wanting to put her worries at ease. “ If I get separated I have a radio stashed in the bag on the back, I can get in touch with you, so there’s nothing to worry about. We’ve got this.” The pair let go of each other, and Nancy found Lucas already in the driver's seat, ready to go. Dustin was climbing into the back of Max’s car, and their usual sharpshooter figured she better not let herself get left behind. Climbing in to sit with Chance and Jonathan, Nancy wanted the radio.

“Now remember lovebirds, this isn't a race. Follow me out of here!” Running over to her personally modified Yamaha Maxim 650 and pulling her helmet on, Robin wasted no more time. Relieved to have her bike back, Robin wouldn’t know what she would have done if she’d lost this baby so soon after getting it. Once the engine was going, she was off, taking the direct route out of there, courtesy of the truck collision through the gate earlier.

Head turned to look behind them, Nancy could see the remaining military members at the other end of the compound, looking like a swarm of blobs in her vision. Holding out a hand to Chance, who was in the seat beside her, Nancy wanted the radio from him. “Mike, it’s time to get out of there. You better get your ass moving or I’m coming back to kick it myself.” Threat completed, Nancy handed the radio back to Chance, not expecting an answer just yet.

As Lucas followed Max and Robin’s lead out of the base, Chase adjusted the frequency the radio was set to manually, avoiding using the preset channels Dustin had configured into it. “Sammy J, this is Lucky Chance. Do you copy?”

“Woah, what are you doing?” Immediately on guard, Nancy didn’t like this new step in their escape plan.

Stopping Nancy from taking the radio from him by blocking her with his shoulder, Chance grunted in pain from jolting his injured hand. “I went out on a limb trusting Will, and we seem to have done alright. There’s only one other person I’ve come across with a similar offer, and right now I think we could use it. Unless you want Steve to end up dead because we couldn’t treat him fully?”

“This is Sammy J, I copy! What’s your emergency?” A female voice responded with way more pep in her voice than anyone expected to hear over the radio.

“Some of us Hawkins kids need medical attention. Can you help?” His breath hitched and looking like he was about to cry from exhaustion, Chance listened diligently for an answer.

“Understood. Give me your location, and I’ll guide you.”

~~~~~

After giving Mateo and Will a chance to quickly change their clothes into something more comfortable, Mike walked out of the barracks with Willow sitting up high on his shoulders, all four of them headed towards The Tower. Deliberately trying to get the attention of the remaining soldiers most likely holed up inside, Mike hoped that coming out into the open like this didn’t backfire on him immediately. 

After giving Mateo and Will a chance to quickly change their clothes into something more comfortable, Mike walked out of the barracks with Willow sitting up high on his shoulders, all four of them headed towards The Tower. Deliberately trying to get the attention of the remaining soldiers most likely holed up inside, Mike hoped that coming out into the open like this didn’t backfire on him immediately.

“Are you sure this is the best idea you can come up with?” Will would follow his party leader anywhere, but he maintained his right to question Mike’s belief in the plan. “I feel like this is really risky.”

“We’re sure about it. See, Willow and I have an ace up our sleeve.” Putting the young girl down so she wasn't an easy target, Mike kept her safe by standing in front of her protectively.

Speaking to Will telepathically, Mateo raised his hands, ready to engage with their new enemies. “Here they come, are you ready?”

Taking a deep breath, Will nodded, shaking his hands slightly in an attempt to loosen his shoulders. It didn’t work all that well. As the soldiers raised their guns, Mateo clenched his hands, and every single weapon freshly pointed at the four ‘subjects’ froze in place. No matter how hard they tried to move them, the soldiers realised that their main form of attack had been arrested in place. Mateo’s nose began to bleed as he pulled the guns forward slightly, before slamming them backwards into the faces of each enemy carrying one, breaking noses and knocking out some of them, every single one staggering backwards as they hit the ground hard. Bringing the rifles closer with a flick of his wrists, Mateo released the guns from his hold as the armaments skittered across the ground, stopping less than two feet in front of the psychic team.

Seeing another squad raise their weapons to the left of them, Will closed his eyes and reached out, trying to tap into how they were feeling. Remembering what it was like with the hivemind, the empathic individual figured that following orders in a chain of command would have a similar sensation to it. The need to see a task completed, the urgency of consequences should you fail, and the release of responsibility should you complete your assignment, no matter what you were asked to do. Eyes turning white, palm raised to the sky as his hand shot out towards them, fingers tensed and somewhat curled, Will raised the four squadmates into the air simultaneously.

“I’m sorry I have to do this…” Will whispered aloud, hoping each soldier could hear him speak in their minds as he linked them. “But I can’t allow you to hurt my friends.” Clenching his fist, Will heard the screams of pain as he rendered them incapable of combat, the right arms of each soldier broke in the same three places; One in the radius, one in the ulna and one in the humerus. Dropping them again as they too became just more people writhing on the ground in pain, Will wiped his nose with his sleeve. Glancing at Mateo and Willow to make sure they were okay, the Sorcerer did his best to not feel sick with guilt. He really didn’t want to hurt anyone, but it was a situation reminiscent of the rock and a hard place question.

Witnessing Will’s abilities out of the corner of his eye, Mike recalled the last time he’d done something of the sort. Clearly, being disconnected from the hivemind hadn’t weakened Will at all, as he not only grabbed more bodies than last time, he had such specific control that he didn’t kill them either. Unable to celebrate as he desperately needed to focus on his own abilities, Mike was throwing up temporary shields to block the bullets coming from The Tower itself, as a sniper had set themselves up on one of the few protrusions from the building’s rounded face that pointed his direction. 

“Mike, it’s time to get out of there. You better get your ass moving or I’m coming back to kick it myself.” Nancy’s voice crackled over the radio Will had clipped to his belt.

Sensing that Willow was also starting to get antsy, Mike finally called out, “CEASEFIRE! I want to talk to Major General Reicher! I know he’s here.”

“Insane. Your friends are all, genuinely, fully insane. What the hell is he doing?” Mateo looked to Will for help, but even he had no idea what was going on. Mike didn’t exactly explain what the full plan was here, just that he had one and that everything was going to be fine. Willow shifted to be standing behind Will and Mateo, the elder of the two breaking eye contact with their opponents briefly to see what she was doing.

Keeping their guns raised in position but no longer firing, Mike took this chance to wipe his own nose clean with his sleeve, vaguely feeling the warm blood sneak its way out of his face. The remaining platoon members finally emerged from hiding like a personal guard, carrying four speakers with them, setting them down and turning them up, all connected to a generator that was likely behind the same building they all appeared from.

“I’m entertaining this ceasefire because I am amused, and nothing more.” Looking down his nose at Mike, Reicher was unimpressed with the standard of soldiers he had employed at this base. He was clearly grabbing them too soon from their training to join his special forces program; a mistake he would rectify as soon as he was able. “What do you want?”

Stepping forward and putting distance between himself and his friends, Mike spoke with a confidence he wasn’t totally sure he felt. “I want to leave, I thought that was pretty obvious. But since that’s not how you army assholes like to play these games, I’m instead going to give you a choice.”

Scoffing at his brazen disrespect, the Major General was not impressed. “You’re not exactly in the position to be making ultimatums.”

"Everyone deserves a choice.” Mike’s gaze hardened, steeling himself before this war veteran who was clearly comfortable with being the ‘strongest power’ in the room. “You can let us leave, tend to the men you still have, and we can continue this little power struggle some other time. Or, we can ruin you right here, right now, in front of the few men you have left.”

“You’re full of shit, Subject. I think you’re bluffing, otherwise you would have just killed us all and left. I saw what you did in the butterfly room.” Believing Mike’s position to be a complete facade, Reicher thought only as a warrior, and not as a survivor who still had morals to guide him. “You wouldn’t have called the ceasefire unless you’re feeling too drained to take on the rest of us.”

Livid that he brought that up, Mike was glad that he had stepped away from the others, not wanting Will to hear about what he’d done without control of himself. “You clearly haven’t seen what I did in the barracks then. At least they had the choice. Now, are you going to doom your men here as well, or will they die because of you?” Sensing that Hush was nearly in place, Mike recoiled with futility as Reicher grabbed him by the neck. “You know as well as I do, you have to choose between us with your Sound Cannons. You can take down me and the girl, or you can take out the boys. You can’t do both at once.” This caused Reicher to squeeze tighter, causing major discomfort and would likely bruise at least a little bit later.

Moving to protect Mike, Will went to raise his hand in an attempt to reach into Reicher’s mind, but Willow tugged on his sleeve. “Not yet. Mike says not yet, he’s okay. Just a few more seconds.”

“What’s he doing?” Will whispered back, but Willow just shook her head, continuing to hold onto Will’s sleeve.

“Not going to fight back now? What happened, run out of psychic juice?” Amused that Mike didn’t use his newfound powers against him, Reicher let go of Mike again, feeling that he was under no threat. “I guess that means I know which frequency to start with now, don’t I?”

Undeterred, Mike rubbed his neck to ease the pain, head facing down despite his gaze never leaving Reicher’s face. “Alright Reicher, I assume you're not totally stupid so, let me posit a scenario; Man vs machine.” Stepping dangerously closer to Reicher, Mike wasn't afraid to stand up to just another bully, even if said bully could basically run the country’s entire army. “Now a machine is non-sentient, airtight, and unchangeable. It's set in its motion and if it misses, it will always miss.” A smile crept up on Mike’s face, whilst Reicher just raised an eyebrow at him, refusing to be intimidated by someone he saw as a manchild. “A man however, can move. A man is sentient and most importantly for this scenario, a man cannot be airtight,” This word caused Reicher to rethink his position on Mike, as the ‘experiment’ pointed up to one of the balconies of The Tower. “If he is firing bullets. You really thought a respirator would stop us?”

A burst of gunfire rang out as the sniper on the tower fired without command from Reicher, destroying the first of the speakers. Reicher quickly signalled for the other speakers to be turned on, but the second was destroyed the moment their Kryptonian sound played. Ultimately Reicher had decided to play the higher frequency (indicated with the specific hand gesture he had used), but reflexively Mike threw up a shield to protect his friends behind him, only cringing from the sound because the cannons weren't pointed at him.

The two men stood close enough together that Reicher watched as Mike's eyes changed from brown to glowing purple, the veins of shadow becoming visible against his skin once more, pulsing with the power he shared with Hush now. “Your pets wanted monsters, and that is exactly what they got. This blood is on your hands.”

The last two cannons went down easily as Mike backed up to stand with his friends again, shield lowered. The assailant with the long-range rifle that Hush had completed a bodily takeover for to destroy the speakers had seemingly thrown themselves off the ledge of The Tower, falling to the ground with a fleshy thump, and a few cracks too far away to be heard. Having used his Shadow Travel ability to get back to the group, Hush nested within Mike's body because it was the safest place for him to recoup. Soldiers began firing again, at their will out of fear for what would happen to them if they couldn’t protect themselves, some of them resorting to live ammo due to Mateo confiscating their weapons earlier. Reicher slunk back into the ranks of his men before disappearing into The Tower itself, retreating to a safer location.

Hiding them behind the strongest shield he could manage, Mike could feel Willow using her healing ability on him now, essentially sharing her energy as he took consistent bouts of psychic damage in deterring the projectiles. “If I make a shield platform, can one of you guys launch us? I'm going to have enough trouble keeping it together when the four of us stand on it.” Speaking to Will with the voice he’d always used when they were kids, Mike couldn’t think of any other way to speak to his longest friend.

Trying not to get caught in blushing in Mike’s gaze, Will turned to face Mateo, relaying the question to the actual telekinetic prodigy present. There was a slight nod from Mateo, and Will answered with, “Yeah, we can do it, get it ready.”

Having come to a decision of his own, Mateo stood in front of the group this time, whilst Mike focused on creating a shield for them all to stand on. They might have been totally insane, but Will and his whacked out friends had come to save him. They sustained injuries that will haunt them the rest of their lives for a kid they didn't know. Mateo honestly wasn't sure what the feeling he had been overcome with was called, but those of us who could teach him would say it was gratitude.

I have waited so very long for this. This will be my freedom, or my death; either way, I'll be rid of these cruel people at last. Breathing in as deeply as possible, Mateo summoned all of his pain, his agony and heartache, and screamed. He screamed so loudly it passed through Mike’s barrier with ease, the last stray bullets getting caught on the golden barricade instead of finding their marks. He screamed so harshly that everyone had to cover their ears, even his allies behind him. Turning his head to fill the area with his supersonic scream, Mateo used a register that caused damage to anyone who heard it full on, psychic or not. 

With their entire opposing force now disabled, Mike picked up Willow and helped Will step onto the new ‘shield platform’ with him. “Mateo, quick!” With the last passenger on board, Mateo focused on the psychic construct beneath them, and together with Mike, they launched it upwards, angled so they could clear the fence to the forest on the other side.

Scrambling to recover and open fire, the soldiers were wild with their shots, often causing more damage to themselves due to how loud their guns were, than actually being a threat to the escapees. Landing outside the compound fence wasn't easy on the knees or good for the ankles, but the escapees didn't have time to stop and rest. Tumbling and running as soon as they could, Mike threw up one last shield behind them as they fled into the trees, finally free of the cells and scientists that held them.

Chapter Text

No one was answering their damn phones. Not Max. Not Mike. Not even Nancy! At least someone had picked up after an hour of failed call attempts to the other two numbers, with Suzie answering Nancy’s phone line. Karen understood that her kids had busy lives, and that Nancy's apartment doubled as her business office, but Holly's life was here, at home, in Hawkins. Yet the concerned mother hadn't seen her youngest since Friday morning, knowing Max had picked her up from school. Becoming more suspicious of Max’s surprise appearance on Saturday, Karen didn't know what to do

She had been in tears when Ted got home from work, unable to form words thanks to her emotional state, and the scars on her neck and chest created from the last disaster that had struck her family. Ted held her until she calmed enough to talk, their marriage having found a new form of peace; Caretakers of each other rather than lovers as such. They had a comfortable life, knew each other well and could work around each other, like teammates rather than soulmates, and they'd found a state of calm.

“What's going on Karen? Has something happened?”

“Holly- She hasn't come home, and no one is answering. I'm terrified something's happened and we aren't being told anything, again. I've tried calling Max, Mike and Nancy, but Suzie said Nancy was away working a case. And then there's this letter…” Holding up an envelope she received earlier that day, it was clearly hand delivered due to the absence of a postmark.

Inside were two little game figures from the game her children played, and a child’s drawing in crayon. Showing them to Ted, Karen read out the words as they were difficult to read, even to her eye trained for terrible handwriting over the years. “Something's happened, I just know it. But where do I start looking? Do I go to the police, or what? I-I don't know if this is enough for them to look into anything, and Mike lives out of town. What if we’re too late?”

Putting a hand on his wife's shoulder, Ted had one idea. He really didn't like the idea, but it was the best one he had to offer. “Now, you know how much I don't really like her, but why don't you give Joyce a call? She knew more about all that mumbo jumbo our kids were involved in last time, and Jim might still be chief even though they're in… what, Montauk now?”

Eyes widening, Karen wondered why she didn't think of that. Probably too busy spiralling from my depression again. Sighing softly at her internal admonishment, Karen nodded. “Thanks, I can at least find out if she's heard from her kids. It's almost Thanksgiving, so they should have been in contact, right?”

“Right. Call her up, I'm going to put my case away.” Taking his work briefcase, Ted left Karen to her own devices with the phone call.

“Hello, this is Joyce?” Speaking with a raised inflection at the end of her sentence, Joyce used her greeting to imply the question of “who is this/what do you want?” With the simple greeting.

“Hey Joyce, it's Karen. Sorry to bother you with such a strange question, but have you heard anything from your boys about Thanksgiving?” Fiddling with the phone cord as she spoke, Karen sat down in her chair before she fell down.

There was a sigh from the other end. “No, but I just figured they were busy, and maybe they had left calling to the last minute again. Why, do you need them for something?”

“No, no uhm… I just haven't heard from my kids either.” Sniffling as she felt the tears start forming again, Karen did her best to hold it together. “I just thought that, maybe, you might know something from the grapevine. You always managed to know something or other about what they were up to is all.”

There were several beats of silence, in which Karen held her breath. Biting back the sobs that threatened to explode from her windpipe caused her throat to burn, but Karen didn’t want to worry Joyce if it was nothing. After all, just because her kids weren’t getting back to her, didn’t mean that Jonathan and Will were involved somehow. They lived all the way over in New York City; Far enough away from Nancy, Mike and Holly to somehow be pulled back into their orbit.

“Karen… You wouldn’t call me if it was just a small worry. Something’s happened, hasn’t it? Do you want to talk about it?” Wondering if maybe she’d gotten into a fight with her kids, or if Ted had become worse to her maybe, Joyce wanted to extend the same courtesy to Karen as what Karen had shown her back when Will originally went missing. Mrs Wheeler was a kind and proud person, so having her suddenly ring up in the evening, barely able to speak at a normal register made Joyce’s red flags start waving at her anxiety like a wakeup call.

Unable to choke it back any longer, Karen broke down for the nth time that day. “When Will went missing - How did you know he was okay?”

It was something she had wanted to ask Joyce the entire time she was laying in that hospital bed, unable to help her children against horrors in the world she couldn’t have dreamt of even if she tried before one attacked her. Karen had always wondered how Joyce could have been so certain, even after they pulled that body from the quarry.

“I’m his mother, I just… I felt it. In my heart you know, like an instinct. I knew he was alive, but I also knew he wasn’t okay. I was terrified - you saw me, I must have looked like a madwoman with how I was talking to everyone.”

“So if I told you…” Trying to avoid hyperventilating should she fully lose access to oxygen, Karen felt Ted’s hand grip her shoulder gently, grounding her with the reminder that she wasn’t alone in this, not like Joyce had been. “If I told you that I haven’t seen Holly since Friday, none of my children are answering my calls and I received a strange envelope today, you’d believe me that I think my kids are in trouble again?”

“Karen, that’s plenty more evidence than ‘the lights talked to me and I heard my son breathe on the phone’. Of course I would believe you, do you want me and Hop to come back to Hawkins? We can help.”

Looking up at Ted, Karen held the phone to her chest and relayed the question. “Joyce wants to know if we need them in Hawkins with us.”

Shaking his head, Ted had a different idea. “We’ll go to Montauk. If nothing else, you need to get out of this house for a day or two.”

“But what if Holly comes home? We won’t be here for her.” Shocked that Ted would suggest they leave town, Karen didn’t know how to process this.

Knowing the lengths Jim Hopper had gone to for the sake of the kids over the years, and Joyce, Ted had other ideas. “You know Holly; If she was alright, she would have called us by now. If Joyce or Jim hear anything, we won’t have to wait for them to ring. Plus, Joyce and her kids lived with us for months, they can survive us a few days on their turf.”

“Okay-” Nodding slowly, Karen raised the phone back to her ear. “No, uh, do you mind if we come to you instead?”

“We can host you in our house if you want to save on accommodation. Don’t worry about Hop, he’ll be fine with it when I explain things to him.”

Taking a few calming breaths to ease her emotional state, Karen was able to ease up a little. There was a plan, and therefore something for her to do. “Thank you Joyce, for all of this. Really, you’ve been through so much and I don’t mean to drag you into something, even if it’s nothing.”

“Karen, I will happily be dragged into anything if it means us moms are able to show our kids we aren’t afraid to protect them. I heard about what you did to that Demogorgon that got you that night, and I’m proud to call you a friend. You’re not alone in this. See you soon, okay?”

“See you soon.” After all this time, Karen had finally heard Joyce declare her as a friend. Not just an old school friend, but an actual friend she was proud of. She never realised how much it mattered to her until the moment she heard it, and it was enough to fight back her anxiety about her children for now, allowing Karen to move again.

With the phone call over, Ted moved so Karen could get up, reaching for the phone himself. “Pack a light bag, I can get us a flight to Islip tonight, then it’s a short drive to Montauk. We leave in about ten minutes, I just need to make a call. Our kids have spent so long avoiding living at home, it’s about time we went out and dragged them back here ourselves.”

“Ted… You’re an accountant. How could you manage something like that so fast?” Now thoroughly shocked at her husband’s certainty at such a feat, Karen had no idea where this was coming from.

Looking downcast, Ted felt a little hurt that after so long of knowing each other, Karen thought so little of the job that gave them such a comfortable life, monetarily speaking. “Sometimes I am able to do things for my clients that gives them… enough relief that they owe me a favour. Sometimes, they owe me so many favours, it would behoove them to let me collect. No one expects an accountant to call in a favour, but it they also know it would be disastrous for them if they didn’t.”

Impressed now by her husband, Karen gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry for doubting you Ted. I’ll let you make that call, I’ll go pack for us.”

Chapter Text

It had been a long night, and the Wheelers had never been more thankful to fall into bed for the night over semi-normal reasons. They packed the bare essentials for a day or two away, leaving the car at a private airport where a plane took them to ISP as planned, with Ted driving the rest of the way to Montauk. Jim met them at the station and brought them to his modest three bedroom home that he shared with Joyce, the married life suiting them both.

After freshening up in the bathroom for the morning, Ted and Karen were invited to breakfast, where Joyce insisted she cooked for them. “It's only fair after all,” she commented. “What with you putting up with me and my boys and all

Ted had seemed to be very happy about this, whilst Karen just tried not to be the bundle of anxiety. In some amusing way, the roles had managed to reverse; Joyce was well put together, her life finally making some sense, being the emotional rock and Karen was the one who felt like everything could fall apart any second without warning.

Sitting at the table with the Wheeler parents, Jim wanted to talk about Holly; just some general police questions that came standard with any missing child. “Now I know a lot is going on, and we've seen some pretty weird stuff between the four of us, but I'll keep this as normal as possible, alright?”

Glancing at each other, Ted nodded and Karen answered. “Yeah, we're ready.”

“First thing's first, when was the last time you saw Holly?”

“Friday morning,” both Ted and Karen spoke, but Karen continued her answer for more details. “Mary’s parents drove her because Max was going to pick her up after, and she didn't want to leave her bike at school.”

“Max?” Jim raised an eyebrow. “As in, Max Mayfield?” This got another pair of nods. “When was the last time you saw or heard from Max?”

“Saturday,” Karen provided, but Jim’s gaze shifted to Ted as he tried to remember something.

“Wasn't there a police officer asking about her just before she showed up too?” Recalling something odd occurring that day, Ted had been watching the news when it happened. There was a lot of information to recall.

Giving a small smile to Joyce as she served up breakfast for the group, there were polite ‘thank you’s before Karen answered again. “Yes. Actually, that wasn't the only strange thing.”

“Why don't you tell us about the entire day, in order as much as possible?”

“Well, it was a quiet house. Max and Holly had gone to visit Mike for the weekend. I remember hearing a strange thump upstairs, from Holly's room when I was putting laundry away but there wasn't anything there when I looked. It was just… normal.” Karen sighed, sipping her coffee and leaving her food untouched for now as everyone else ate. “Then later an officer came to the house. Said he was looking for Max, because her mother was worried she wasn't answering her phone. I told him that she was at Mike's, he thanked me and left. But then just a bit later, Max showed up too.”

“Was she with Holly?” Joyce asked, since Jim couldn't talk right that second. “Or did she say anything about her?”

Closing her eyes and doing her best to remember every detail, Karen focused. “She said Holly left something behind. Something for Mike, so she offered to drive back and get it. But I couldn't see her car, and her answer made sense but it still… felt weird. And why would Holly want to give Mike her A Wrinkle in Time book anyway?”

“Isn't that the Mr Whatsit book? Maybe it was for Mike’s book?” Jim couldn't remember what every kid was doing at any time, even if it was his adopted daughter's ex boyfriend whom he'd experienced a weird grudge match turned respect style relationship with.

Ted nodded, giving Karen the chance to eat something. “That's the one. Holly loved that book before… well, you know. And she hasn't picked it up again since. But Mike finished his book right before he moved out of our house. So I doubt it was for that.”

A cat decided to interrupt their meal at this point, a young grey furball hopping up on the table. “Oh come on now Bob, we know you're a clever kitty but your food is down there, not up here.” Joyce affectionately removed the feline from the table.

“You named him Bob?” A little confused, Ted wanted clarification for the reason

Jim chuckled a little bit as Joyce took the cat back to the lounge where the food bowls were. “He's such a smart cat, Joyce wanted to name him after ‘The Brain’ himself.” After washing her hands quickly in the kitchen sink, Joyce returned to the table.

“That's so sweet.” Since they had all gone to school with Bob Newby, Karen thought it was an adorable way to honour their friend.

Getting back on track, Jim wanted to make sure they weren't missing anything. “Now, you said Max didn't have her car?”

Nodding, Karen finished her mouthful. “She said she parked it a few blocks away, and walked to ease the cramps in her legs before driving back. I mean, it's logical but still… seemed weird. After that, there wasn't anything strange I know of?”

“Something on the radio about a crash just outside of town, reminding everyone to be careful on the highways.” Otherwise, there hadn't been anything unusual until Holly missed the acceptable time for coming home, since she had school on Monday.

“Have there been any changes in Holly’s behaviour recently? New people in her life maybe, new clubs or bullying problems at school even?” Asking as Joyce cleared the plates from the table, Jim wanted to check if anything else in their circumstances had changed.

“No? No, nothing, Holly is just - Holly, right Ted?” Karen, immediately assuming Hopper was referring to behaviour more akin to Mike around the time Will went missing, was adamant her daughter wasn't like that at all.

Ted was a lot more considerate about the question, not immediately thinking the worst. “Well, actually, yeah. She's got her confidence back. That, little sparkle of joy in her eyes, even without Mike home, hasn't dulled in months. Everything at home has been getting better; The Wheeler household has been repairing itself. That's change, right?”

“Yes, not all changes are bad, just any changes at all. Thanks for your honesty Ted, it really helps.” Impressed by his former classmate from so many years ago, Jim was also realising he shouldn't be so quick to judge one Ted Wheeler. Checking the time, Jim realised he was going to be late for work. “Thank you for talking with me about the situation this morning, I know it must be difficult for you both. I gotta head to the station now but I can follow up on some things as soon as I get there.”

“Can Ted go with you?” Volunteering her husband, Karen wanted someone to be with Jim; Sure the police station was supposed to be safe, but no officer had ever truly tried to understand and help her family. Powell and Callahan were in over their heads without Hopper, and since she didn't know anyone else in Montauk, she wanted someone she trusted to be there for Jim.

Caught off guard but not against the idea, Ted and Jim both shrugged and decided to go with it. “See you later ladies, stay safe alright?” Bidding farewell to their wives, Ted and Jim left.

Reaching for Karen’s hand across the table, Joyce recognised the signs of someone who had been on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Even though Karen had slept, it hadn't been enough to truly calm her mind. “Hey, it'll be alright. Did you bring that uh, letter by any chance? The envelope you mentioned - it had a drawing in it?”

“Yeah, I have it in my bag.” Getting up from the table, hand released by her friend, Karen left to the spare bedroom graciously provided for her to rest in. Holding the envelope like it would disintegrate under her touch, Karen had done her utmost to ensure it wouldn't be bent or crinkled beyond how she had received it

Handing it over took more energy than she would have liked, and sitting back down at the table made Karen realise just how much of a zombie she felt like. Food and sleep had done wonders, but it wasn't enough. Seeing her children safe would be the only thing to properly revive her, she decided. Taking the envelope, Joyce took out the two tiny figures and the folded crayon drawing. “What is it that this says? I think it’s smudged a little… But it’s definitely not quite what I was expecting.” Part of her had hoped it was one of Will’s pieces, but this definitely held the qualities of a young child still learning how to draw with crayons.

Speaking the words from memory so her eyes didn’t have to re-decipher them, Karen recited the writing on the page. “Mike the Brave, a human WyldShape Paladin with Willow the Wanderer, elven Oathsworn Druid, and Hush the Magic Mystery, questing to Reunite The Party. Holly the Heroic got lost! With brackets around the Holly part, of course.”

“This looks just like the little figure. You know, Will drew me a comic once that explained what all the characters are and why they had their specific titles,” Chuckling a little bit as she remembered it, Joyce tried to recall where it got put. “But I don’t know this Willow person, she must be a new one.” Putting the paper down on the table, Joyce looked at it, wondering if she should get out Will’s art just to compare it. Probably in the attic, so not easy to just grab out…

“Yeah, Willow is this girl that lives next to Mike. Holly met her over the summer when Mike moved there, so maybe they played this game with her as well.” Shrugging and burying her face in her hands, Karen’s next words came out as a murmur. “That’s why I thought maybe something had happened to my kids. I don’t know who delivered this, or why, but Mike wouldn’t ever be without his little character. Holly never goes anywhere without hers on her necklace - Mike gave it to her before… well, before she was taken.”

“I think someone is… maybe…  trying to give you hope then. Maybe - Maybe the drawing means they’re looking for Holly right now. We don’t know what’s going on, and that’s hard to deal with - believe me, I get it, I really get it.” Hand over her chest as she gave a heartfelt indication in her understanding of empathy for Karen in this situation, Joyce hated not knowing what was going on with her kids as well. But things had gotten easier with time, and being out of Hawkins, and knowing that her kids could look after themselves. Cutting off Henry’s head had done wonders to calm Joyce’s nerves in the end too apparently, even if there would always be some part of her that regretted it. They had been friends, once.

Wiping her eyes and trying to regain her composure, Karen nodded and sniffled, holding her head up as she took a few deep breaths. “There was, uhm, one other thing I wanted to bring up with you, mother to mother. This one really could be nothing but, uhm, I didn’t want to irk the menfolk.” Speaking with a silly tone when referring to their husbands, Karen tried her best to lighten the mood, even if it didn’t lift her spirits as much as she needed.

“No matter how strange, or unusual, or small you think it is, I’m happy to listen. With or without the men around.” Promising that she would take Karen seriously, Joyce was patient with Karen, letting her find her own words.

“I was upstairs on Saturday, like I said, doing washing… and I know Holly sometimes misses socks that get caught under her bed, so I went back into her room after Max had left and I… I found a bloodied washcloth in her room. I thought maybe it was just something to do with her menstrual cycle and maybe she was embarrassed or something about it because she’s still so young but…” Karen took a breath, holding onto Joyce’s hands again for emotional support. “It’s not consistent like that. It’s way too frequent, and usually just bloodied tissues in her bin if I happen to take it out for her. And this cloth it… It was still damp. But the floor beneath it wasn’t wet.”

Frowning and looking back at the image, Joyce took in the colour glow around Mike’s sword and the heart on the shield, thinking very slowly to make sure her idea wasn’t completely crazy. “Sounds like maybe you did hear someone up there. I think… What if it was from blood noses? Does that sound a bit more realistic?”

Nodding, Karen was reminded of a time where she had brought that very question up with Holly. “Yes, she was playing with Mary once, and when she came over to me she had a blood nose. Which is weird because Mary was the one that cried out in pain, and Holly didn’t even realise she was bleeding at all until I cleaned her up.”

“How did Mary hurt herself?” Confused as to how that was relevant here, Joyce felt close to a dangerous confirmation of her thoughts.

Karen shook her head, not really certain. “She assured us she was fine, it was just a fright.”

“Ok, Karen? I have a, uhm, a thought I want to run by you. But I’m going to need to tell you a lot of stuff that might be… a bit, you know, hard to digest, because it really does sound crazy. I know none of the kids wanted to go through everything that happened with you, especially because you were still recovering, and it was all over but… The blood nose is too much of a coincidence.” Realising she was trying to tell Karen what she was getting at, whilst also jumping straight to the end without all the context, Joyce summed up her thoughts into a single sentence. “I think Holly was in your house on Saturday.”

“...What?!”

Joyce went on to explain several things, stopping whenever Karen needed a second to process, or going on a tangent to answer questions. When Karen felt she finally had the full truth understood in her brain, she did her best to sum it up for Joyce

“You're telling me, that the weird kid from high school, Henry, was sent to another dimension by Hopper's daughter with psychic powers, became a supervillain and stole your son, which in turn gave Will superpowers? Which you think might be what's happened with Holly, too?”

“Yeah,” Joyce nodded without hesitation. “Yeah, cuz see, El’s powers were given to her through blood transfusions and all that, you know, crazy doctor stuff using Henry’s DNA, and something kinda similar happens to Will. Who's to say it didn't happen with Holly, too?” Wondering if Karen would agree or not, Joyce pressed the other key piece of evidence that supported her theory. “Using psychic powers causes blood noses. Trust me, I've seen it plenty of times.”

What Joyce didn't expect was for Karen to go quiet. The tears were back, slowly amassing in her eyes as the mental gears turned. Having stood up to better animate herself during her ‘wild’ descriptions, Joyce chose to sit beside Karen this time. “Woah, what are you thinking, what's going on up in there, huh?”

“Just… If Holly does have these powers… Why didn't she tell me?” Her voice was small, which was always a discomforting sight with a woman usually so confident and sure of herself. “I thought we were healing, together. We make it through dinner with genuine happiness. Holly and I love baking together, and she tells me about crushes in class and all the normal stuff. Why would she hide something like this from me?”

The two mothers hugged, Joyce brought to tears as she remembered feeling the same way, so many times. “Maybe she just didn't want to scare you. Or maybe it's because you'd finally become happier again, she didn't want to risk undoing it. It's not because you're a bad mother, I promise. It's okay Karen, Holly is a sweet kid, so I promise you - I promise you, it's not because she doesn't trust you.”

~~~~~

Arriving at the station, Hopper greeted the officers ready to click off from night shift, getting Fed signed in as an official visitor because he was assisting with a case. Together, they made some calls, discovering that Jonathan hadn't shown up for school despite having a project deadline, and that Will hadn't been to work

Taking a break as they tried to figure out their next move, Jim took Ted into one of their interrogation rooms more to get away from the other officers, as opposed to actually interrogate Ted.

“So, are we gonna make some more calls?” Sipping his coffee, Ted asked the first question this time, watching Jim stare at his cup like he was wishing it into alcohol.

There was a small sigh. “I got the guys running leads with other departments just in case someone else has heard something, but I'm not sure there's more we can do. I hit up Nancy’s number in case Suzie answered again, but nothing.”

They sat in a shared silence for a time; Not a comfortable one, but rather a mutual respect. As they finished up their coffee, they headed back out into the ‘bullpen’ (even though it was so small they often joked it was just a pigsty at this point) and were confronted by two officers. “Excuse me, sir?” A rookie on the force who clearly drew the short straw addressed Jim.

“Please, it's just Hopper,” trying to help set the kid at ease, Jim then prompted, “What's up?”

“The uh, army called?” He looked scared. “They asked us to have you stop looking into this case you brought us this morning. They uhm, told us to arrest you if you didn't comply.”

Hopper's deputy, the second officer that had come to see him, spoke now too. “Poor rook is the one who took the call. Mind letting us in on whatever we walked into?”

“The military is intervening? Again?” Ted looked very concerned, because that meant this was very real.

Huffing because he was internally fuming, Hop tried not to direct his anger at the wrong people. “They're not even trying through state first. Hold off on following any leads. I'll take Ted back home with me, so you can confirm with them that I've taken the day off, tell them I'm not pursuing anything.” Moving through the offices just to grab his hat and jacket, Jim then began heading for the front door, three people in tow. “Can you look after the station for me?”

“Of course chief,” The deputy was confident in holding down the fort. “Good luck.”

Getting into the car with Jim, Ted huffed a small, “We'll need it,” getting a grunt of agreement from Jim.

~~~~~

Home before lunch wasn’t something that Jim was on a work day, but today was the exception. Arriving back at the house with Ted in tow, the men found their wives sitting at the dinner table, quietly drinking cups of tea as Karen tried to reign in her emotional outbursts. She had apologised for crying into Joyce’s arms, saying she must have looked ridiculous but Joyce rode it out with her, the breakfast dishes not yet washed in the kitchen.

“Hop? What’re you doing back already?” Whilst she knew Jim was an expert detective, even this felt a bit sudden for ‘good news’.

Holding tightly to her mug of tea but being just cautious enough to ensure she didn’t break it, Karen was afraid of what they would have to say. “Did you find something?”

Jim shook his head whilst Ted broke the news. “The military asked us to stop investigating.”

Sharing a look, Joyce and Karen spoke wordlessly, before Joyce faced both men, ready to explain her theory a second time. “We think Holly might have powers. We don’t know what kind of powers, or what they can do, but she’s been getting blood noses and keeping it a secret.”

Going over everything again, but with a little more context thrown into the mix, Ted mostly just sat and listened. Everything these three adults were saying sounded completely made up to him, but he also figured maybe it just wasn’t his world to understand. He did money and numbers, and that had always served him well. There wasn’t much more on Earth he needed to understand, because clearly everyone else he knew, understood it for him. He had been able to pick up some bits and pieces, like the notion that Holly had been stolen by the military for secret experiments, and that maybe the kids were mixed up in dangerous business again.

Once they finished ironing out details on their theory, Ted found an opening to finally speak again. “Now that all the discussion is finished, what are we going to do? How do we find our kids?”

“There is one more person I can call that might be able to help us get around the military angle, but I can’t guarantee anything.” Jim pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling like the universe was really just out to get them all at this point. That or the military’s scientists, because Agent Orange had been no joke either. “He’s not military anymore, just retired but I’ll see what he says.”

“Wait, you aren’t calling who I think you are, are you?” Shocked, Joyce’s eyes widened, whilst Ted and Karen shared a look of confusion, having no idea who he was talking about.

“Yep.” Headed to the phone hanging on the wall, Hopper punched in a number he forced himself to remember, even though he too was under the belief that the madness had stopped with the death of Henry. “Let’s just hope he picks up.”

The phone rang twice, the room full of a tension so strong you could almost hear everyone’s heartbeats. “This is Sam, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

“Hey Doc,” Letting out a sigh of relief that Doctor Sam Owens had answered the phone, Jim just hoped he could answer their prayers too. “We need your help.”

“I had a feeling I was going to be hearing from you again some time soon actually. Let me see what I can do.”

Chapter Text

Running until the sun was ready to set, Willow couldn’t keep going. Literally tripping over her own feet, the youngest party member almost couldn’t manage the whimper that came out as she thumped against the ground. It had been such a big day that she just couldn’t take much more, as even adrenaline ran out eventually. Immediately stopping and changing directions to help her, Mike was by her side in an instant, scooping the ten year old up to check if she was alright.

Breathing heavily, Will and Mateo stopped as well, with Will doubling over to try and catch his breath easier. “Do you guys think they're still following us?”

“I can't hear anything,” Mateo looked back to where they came from, unable to hear any signs of pursuit

Certain that Willow was alright and just tired, Mike looked over at his companions and smiled at them. “They’d be fools to follow us anyway, I think. I mean, we totally just kicked their asses. Mateo, that was an awesome move back there, very Black Canary of you.”

“Who’s Black Canary?” Asking for himself as much as he was for the kids, Will didn’t recognise the name.

Now that everyone had caught their breath a bit, Mike crouched down and gave Will a playfully shocked expression. “Don’t let Max hear you say that, she’d be hitting you over the head with comic books otherwise.” Chuckling a little bit and standing once Willow was clutched tightly to him, receiving a piggyback ride, Mike gave a proper description of the character. “Well, I technically mean the second Black Canary, but it’s a superhero title that a mom and her daughter use. They’re super skilled at martial arts and stuff, but the daughter, Dinah, she has an ability called Canary Cry. She uses a supersonic scream to disorient her enemies, just like what Mateo did back there.” Rambling about comic books as if they were just walking through the forest together back in Hawkins as kids, Mike almost seemed weirdly carefree in the moment.

Chuckling and shaking his head, Will gave Mike a playful push on the shoulder, but made sure it wasn’t too hard because carrying Willow might have toppled him. “Once a nerd, always a nerd.”

“Proudly!” Smiling brightly at Will, Mike couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit. “You were always more of an X-Men comics person though, right? Didn’t you and Dustin used to like, make bets with the issues?”

“Yeah, yeah we did… Oh shit! Dustin!” Hearing his friend’s name, Will had a thought and unhooked the radio from his belt and held it up, pressing down the button to talk. “Rescue Party, Monitors, this is Sorcerer, does anybody copy? Over.” Speaking on the main line that was supposed to be monitored at all times, the group stopped again to gather around Will, listening intently if any reply came through. After a minute of nothing, Will tried again, to no avail. Wandering along for the next ten minutes, Will tried at varying intervals to get a response, being met with only silence.

“You should probably turn it off. Cerebro is pretty awesome, but we don’t know where we are, so we might not be in range or something.” Hoping Will understood his concerns, Mike offered an alternative. “If we save power and get to higher ground, we might have a better chance.”

“Yeah, that’s a fair point…” Sighing in defeat, Will turned the radio off and hooked it back onto his belt, focusing on moving forward once again. Wanting to talk to Mateo, Will walked beside his friend and engaged their telepathic connection, knowing it wasn’t too stressful on either of them psychically. “Mike’s right by the way. That scream was really impressive. Not just because of how effective it was, but because you felt comfortable using your voice. I’m proud of you.”

Feeling his cheeks warm on their own, Mateo reached a hand up and touched his face, surprised at his own reaction. His heart swelled with pride at Will’s compliment, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. “Thank you Will. I didn’t even know I could do it, it just felt… right. Like taking back a piece of myself. I don’t know if I will talk to your friends yet, I’m still not sure how I feel about them specifically,” Mateo loosely gestured to Mike and Willow with his arm, trying not to alert the other pair that he was talking about them. “But I am grateful that I was able to escape with you. Thank you for keeping your promise.”

“It was my pleasure. Well, okay not pleasure, but I’m glad I could keep it for you too.”

As the pair shared a telepathic conversation, Mike and Willow had begun doing something similar, Hush still hiding out in Mike’s organs as they wandered the foliage beyond the army base. “Willow, did you just wipe your nose on your shoulder again?”

There was a long wait before an answer came from the ten year old, sheepish in tone. “Yes?”

Concerned that she was using her powers on something frivolous, Mike wanted Willow to get some proper rest. She had nearly collapsed earlier, and though Mike felt like doing the same, he had insisted on carrying Willow until they decided on a place to rest for the night. “What are you using your powers for? You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

“Bugs.” She whispered, not just wanting to talk in her head all the time. It was fun, but also a little bit weird after a while. “It’s nearly dark, and bugs come out. But I don’t want them to bite me, so I’ve been keeping the animals away as we walk on through.”

“Oh,” Not expecting that answer, or even considering the fact that there hadn’t been an animal in almost an hour despite being out in the wild, Mike appreciated Willow’s concern. “Thanks Willow. I forgot about that, I’m just thinking about how it’s starting to get colder again.”

Drawing closer so the two pairs walked as a proper party, Will piped up, “We should definitely stop somewhere and get some sleep. I’m totally beat.”

Finding a copse of trees that looked promising as a windbreak, Mike did have one point to make that he wasn’t happy about himself. “I know it’s cold because it’s fall and everything, but we can’t risk a fire. It would give us away far too easily if they come looking for us in the night.”

“Not sure I even know how to make a fire without any tools.” Admitting that even if they had wanted one, Will wouldn’t have known how to go about making one. “Never learned, because I was worried Fort Byers would burn down or something.”

Looking up sleepily from Mike’s shoulder, Willow had another question. “What’s a Fort Byers?”

“Oh, it was this hut out in the woods my brother and I built.” Leaving it at that, Will figured she didn’t need to hear the entire backstory behind the cubby, as they’d been through enough for one day as it was

Helping clear a space in the trees for them to rest comfortably, the team laid down for the night. It wasn’t by any means comfortable, but they had their freedom. They’d actually made it out of there alive, together, and in one piece. “We really did it.” Willow sighed dreamily as she stared up at the stars slowly appearing in the sky

“Yeah, we did.” Proud of all his friends, Will agreed as he too looked to the stars. Mateo was comfortable in the complete silence, just basking in the great outdoors like he had never experienced before.

Giving her nose a playful pinch, Mike smiled as he messed with his young friend. “You should get some sleep. We gotta keep going tomorrow after all.” With a giggle and a yawn, Willow agreed and complied, rolling onto her side and using Mike’s jacket as a pillow. Mateo was happy laying on his back and staring at the stars, whilst the adults went to sit with their backs against a tree.

Side by side, Mike’s long legs were out in front of him, one knee touching Will’s extended leg. The other was drawn up to his chest, and both men sat close enough that their hips and shoulders were side by side as well. Just sitting together in a comfortable silence for a while, Will turned to look at Mike. Thought process gone immediately as Will realised Mike’s hair was still sticking up in the most ridiculous tufts possible, he reached out gently to fix the slight curls that were supposed to be there. “Huh-Wha- What are you doing?” Just seeing fingers suddenly in front of his face, Mike froze because he didn’t know what Will was doing.

“Your hair was sticking up all weird, I was just trying to fix it.” He chuckled a bit, before looking at the dried flakes on his hands. “Mike, did you hit your head or something? You’ve got blood in your hair.” Mind immediately flashing back to the barracks dorm room, how there was blood all over the room and that Mike and Willow were further in that same building, Will couldn’t help but think the two events were connected. They had to be, right?

“Yeah, you might wanna be careful actually.” Sighing, Mike had an alternative answer ready for Will, not ready to share his transformation secret just yet to a boy that meant the world to him. Would Will even want to sit this close to him if he could become a Demodog at any second? Probably not. “When we were breaking out of the truck, I had to shatter this big glass jar thing I was in. Got glass all through my hair, might have cut my scalp or something… But Willow did her healing spell on me, so I am fairly certain I’m not dying.” Ending things on a positive note to ensure Will didn’t need to worry, Mike gave him a small smile.

Friends don’t lie. It had been their party rule for their entire friendship. Yet how many times had both boys broken that rule since things went south

The explanation was a logical one, but Will couldn’t help but feel a little bit off about it. Just happy that Mike was with him again, Will rested his head up against the tree. “They kept you in jars? What did they think you were, jelly?”

Snorting at the idea, Mike tried not to laugh too loudly so the kids wouldn’t be disturbed. “I think they just felt safer that way. No air holes meant no animals getting in and out. Uh, Willow's power is animal based… well other than her healing one.” Relaxing again, Mike turned his head and saw the bandage around Will’s left hand, dirtied with blood (not his!) and soil from the escape. “Hey, how'd you hurt your hand?"

Mike's voice was so soft, so delicate when it came to worrying about Will. Even the small things, Mike cared. His voice caught in his throat, Will felt his cheeks flush a little bit, before managing to cough a little and speak again. “I made a Blood Oath with Mateo that we would set him free. In the Void, actually, that's how I met him. But when I came out of it, there were two cuts on my hand instead of just the one.”

“Holy shit Will.” There was a touch of pride in Mike’s voice, though it remained soft. “You know that makes you a hero, right?”

Unable to help but laugh softly in reply, Will shook his head. “I'm not so sure about that. I just saw Mateo was hurting, and I wanted to help. I'm not some crazy comic book hero.”

Adjusting slightly, Mike shifted his hand over and placed it gently on top of Will’s, turning his head so he could whisper to the boy he cared most for. “Alright then, maybe not a hero. Just a crazy powerful adventurer that's part of my party. Sound better?”

That was new, and it nearly broke Will’s brain entirely. Not only was Mike holding his hand and whispering into his ear, he sounded almost possessive with just the one word. Surely he was going crazy, right? There was no way Mike liked boys, not suddenly after so long. But if he didn't, how else could Will explain what was happening right now?

As for Mike, he smiled a little, just out of Will’s sight, seeing his brain thinking crazy hard on something. It would be so easy to tell him. Just say it, right now. Tell him how you feel, get it over and done with. There was a small sigh as Mike rested his head against Will’s, using each other as support as much as they were using the tree behind them. But I can't. He probably already found someone back at New York that's waiting for him. Or maybe he doesn't see me that way anymore. After all, it's his choice to make. Not mine.

Choice. That word had been haunting Mike for a long time. Since before Vecna’s death even. But if he tried to hard to think about the reason why it was so important to him, he blanked

“Mike?” Will's voice brought Mike back from the rabbit hole of mania that it was about to fall back into. It was almost jarring for Mike, because he usually had to ride it out. Being exhausted made things like this more likely to happen, but it was comforting to know he had a lifeline with him now. “Your hand, it's shaking.”

Tremors had run through Mike’s left hand - the one that was holding Will’s right hand, and so Mike gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I think Willow's getting cold, and I'm exhausted so… probably shivering together or something. We can feel each other's feelings now, but I'm not sure what caused it. Even talk to each other in our heads.”

“Oh, like that shared dream I walked in on?” Remembering that Willow seemed like she was really there when it happened, Will was curious to know more.

Nodding, Mike gave Will’s hand a small squeeze. “Yeah, exactly like that. I'm gonna go make sure she's okay.” Reluctant but knowing he had pushed his luck, Mike stood, letting go of Will’s hand and heading towards the resting children.

Watching as he left, Will curled his right hand closed slowly. What's going on Mike? I know you must have been through something terrible… I just hope you know you can talk to me about it

As Mike curled up with Willow, their bodies fitting together like any protective parent figure and their child would as they cuddled, Will stood up and dusted himself off. Wondering if Mateo was cold, or even if he knew it wasn't good for his health, Will walked over to make sure his own young friend was alright. Mateo had his hands on his stomach, eyes since closed as the need to rest overtook his wishes to stargaze, and Will put a gentle hand on Mateo’s forehead, checking his temperature. “Mateo?” Speaking softly to rouse him just enough to ask a question, Will noticed that the young boy was freezing to the touch.

Eyes twitching behind closed eyelids briefly, Mateo slowly looked up at Will, wondering what was going on. “You're really cold. I know you have a high pain tolerance, but I didn't want you getting sick whilst you slept. Would you mind if I slept here with you to keep us both warm?” Gesturing to Mike and Willow as an example, Mike was already passed out asleep as he protectively warmed the young girl.

It took Mateo quite some time to find an answer. Will was trustworthy - the first trustworthy person Mateo had met on his own. Ever. But Mateo also didn't like it when people touched him, because bad stuff usually happened as a result. But this was Will, so surely nothing bad would happen? Getting sick now definitely sounded like a set back in their escape plan, if nothing else.

Will had thought Mateo fell back asleep right before he got his answer. “Okay, I guess. But just you. And only for tonight.”

“I can work with that.” Shifting so he was laying down, Will opened his arms for the twelve year old to join him. Shuffling over slightly, Mateo held his hands close to his chest, keeping them as a protective barrier of sorts between himself and Will

Laying there for a while, the pair began to warm up as planned, but something was nagging at the back of Mateo’s mind, like a memory he had almost lost completely. With one of Will’s arms over Mateo's shoulder to give his neck a place to rest, and the other around Mateo’s waist to keep him close, the warmth and comfort sparked something in Mateo’s heart.

He was sobbing before he knew it.

‘Hey little brother, it's okay. I got you, just like always.’ It was an older voice, speaking to the little boy in tears. ‘I know it hurts now, but it'll go away. You just stubbed your toe on a rock.’ He wrapped his arms around the little boy, sharing his love and comfort with the only joyful presence in his life. ‘Wanna keep playing dinosaurs in the field grasses?’ The boy, immediately feeling better and forgetting about his sore foot, was eager to play again.

“Mateo, what's wrong?” Gently rubbing Mateo’s back, Will didn't know what he had done to make the young boy cry.

Freeing his arms, Mateo wrapped them around Will and hugged him tightly back. “My big brother. I had forgotten him. I didn't mean to. But you brought him back to me.”

His big brother? Wondering this topic to himself, Will had no idea. After all, how could he? If Mateo didn't even remember his brother until now, there had been no way of knowing. “Do you remember his name?”

Shaking his head against Will’s chest as a ‘no’ gesture, Mateo then supplied, “We didn't have names then. We didn't want them. We can't be tied down or called away from each other if we have no names to bind us.” With one memory recovered, other fragments started popping back into Mateo’s mind, like a flood of debris. “He's why I love pirates. I've never even seen an ocean before. Or a real boat.”

“Maybe one day we can fix that.” Still comforting Mateo, Will whispered to him. “But for now, let's get some rest.”

~~~~~

This dream share was vastly different to the others. Instead of a stone temple, they were outside, in the sky no less. Floating islands of rock and jewel acted as platforms, and the grappling hooks they had used to get through the temples sat on their belts to save them from any mishaps that may occur. Hush was hovering around as a hummingbird, pink against the twilight sky as a soft golden light came from beneath them, and the stars shone above them.

“So, did you tell him?” Hopping ahead across some rocks that only just had enough space for one foot, Willow reached the larger platform and turned to look at Mike, hands on her hips. “You said you would when you got out and I know that the boy you like is Will, it has to be! I feel it every time you look at him.”

Sighing, Mike’s shoulders sagged a little bit. “No, I didn't tell him. I'm not gonna tell him yet. We escaped the base, sure but we still have to get somewhere safe. Somewhere calm, then maybe. Maybe we can talk about it. But he's always been so amazing, he probably has someone waiting for him.” Hopping sullenly across the rocks, Mike caught up to his friends and they wandered forward, the Paladin of Heart feeling his own hang heavily in his chest.

“So, you're procrastinating again.” There was a small frown, and Willow caught Hush in her hands, cupped like a nest for his bird form.

“Is that why you don't want to tell him about me?” Hush wasn't offended, but rather confused about it. Mike had gone out of his way to avoid mentioning Hush, even as they made a plan to distract the military for their friends to escape. “There is more to your hesitation.”

Not wanting to go any further, Mike felt exhausted even here in the dream world. “Yeah, you could say that.” Sitting down with a thump, Mike leaned back on his hands and looked up at the stars. “When Will was a kid, after we rescued him from the Upside Down, a great big shadow attacked him. We came to call it the Mind Flayer, capable of taking over minds and forcing them to obey its commands.”

“Oh.”

Willow and Hush came to sit across from Mike, with Hush becoming his shadow ‘slime’ form. “Yeah, ‘oh’ is right. That thing forced him to attack the lab we were in together, causing the Demodogs - that monster Hush and I turned into - to attack everyone there. He didn't have a choice. So many people died that day…” Feeling himself get misty-eyed as he remembered the pain they went through all those years ago, Mike wiped his eyes. “I don't want him to see me as that monster. He wouldn't ever love me if he knew I could just become the embodiment of his trauma like that because I lost my cool.”

Rolling(?) out of Willow’s lap and over to Mike, Hush wanted to comfort his protector. “I'm sorry. I did not mean for the monster the first time. I only suggested it the second time because I knew it was effective.”

Offering a small yet pained smile to the mysterious creature, Mike appreciated the effort. “I don't blame you Hush, it wasn't your fault. And I don't want others to blame you, but I don't know if they would understand.”

“I see. I will try to keep my presence minimal then.” Happy to contain himself within Mike or disguise himself as an animal to follow Mike’s wishes.

Raising a hand politely, legs crossed and her druid gear suiting her perfectly, Willow smiled too. “I also promise to keep this secret until it's ready for sharing!”

As Hush became a rabbit, Mike scooped him up and tackled Willow playfully, hugging them both. “I couldn't ask for better friends!”

Chapter Text

-The night before-

Driving off into the night hardly felt like a success. No one had the energy to celebrate or weep. Driving her friends to safety was more of a chore than it ought to have been as well, but Max didn't want to let her friends down. They'd come all this way, gotten so horribly hurt, just to help save her.

But the longer she drove, the more Max felt like she was losing her mind. Her legs were cramping again, and with her exhaustion it was hard not to feel like she was losing the ability to use her legs altogether. Using whatever she could to focus on the real world around her, Max often found herself wiping away tears. The beep of the hospital machines in her ears. The lack of strength in her limbs. The desperate want to just get a bit more rest, fighting with the stubborn strength in the belief she could handle this.

Just shuttup dammit! Leave me alone, let me do this!

Thankful that Holly had fallen asleep, Max didn't need to worry about her emotional state affecting her friend. But it did almost cause her to miss Robin signalling for her and Lucas to drive off to the side of the road.

“Robin, what's wrong? We can't stop now.” Talking from the driver's seat as she looked down at her friend on the motorbike, Max was well aware she looked like shit. It was nothing new, they all did.

Tapping her hand on the tank of her motorbike, Robin grimaced. “I'm out of fuel, I can't keep going. Unless we can get my ride onto the back of one of these beasts,” she gestured to the two M151s that Max and Lucas were driving. “We have to split up.”

Turning off his vehicle and getting out, Lucas refused this idea. “No, no we are not splitting up.” There was… something spoken after that, but Max didn't hear it.

Actually, she didn't hear much of anything now. Not the beeps from her memories haunting her, or the rumble of the still-running engine. The world in front of her faded out and inky darkness took her vision, falling sideways from the jeep. Lucas (presumably) had caught her, but everything after that was a haze. Drifting in and out, the next events were almost like a dream for all Max knew.

Being laid on the ground. Lucas talking on the radio. A loud whirring sound that made her entire head rattle with noise and pressure. Eyes fluttering open briefly when she felt herself being shifted, Max saw people with stretchers, lifting Jonathan and herself along with Steve. She could see the blur of Jonathan moving, and could hear his words briefly. “Look just - while I'm awake, of sound mind and all that crap; If you have to cut it off, do it, okay?”

There was a touch to her hand, and Max turned her head. As always, it was Lucas by her side, there for her when she felt weakest. “Don't worry, you're gonna be okay. We all are. These are friends. Just rest now, alright?”

Nodding with what strength she had left, Max did just that.

~~~~~

They were safe. They made it. The wounded were being tended to and the rest had gotten some real food and sleep. These nice soldiers even sent someone to go grab Steve and Jonathan’s cars, collecting everyone's stuff that had been left behind. Dustin was very happy about this, because it meant the collection of emergency radios he'd created were back safe in his friends’ possession.

He didn't want to leave Max’s side though. Eighteen months beside Max’s bed had been a harsh time, so Lucas knew he could survive a few hours. He ended up passing out in the chair next to her, still holding her hand. It wasn’t until he was shaken awake later that Lucas realised he was sleeping on top of Max, and she chuckled softly when he raised his head, the waffle pattern from the blanket imprinted on his cheek. “Idiot.” She spoke lovingly, just happy to see he was alright.

“You scared me, falling out of the jeep like that. What happened?” Squeezing her hand as he sat up, Lucas also stretched, feeling his back crack and pop in the process.

Speaking from the end of the bed was a woman with dark brown hair held up in a ponytail, and casual clothes hiding beneath her white lab coat. “Just a case of exhaustion and malnutrition really. You must have been starving Max.”

“Guess I was too stressed to notice. But yeah, they didn’t exactly feed me and Holly all that much.” Shrugging a little bit like it was nothing, Max then asked, “How much longer do I have to stay in here?”

“Just a day for observations, bed rest being mandatory because you overexerted yourself, and then you should be fine to move about like the rest of us.” Assuring his girlfriend there was nothing wrong, Lucas was relieved that Max was going to be just fine.

Looking back at the doctor, Lucas wondered who she was exactly. Her voice was vaguely familiar from the radio. “Sorry but uh, what’s your name?”

Smiling, the doctor hung Max’s medical chart back on the end of her bed. “I’m Doctor Samantha Owens. But you know me as Sammy J.”

“Holy shit, no way. Are you like - you know - related to-?” Tripping over his words as he was still waking up, Lucas was cut off with the answer he had been after.

“Yes, my father is the one that monitored your friends and helped them move out of town. My nickname, Sammy J, is because I usually go by Sam like my Dad does. Makes me Sam Junior, or… just Sammy J.”

Looking at the doctor with new respect, Max allowed one of her impressed smiles to cross her face. “Thanks, Sammy J. You really saved our asses.”

“It was a team effort. But if you both wouldn’t mind, I do actually need to borrow Lucas for something. We have some guests, and the rest of your friends are tending to those in more… critical conditions, or fast asleep.”

Exhibiting a yawn, Lucas let go of Max’s hand to rub his face. “I was asleep too though, you woke me up.”

Sitting up and slapping him on the arm before falling back into a resting position, Max rolled her eyes. “You were giving me pins and needles from squishing my leg doofus, I asked her to wake you up.”

“And the rest of your friends actually made it into beds, whereas you did not. Please, if you could follow me?” Stepping towards the door, Sammy waited for Lucas to follow.

After promising Max he would be back after helping and resting so she could rest properly too, Lucas left the room. He was used to normal hospitals, but this particular one was used for training up combat medics as well as normal doctors, meaning there were a few changes here and there. Passing another familiar face, Holly hopped up from her seat out the front of the surgery area, waiting anxiously for news about Nancy.

Lucas knew that Nancy had passed out early, sooner than even Chance did. The doctors were worried about brain bleeds and had rushed to get some tests done, but no one had said anything further. Wondering what Sammy could possibly need himself and Holly for together, Lucas followed in silence until they reached the entryway for patients brought via helicopter. This was the first room of the hospital Lucas had seen, as a medical evacuation team had come to their location the night before.

Through the doors marched not patients however, but parents. Holly rushed forward and collided with Karen and Ted Wheeler, hugging them both as she dissolved into tears, finally allowed to just be the child that she was, rather than trying to be a mature adult waiting for news. Joyce and Hopper slowed down as they were met by Lucas and Sammy, and this was the moment when Lucas realised why he had been asked to come along.

Dustin wouldn't have been up for this even if he was available. And as one of Will and Mike's closest friends, it was his responsibility to step in where they couldn't. “Hey Hop, Mrs Byers.”

“Lucas?” Not expecting him to be their greeter (because when you're promised you can see your children, why would you expect someone else?), Joyce was a little taken aback. “Something's happened to my boys, hasn't it?”

Nodding, Sammy gestured for the Wheeler family to come closer as well. “Both Nancy and Jonathan are in surgery currently, along with Steve Harrington. Nancy suffered an epidural hematoma - a brain bleed. And Jonathan had his knee completely shattered. If we could have gotten to it sooner we might have been able to replace the joint but… With his permission, we've had to remove a portion of his left leg instead. I can take you to the waiting areas for them if you'd like, or if Lucas and Holly are happy to catch you up to speed I can get space for you to talk. It'll be some time before Nancy or Jonathan are awake again.”

“Wait, what happened to Steve?” Hopper, wondering what had happened to the Harrington kid. The other two had updates, but was someone there for the teenage punk turned mature babysitter?

“He was stabbed in the ribs, collapsed his lung,” Lucas explained, Holly standing close by as she looked at the floor. “He was stabilised but we don’t know the full extent of what his injuries actually are right now. Dustin and Robin are with him.”

Holly looked up at Lucas with relief that he didn’t share the part about her powers on her behalf, and he gave her a small nod in understanding. That was for her to share when she was ready, and not a moment before. “I take it we’ll be needing a room to conference in then?”

“Please,” Karen nodded, speaking on behalf of the parents. “We need to know what’s happening so we can help our children.”

Leading the way, Sammy took them downstairs into an empty meeting room to use at their leisure. Holly extricated herself from her parents to sit beside Lucas, allowing the two recounters to tell the story of their experiences as they faced the four adults in the dark. 

The storytelling took a significant amount of time, and Sammy left briefly to get coffee for everyone. Holly had ended up back with her parents, sitting on Karen’s lap as she hugged her daughter tightly. Finishing the tale with how they all ended up in the hospital, Lucas felt he used up all the energy he got from resting. “That’s about everything, I think.”

“So our sons,” Joyce spoke first, as the other three parents were still processing the final bits of information. “And these two new experiment kids, Mateo and Willow, are still out there somewhere? But they all have their powers, so you think they’re gonna be okay?”

“Yep.” It was a simple answer, nothing much more to it. “Short of going over what we were able to steal from the base, I don’t really know what we can do from here.”

Standing again, Sammy had a plan. “Why don’t I go and gather everyone, so we can discuss what the best path forward is?”

“You’re really just going to let us handle it?” Jim raised an eyebrow. This wasn’t usually how a military-trained outfit would behave, and so he was cautious about the idea. “Won’t your bosses be pissed?”

“On the contrary,” Sammy smiled, pushing in her chair. “You guys have a better track record when it comes to getting things done, and it means we don’t have to divert more existing resources. I’ve just got to keep them updated on what’s happening, and we should be good. This isn’t Department of Energy, we’re the medical body within the military corps. Technically, for the health and safety of our country, we have every right to intervene in these practices, even from another government-run branch.” Heading to the door, Sammy added one last thing. “The DOE wasn't meant to be continuing any form of experiments like this. So us taking it out is going to do them a huge favour. I’ll be right back.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Ted shifted in his seat, clearing his throat. “What is this country coming to? I mean really, our government can’t even control its own military anymore. Shameful.”

He wasn’t wrong, but talking politically wasn’t really at the top of anyone’s list right now, so Ted received a bunch of half-hearted murmurs of agreement.

Returning fifteen minutes later, Sammy brought along Dustin, Max and Robin. Dustin had brought along the files and tapes as proof of existence when it came to their plan making, and Max had brought her IV drip along as a compromise for leaving the bed at all. Everyone found a seat, but Sammy remained at the head of the table for a moment. “Just so we are all clear, I am Doctor Samantha Owens, daughter of Sam Owens, whom some of you have worked with before. I’m also referred to as Sam Junior, or Sammy J. I’ve been given permission to let you all run the planning operations for this situation, because your track record has had an overall higher success rate than any official government responses. My job here isn’t to tell you all what to do, but rather help you guys figure out the best way to do it. And with that, if anyone has any ideas, that would be a great spot to start.”

“Damn right we have a better track record,” Dustin thumped the table with the palm of his hand, in an overall shitty mood that Steve was nearly killed again recently, but he was doing his best to be better than when he had actually lost Eddie. “I say we watch the tapes. Between those and the files I grabbed, we might be able to figure out what it was they were actually trying to do in the experiments.”

“I’ll help with that.” Since he was the one who found the tapes and flagged them as potentially useful in the first place, Lucas was down to assist.

“I can try help with that psychic imprint stuff on the book again if you want, but I’ll probably spend the nights listening out for our friends. I might be able to reach their dreams if things line up right.”

The parents looked at each other with confusion, but before anyone could ask, the group majority responded with “Psychic Radio Tower.” As the summary of Max’s abilities.

“I’m gonna stick with Steve if Dustin is going to be doing tapes and stuff, just so he isn’t distracted with worry and all; but if I could get like, a ham radio or a shit ton of batteries to monitor the airwaves at all times in case the boys call in while awake, I can help that way? It’s not really fair for Suzie and Erica and Mr Clarke to keep long-distance helping us, they have lives and I’ll be sitting around waiting anyway.”

A small silence fell over the group. “Until we know where our boys are, there isn’t much we can do to help you guys out this time,” Joyce spoke apologetically on behalf of the parents. “We can stay with Jonathan and Nancy to make sure they’re alright, but that’s about it for now.” Pained to admit that she couldn’t bring Will home herself this time, Joyce was also aware that her age was catching up to her slowly, and it would be better left to those with more life in their bones. It was something she and Hop had spoken about not long after they married.

“Sounds like we all know what we’re doing?” Looking around the room, Sammy’s gaze bounced between Dustin and Lucas the most. “Do you boys mind if I join in on the information search? Having an expert opinion on hand might help.”

“Sure,” Dustin waited for Lucas to nod before he’d spoken. “We could use the help, thanks.”

Without any more ideas for now, the group dispersed again, most of them ready to head back to bed. However, Sammy wanted to briefly speak with Karen. Letting Holly show Ted where Nancy was, Karen wondered what Sammy could possibly want with her. “Sorry to pull you aside like this, but I heard you might have received a letter?”

“Yes,” Karen nodded, a hand placed directly on the purse. She'd brought it along with her. “I have it here with me.”

“I know the woman who gave it to you. She wants to remain anonymous for her safety, but she wanted you to know your son was still alive. She was one of the nurses helping experiment on him.”

“Oh my god,” Karen covered her mouth with both her hands. “I can't believe anyone would willingly be part of something like that.”

Putting an arm around her shoulders as she guided her from the room slowly, Sammy spoke a depressing truth. “Some people will do anything for knowledge, and some have no choice but to obey for the money. It takes a lot of strength to leave something like that, not dissimilar to leaving an abusive relationship actually. I'm just glad she did, because it means you're here now for your daughters, who need you.” Letting go of Karen and gesturing down the hall, Sammy asked for her to come along. “I'll show you to where Nancy is resting now.”

Meanwhile, out the front of Jonathan's room, Joyce heard her name called out in the hallway, causing her to stop in her tracks. Even Hopper stopped at the door, glancing further down the hall as Dustin and Robin rejoined Steve. “Mrs Byers, sorry to stop you like this but uh, I was just wondering if you would do me the favour of passing on a message for me?”

“I'm sorry, have we met before?” Not recognising this individual, Joyce did her best to be polite.

Shaking his head, he admitted they'd never met directly before. “I went to school with Will for a bit in Hawkins. Uh, actually he is who I was hoping you could pass the message on to? I'm Chance, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Chance,” Joyce nodded and then crossed her arms, trying to stop her hands from shaking nervously. “What's the message?”

“Just thanks, mostly. Thanks for showing me that no matter how hard it is, fighting for what's right is most important. We didn't spend much time as friends, but he taught me a lot.”

Wiping the emotion from her eyes, hearing such kind words about her son warmed her heart, even if he was still missing. “Why don't you want to tell him yourself?” Joyce knew when someone was talking around another issue, and wondered if this ‘Chance’ would share the truth with her.

“I have no doubt he will come home, if that's what you're worried about.” Smiling lightly, Chance gave a better explanation. “I'm going home, back to Hawkins for a bit. There's someone I need to see, but then, who knows? Might run off to Canada or something so I don't feel like I'm being watched all the time.”

Having been listening but respectfully staying quiet, Jim spoke up only now. “Being a turncoat to the military has that effect. Good luck kid.”

“We ran to Montauk, so maybe you don't have to leave the country if you have something waiting for you here. But whatever happens, we wish you the best. Thank you for helping my boys.”

“It was my honour,” He put his wounded hand over his heart, bowing his head respectfully. “Goodbye, and happy Thanksgiving.”

~~~~~

All around the hospital, our favourite families had their moments of peace. Nancy woke to find her parents and sister at her side, everyone safe and protected. Karen and Ted knew the truth, and Holly openly shared her powers with them. They had no more secrets, as golden butterflies danced about, lighting the place with a comforting, warm glow. They even called Suzie, managing to get hold of her at her own home, informing their radio-based friend of what had happened so she wasn't out of the loop.

As for Jonathan, he was amazed to see his mother at all. It wasn't that he didn't love her, or felt she didn't love him, but it was just a different relationship between them compared to Joyce and Will. To find out that Joyce had wanted to be with him, rather than being out of her mind about her missing child was enough to reduce the grown man to tears. They spoke about what was going to happen now he was missing half a leg, and Joyce offered for Jonathan to come live in Montauk with her and Hopper until he was more comfortable with doing things on his own again. Despite only technically being a step-dad, Hopper wanted Jonathan to know he wasn't alone, now or ever. The police chief would always give him the time of day to listen if he needed it.

Meanwhile, Dustin and Robin were bickering pointlessly over who would win in a fight; The Sandman, a relatively new figure in the realm of comics, or Doctor Fate. Steve had woken up and simply listened to them bickering until he couldn't help but intervene, deciding that neither of them could beat The Doctor from Doctor Who. Simply the act of Steve talking had them both on their feet, laughing at his reply as they rejoiced in their friend waking up. Steve looked at Dustin and apologised profusely for getting hurt again, knowing that they weren't supposed to do stupid shit like that unless they agreed to do it together. Dustin of course forgave him, because he made it through this disaster just like every other. Robin made some crack joke about Thanksgiving relevant to their situation, and just the mention of the holiday got Steve thinking. His parents had never really cared for spending the holidays at home with him after he reached the age of self sufficiency. So knowing that his two closest friends were by his side, ready and waiting for the instant he woke up made him emotional all over again. Despite the pain it caused him, Steve sat up and pulled them both into a hug, whispering, “I love you guys. Thanks for being my real family.”

In a room of their own, Lucas and Max spent their time together, like everyone expected they would. Keeping her company for moral support, Lucas listened to Max as she called her mother, apologising for not calling sooner. Without going into details, Max told her mother things had gotten hard again, and she was getting help both from and for her friends. After the Mayfield family finished, Max did the same for Lucas as he called home. Admittedly, Lucas got into more trouble over not calling sooner than Max did, but that was because his mother never really learned the truth of everything that had happened. Erica managed to get hold of the phone though, and was sufficiently updated with newer events, including the fact that Robin was going to take over the radio monitoring, to Erica's relief.

“Thanks for helping us out with this Erica, I mean it. You didn't have to.” Lucas wanted to make sure that, no matter how strained their sibling-ship was most times, he did love having her in his life.

There was a small scoff from the other end of the line. “Thanks for not fucking things up with Max. That girl got your head on straight, so don't you damn lose her. But… I love you too, even if you're a dummy.” They both laughed and said goodbye, the related message getting a laugh out of Max too.

It wasn't conventional for what Thanksgiving was meant to be. There were no feasts, turkeys or historical jokes about pilgrims. Just a few displaced families from Hawkins being thankful for the families that chose to show up in spite of pain, suffering and crisis.

Chapter Text

“Stand down Major General, this is good news.” Hands over a clipboard of observations, Daniella spoke comfortably despite addressing her superior.

Raising an eyebrow, Reicher wasn't in the mood for the games of the Grey woman. “Are you thinking yourself above me now Daniella?”

“That is not her intent at all sir,” Gideon stepped in verbally, defending his sister. “More so, we do not believe there is anything to worry about. We have simply accelerated our schedule this way.” Giving his sister the floor briefly, the scientists gestured towards a map of the area, indicating a total of four bases around a central area of greenery.

Gesturing to the base they were in, Daniella spoke further. “This is us, and this is the direction our four subjects took to escape us,” She indicated the area between the bases. “We can monitor them, and the interactions with any specimens we come across with our training teams. This is a perfect, live scenario to see if both my experiment and my brother's, have properly paid off.”

Not quite as mad now, Reicher knew they didn't have all the subjects they needed. “And what of V and VI? They escaped.”

“If their loyalty to their friends is as strong as it was shown to be today,” Gideon crossed his arms. “Then we have no doubt they'll return for those left behind. V might be able to contact them, but nothing more. As for VI, we just need to track her movements. The ability to travel great distances in a few mere steps is a tiring one.”

“What about this co-operative side project of yours? Status update." Feeling calmer about the situation now, Reicher eased his tone, though the superiority never left.

The siblings shared a look, with Gideon giving a small smile whilst Daniella’s face lit up entirely. “We thought you'd never ask~!”

~~~~~

As the sun slowly rose over the horizon and warmed frozen cheeks, the party slowly woke up. “Everyone present and accounted for?” Mike called out, wanting to make sure no one had gone missing in the night.

Willow was obviously fine, given she hadn't moved all night from his protective grasp. Watching as a brown-haired figure rose into a seating position at the edge of his view, Mike heard Will respond with, “All here.”

Everyone dusted themselves off, checking for bugs or cuts caused by sleeping on the ground, before ultimately determining they were all fine. Without the sense of pursuit or confinement, all four of them had rested solidly for more than 12 hours. Looking around and ignoring their hungry stomachs or thirsting mouths, they did their best to decide a plan. “As far as I can tell, we have a couple of choices,” Mike spoke to everyone together. “We can keep going, hope that something pops up, or we try looping back around to the base in a surprise second attack to steal their stuff and drive off.”

The second option was little more than a fever dream. Everyone had depleted batteries after the last skirmish, which did not bode well for the idea of a secondary skirmish event. “I think we have to keep going,” Will shook his head a bit at the choice, not liking it much at all. “We don't know where we are, but we might get lucky.”

“I can try calling an animal to tell us if there is something nearby?” Willow fiddled with her excessively sock-bound feet, trying to wriggle the seam of the innermost sock into a more comfortable position. “Especially if it's a bird.”

Mateo purposefully looked a bit surprised, communicating his interest in this line of thinking using his expression. Mike however was concerned that more use of Willow’s power might hurt her somehow, since she was weakened even after sleep. “Only if you see a bird nearby. Don't go pushing yourself if you don't have to.”

“I won't have to!” Thinking gleefully, Willow already had a plan. “Hush can be my bird. Right? He just needs to sneak out of you, into the shadow of a tree or something, then change into a bird and he can find something.” Despite explaining her idea in her head to Mike specifically, Willow also announced aloud with a smile, “I won't. Promise.”

Nodding in agreement, Mike allowed this. “That's clever Sapling, you definitely chose the right class.”

“That's a pretty nifty power you've got there Willow.” Interested in knowing more, Will spoke up. He knew about what Mateo could do, but nothing much about their only female party member. “Do you know how it works, exactly?”

Thinking about the best way to answer, Willow looked up at her hero from Mike’s stories. “Have you ever tried to be a tree?”

Flabbergasted at the return question, Will sputtered a bit in trying to find his words. “Uhm, no, can't say I have?”

“That's okay. When you be a tree, you get to be calm. No matter the weather, if it's day or night, animals or no animals. You're strong and sturdy so you can withstand getting yelled at, punched, slapped around, climbed or having holes dug into you, but you're bendy enough that the wind doesn't break you either, you just lean over a bit.” There were two distinct notes to Willow's tone that were discordant with one another. It halfly sounded like she spoke with reverence, and yet there was a hint of disassociation as well. Will knew the disassociation from his own childhood thanks to Lonnie’s behaviour in the house.

Mateo picked up on it too, thanks to the years of abuse he had also suffered.

“Being a tree means you're completely neutral to what's around you, and you become what other things need you to be. Some animals will shelter in your leaves, and then you can cuddle them.” Willow's nose bled as a blue bird flew down into her cupped hands. It was Hush, going through with Willow's plan. “Others might search you for food and move on, or strike you to sharpen their claws. Some will look at you and decide you're not worth their time, and just leave. I used to pretend I was a sapling in the yard, and just sit outside all day. Animals came to me, they knew me like they knew their home, and it was nice.” Launching the small bird back into the trees to fly freely, Willow sighed gently and wiped her nose clean of the blood using her sleeve.

“Now that I've been on this adventure with Mike though, I can kinda hear them. Feel exactly what they feel rather than guessing, and I get these pictures in my head. It's called… Uhm… Animal - oh, right! Thanks Mike,” She shot a smile at her protector that mentally provided the word she was looking for. “Animal Empathy. I can ask them to do stuff for me now, but it's up to them if they want to do it. A lot of the mice in the lab walls were too scared to come out. They'd escaped labs too, so I don't blame them.”

“What about you?” Wondering in return what Will could do, the young girl poked him playfully in the leg before retreating to Mike’s side. “Do you know how your powers work?”

There was a slight grimace in thought before Will answered, thinking hard about what he did know. “I'm not too sure. Originally, I only knew I had powers because I was connected to this bad guy we called Vecna, after the DND character. And my connection to him never really went away, until he died. I wasn't able to connect with anyone else until Mateo and I found each other in the Void. That's this big empty mindspace place.” Rubbing the back of his neck more out of habit caused by discomfort, Will thought harder on the newer circumstances regarding his powers. “I saw a guy who was terrified, and I knew I had felt fear like his before. I touched him and saw into his head without meaning to. The soldiers at the base though, I related to them in a different way. It was more similar to when I was dealing with the hivemind…”

“Maybe you're the people version of my power!” Willow decreed, skipping along awkwardly as her socks were snagged on sticks and grasses from the ground. “Maybe you use Empathy to jump into people's brains, that's so cool.”

“Every good superpower has to have a name, right?” Mike grinned, snagging another chance to get his ‘nerd on’, and try lifting the morale of the group a bit. “Willow's is Animal Charm, and yours is probably like, Mind Jack or something. Cuz you're hijacking the brains of any mind, not just the hivemind now.” Feeling pleased with himself, Mike dropped back half a pace to speak with Mateo. “Hey, about that screaming move you did yesterday, have you ever heard a sound like that before?”

There was a nod, and Mateo held up one finger. “Once before? That's nasty, sorry man.” Frowning that Mateo had to go through something like that on the receiving end, Mike did get an idea from the question. “Maybe, if you feel up to it some time, you could try copying some other noises? It would upgrade Sonic Scream into Sound Mimic? Totally your call though, we don't even have to give it a name if you don't want to. As everyone keeps reminding me, the real world isn't just a comic book or some story.”

Mateo thought the idea was genius. What if he could imitate other sounds? Could he steal other people's voices? That would be a fun way to mess with any soldiers they came across. But how would he choose what to try imitating first?

“You have his brain racing with ideas now, well done Mike.” Chuckling a bit, Will was just happy to see Mateo feeling his freedom and enjoying it. “What about you? You have that shield move, it's pretty sweet.”

“Classic Paladin move, it's just Divine Protection.” Shrugging like it was no big deal, Mike had already guessed what it was. “I do kinda want to try making it into more than just a shield or a light wall or something though, but it'll be a while before I mess with it.”

Walking directly beside Mike as they went the same general direction the blue bird (Hush) had taken off in, Will drew closer to Mike and bumped his elbow into the Paladin’s. “Just because it's your power doesn't make it any less cool. We would be Swiss cheese if you didn't use your Divine Protection back there. Hell, you'd still be trapped in a glass tank, you said so yourself.”

Even though he tried not to think too highly of himself in most situations, Mike did feel a swell of pride as Will praised his power. “Thanks Will. The shields only worked so well cuz I got this other ability. Think of it like, Spidey Sense. Except not from a spider, so I can't really call it that.”

“So like, just Danger Sense?” Will supplied an alternative name. Sure he wasn't the most creative in a linguistic sense but sometimes simple names worked best.

“Yeah, that's about as far as I got with the name too.” Shrugging, the two men then came to a halt as they realised the children had stopped in front of them. “Sorry, we should probably pay more attention. Did our bird friend find something?” Mike asked aloud, even though he could sense a notion of accomplishment from Hush.

“Yep, there's a building just over that way. No one is inside, so we should be good to stop there for a bit.” Pointing to the right of their path, Willow knew where to go and hoped everyone else would be happy to follow.

Mateo specifically stepped into her line of sight and gave a definitive nod, wanting to follow her direction. “Well, looks like that's where we're headed. Even if the Paladin objects, cuz he's been outvoted.” Will patted Mike on the shoulder as he teased him and the group began walking. Hush the Bluebird was released back into the sky, flying upwards until he was out of sight. Using this moment to allow Hush back into the shadows of his internal structure, Mike purposefully lingered, acting as though he was perplexed by Will’s words. “You know just because I'm the main DM for our party doesn't mean I ever chose to be leader.” He defended himself from the teasing as he caught up, feeling his lungs become heavier again with the returned presence of Hush. “We always did it by vote. Anyways, I wanna go. I trust Willow.”

“Relax Mike, it's fine.” Chuckling to himself, Will put the matter to rest.

Halfway to the house, a thought struck Mike. “Hey Will, you got taken after we did, right?” Gesturing to himself and Willow, Mike continued after getting confirmation. “Do you know what day it is today?”

“Well, technically I actually gave myself up.” Wincing a little bit as he corrected Mike, Will ploughed on regardless. “It was Saturday though, the seventeenth. Everyone said you were taken on Monday?”

“Yeah, Monday night. So the same week as you.” Thinking hard, eyes downcast as he cupped his chin and cradled his elbow with his hands, Mike tried to work out what today was. “We weren't told what day was what, and there was a lot of impromptu sleeping involved.” Giving up, Mike shook his head.

Knowing the answer because he'd learned how to tell the timing of certain events thanks to scientific consistency, Mateo held up a hand, palm open with all fingers upright. “Five nights? Are you sure?” Will was amazed because he couldn't keep track of what was going on either. “Are you sure?” There was a nod.

“Oh shit!” With that new information, Mike realised what today was. “That makes today Thanksgiving! What's the bet that your mom is freaking the hell out right now?” Giving a dazed laugh that was honestly partly terrified, Mike watched the colour drain from Will's face too.

“Oh man… I mean, Mom has been getting better with her anxiety and all, but Jonathan was part of the rescue team. And we didn't include her in the radio call - We used Dustin's Emergency Party Line, and it worked really well.” Will paused his downward spiral to praise Dustin’s forward planning. “Anyway yeah, she's probably gonna be totally freaked out. But wait, what about your parents? Holly was taken the same day I was, they might have known something was wrong before my mom even knew.”

Running a hand through his hair, coincidentally knocking some bits of grass, dirt and glass dust out of it in the process, Mike took a deep breath as he contemplated that. “Shit, I guess I didn't even think of that… Then again, I had no idea what day it was, and I only knew any of you guys were involved as much as Max or you told me. I guess I just… tried not to think about it.”

“At least we know they got away. Our friends and siblings, they're going to be alright.” Speaking with enough positivity for the both of them, Will tried to lift the mood a bit. “Even if our parents are freaking out, there's someone there to calm them down.”

Walking sullenly beside Mike, all this talk of family had made Willow feel hollow inside. Her family had her sent away. Were they having Thanksgiving without her? Who would say grace? She wondered. They always made her do it after all. Am I gonna get in trouble with the angels if I can't do Thanksgiving this year? I don't even know if we will have food to have dinner with. Maybe that's my punishment. She sighed and decided to hug Mike’s left arm, since it was closest.

“... Shit, sorry kiddo. We can stop if you want, I didn't… I didn't really think about it.” Realising it was his fault that Willow had gotten so upset, Mike apologised. He never wanted to make her upset.

Shrugging, she didn't mind that Mike was talking to his oldest friend about stuff. “It's okay. You're not the one that makes me sad.” Promising him that it really wasn't his fault, Willow left it at that.

Sensing a notion of confusion from Mateo about Willow’s disheartened manner, Will realised that Mateo might not know what they were talking about. “Have you ever done Thanksgiving before?”

Shaking his head, the concept was new to him. He knew about Christmas and Easter, but that was about it. All other holidays didn't really warrant time away from the lab, so Mateo didn't notice significant personnel changes in that regard.

“That's okay.” Explaining to Mateo so he understood what they were talking about, Will defined ‘Thanksgiving’. “It's a holiday we celebrate every year to give thanks for what we have. You can invite family and friends around, and there's usually this big feast of food. And you go round the table and say whatever you're thankful for, before you eat. Mostly it's an excuse to get everyone together again before Christmas.”

Nodding, Mateo understood, but Willow was a bit surprised. Her Thanksgiving had never quite gone like that before… from what she could remember, at least.

Approaching the house, it looked like an overgrown home that had been partially forgotten to time. Like someone genuinely lived here but gave up the place for another life. “Are we sure no one is in there?” Mike asked, looking down at Willow, who swallowed hard before nodding. “Do you two want to stay here maybe, whilst Will and I check out the inside?”

Will and Mateo were down for it, but Willow tugged on Mike’s sleeve. “You won't go too far?”

“We’re both safe. You'll know if that changes, I promise. It'll be okay.” Hugging the young girl, Mike also took the moment to exhale Hush from his lungs, the black mist creature turning into a mouse hidden by Willow's feet. “We'll be right back.”

Knowing that Willow had been referring to their tether of course, Mike wasn't going to go too far away at all. Leaving Hush with Willow was just an extra precaution, but he didn't feel like they were in any trouble. During their shared dreams, the pair had learned that the length of the tether increased when they felt safe to be apart, but still had a maximum distance.

“What was that about?” Sensing a little more to the exchange than what appeared on the surface, Will spoke in a hushed tone whilst walking at Mike’s side. “Is it something to do with her family?”

“Huh?” Brought from his immediate thoughts of checking the place for danger, Mike faltered in his stride. “No, well, not exactly. Willow's parents are a piece of work, sure but our powers came with this weird caveat. We can only go so far away from each other without stroking out, apparently. But as long as both she and I are safe, or perceived to be safe I guess, we can split up a bit.”

There were a few beats of silence as they entered the house together, discovering the glass sliding door was unlocked. “That's why you wanted Mateo and I to stay, isn't it?” Speaking quietly, heart hurting with recognition, Will finally understood some of Mike's stranger actions these past 24 hours. “You couldn't send her away with us to escape with the others because of the tether. So you made sure that if anything happened to you, someone was there to protect her.”

He didn't want to answer. Mike desperately wanted to pretend like he wasn't listening to the truth being spoken out loud as Will perfectly identified the actions Mike had taken during their escape.

“You tried to promise me that I would take Mateo and run. How- How long has this been going on for, Mike? Have you… talked to anyone about it?” Mike had been hurting, and Will hadn't been there to see it. Too busy living a pretend life in the big city to care for his best friend.

Stopping in the middle of the kitchen, which was the first room they had walked into, Mike turned to face Will. “It comes and goes, okay? I mean, I was twelve. I can handle it, I-I can get through it, I always have, there's always something bigger than myself I can focus on. Like right now,” Blinking tears from his eyes and doing his best to maintain his breathing so the words weren't choked from his throat, Mike gave Will an example. “I made Willow a promise. And I intend to see it through.”

Approaching Will, Mike put a hand on his shoulder briefly. “I'm okay. Please, don't feel guilty about any of it. Nothing bad that ever happened to me was your fault. Only my own, dumb decisions, got me here. Now, let's get to the rest of this house before our kids freeze, ok?”

Nodding and trying to emotionally process what Mike had just told him, Will wasn't confident it was the whole truth. Mike was a master at bottling his emotions; Everyone knew it for a fact. This was further proven by Mike’s eagerness to move on from the conversation, even if he did have a perfectly good excuse. Following along, Will and Mike entered a living area that had more large, glass windows. A lot of this area had been barricaded with the furniture left behind by former owners, with only a small desk being left against the normal wall in the room. Above it, on the cream-painted wall, burn marks made out the words, ‘WELCOME TO THE PARK”.

“I dunno about you, but I get the distinct feeling that we are alone.” Staring up at the strange words beside Will, he eventually took half a step back as he turned to face his childhood companion. “Feel like stopping here for a bit to rest again?”

“Yeah, we could use a break from walking, we've been at it for over an hour on empty stomachs.” Agreeing with the sentiment of stopping, Will realised just how much his body hated him right now. “Think we should bother looking if anything edible is left?”

Giving a slightly cocky smile, despite his sunken eyes, gaunt cheeks and forehead sheen of perspiration, Mike was confident. “I say we let our Animal Charming Druid ask her friends again. Even if it's not in the house, they'd know where some kind of food and water is. Now that we have a place out of the sun to rest, hopefully it's a bit easier on Willow to use her powers.”

“Ah, yes. Party Leader Mike really has come back to us, hasn't he?” Clearing his throat to cover up a chuckle, Will was smiling behind his fist. Unbeknownst to the teaser, Mike saw this and it got him thinking of a conversation they'd shared the last time they had been on the run together. “Think the water in this place still works?” Wandering off towards the sink, Will decided to try one of the taps…

Outside as they waited, Willow scooped up the mouse form Hush was in, and placed him on her shoulder. “Think it'll take them long to check out the house?” Asking Mateo a casual question, Willow wanted to chat one on one with a fellow kid. It wasn't something she got to do much since she'd spoken with Holly last.

Shaking his head, Mateo kicked a rock on the ground, enjoying the sound of it tumbling along for a moment. Being outside, he never realised just how many different sounds he forgot about. It was like the song of the world had been returned to him.

Thinking hard about another question she could ask that had a simple answer, Willow then piped up with, “Have you been friends with Will the Wise for long?”

This time, Mateo turned to her, deliberately shook his head, and held up eight fingers. “Eight days?!” Taken aback by this news, Willow felt horrible for him. “You must have been so lonely. “Do you wanna be my friend? I don't have many friends either. Well I have a lot of animals that don't hate me but they come and go, so I don't know if they count?”

Wishing he had some sort of reflection to look into, Mateo really hoped he was smiling at Willow, and not just being creepy somehow. Nodding once, Mateo's answer gained an excited response, even in Willow's exhausted state

“Hey, come on in, it's clear.” Mike called for the kids from the house above them, as it sat on an overlook at the rest of the forest, which continued downhill from where they started. Heading inside, Willow popped Hush on the floor and let him scurry along, wiping blood away from her face yet again.

The water was running, much to everyone's surprise, and it didn't take long for Hush to find something. Pressing up against the floorboards beneath the desk, Mike and Will hurried to lift it, moving it together before Willow and Mateo worked on moving the floorboards. They came away in near pieces, with a huge stash of what could be considered treasure in this instance.

Food and water

Clearly someone had been using this as a hideyhole, because the rest of the house had been torn through more than once by some kind of scavenger. “Hey, there's a book in here too - fell down the side, one second.” Reaching into the cavity, Mike pulled out a notebook, a pen and a map tied together with a bootlace. Untying it took some time, so whilst the others investigated what their stomachs craved and the mouse scurried away, Mike sat back, prying at the knots with bitten-back fingernails slowing him down. Once he was out of sight, Hush returned to the safety of the team paladin using his Shadow Travel to remain undetected, as promised.

“AHA!” Exclaiming the moment the knot came loose, Mike sensed startled faces nearby. Rather than apologising, his curiosity had him opening the book up right away, setting the map to one side for now. Inside read the following, across three and a bit pages in admittedly not-great handwriting.

“The Park is designed as a training ground for elitist forces to be able to take on anything, proving they're the best of the best. However it's often used as punishment for soldiers who ‘slip between the cracks’ or cannot follow orders. This means new soldiers will be making their way through here at any time.”

Mike read this aloud, causing the others with him to pause, sit and listen as he continued.

“Rumours are that there are monsters in the park, both human and otherwise. Creatures that scream in the night, and things attracted to fire as well as deterred by it. Every decision leads to another monster potentially coming for you.”

Looking up, Mike wasn’t sure if he should keep reading this out loud. But after a ‘go on’ encouragement from Will, continue to read he did.

“My name is James, and I’ve met some of these monsters before. I lived in Hawkins as a kid, and one year, my best friend, Troy, tried to abandon me to those freaky dogs. He was having a tough time, but we were assholes back then, I know that now. I was out of town when the earthquake happened, and I couldn’t go home for nearly two years. I quit school and joined the army to try getting back in, but all that did was get me sent back here. Back with the monsters.”

“Wait, so this is literally the writing of our middle school bully? What a small world, holy shit.” One leg half raised to support his arm, that was holding a hand over his mouth, Will was shocked that they’d found writing from a kid they hadn’t seen or heard of again in years. Mike nodded in agreement, but continued on instead of responding verbally.

“Be warned; Whilst there are many monsters, and sights of the impossible, not everyone here is your enemy. This park is as much a social experiment as it is a training grounds, with different territories. Every choice is a dangerous decision, and I don’t think it’s going to take me long to lose, just as so many other people have. That’s why I’m leaving this hidden away here. If you’re smart enough to find this, you’re probably smart enough to live longer than I will too.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely the James we knew, it is signed James Dante. There’s literally no doubt, our middle school bully wrote this.” Closing the book again and picking up the map, he spread it out for everyone to see. There were four towers and subsequent army bases at each edge of the area, equidistant from one another. “What the hell kinda dungeon map did we walk into?”

“Starting to regret declining the ‘surprise attack remix’ idea.” Sighing, Will didn’t really want to look at anything else doom and gloom for a while. The kids were hungry and so were the adults, so they agreed to put aside James’ information for now, and instead focus on something good that they could control right now.

They were going to have their own Thanksgiving experience! Opening up the cans of food, they found various kinds of stews and beans; anything preserved and nutritious, really. After warning the kids about potentially cutting themselves on the cans, Mike and Will sat opposite each other, with Mateo and Willow sitting beside them, also facing one another. “So, everyone’s happy to do Thanksgiving together? I mean, it won’t be a traditional one for Mateo’s first, but it’s what we’ve got.” Will wanted to make sure this was okay with everyone, including Mateo of course, because he was honestly starving and just ready to get into the eating part.

Everyone nodded, and Will took that as his cue to go first. “Alright, well I am thankful that I was able to keep my promise to Mateo. There were several times where I felt it might not happen, but we pulled through.” Having taken his turn, Will wondered who would go next.

“Wait, you can just… say whatever you want?” Willow’s voice nearly didn’t carry to the group, fear gripping her vocal chords with an ironclad hold.

Both adults frowned at each other, before Mike reached a hand out to Willow, taking hers gently. “Yeah, it’s about whatever you are thankful for… Your parents make you say something specific?” There was a shy nod, fear all over her face. Looking away from Mike for a moment, the only one who knew her parents, Willow looked at Mateo, who was just sitting there, listening with a neutral expression on his face. “What do you want to do, Willow? It’s your choice if you want to say it.”

Mateo’s eyes shifted to Will, as he watched Willow’s panic seemingly confuse her. “If she does not want to make her decision now, I would like to say something.”

“Wait really?” Will’s head shot around to look at Mateo with surprise the instant he heard this, before looking back at Willow, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Uhm, if you want to wait, you don’t have to choose right now. Mateo said he wants to say something, for our Thanksgiving?”

Immediately relaxing now that someone else had chosen to take a turn instead of her, Willow nodded shyly and hated that she was so easily broken down by the things her parents taught her. She wanted nothing more than to be brave, but somehow she just couldn’t quite push herself past that yet. Feeling Will’s hand drop away, she gently squeezed Mike’s hand, indicating he could let go if he wanted to.

Taking a deep breath, Mateo had made this decision when she openly tried to talk to him outside. He wanted to say something to the girl that wasn’t much younger than her, but had offered him kindness time and time again when he hadn’t spoken a word to her. Part of him wondered if his voice would even work. A scream was one thing, but words were something else. “I… Wanted to say…” Speaking slowly to ensure he made all the right sounds, Mateo was careful with his words. “Thank you, for being here for me. You gave me back the world.”

Unable to help himself, Will hugged Mateo. It wasn’t hated though, rather semi-reciprocated as Mateo leaned into it. Mike was giving a quiet round of applause to Mateo, wanting to encourage this first proper speech in years. “Well I know what I’m thankful for!” Mike then put his hands on his hips, his legs crossed with the open cans sitting in front of them all. “I’m thankful for such a cool ass group of friends to kick it with on an adventure! I mean, I did only meet you yesterday Mateo, but you’re definitely part of this party, without a doubt.”

Mateo smiled a bit at that, just the same as when he agreed to be friends with Willow. As the celebration of Mateo choosing to speak out loud died down a bit, Willow cleared her throat and decided that if Mateo could do it, then she could too. “So uhm, usually at Thanksgiving in my house, I’m the only one who gives thanks… And then I say grace, so uhm.” Swallowing hard, Willow clenched her fists on her knees, also sitting cross-legged, before speaking with her eyes shut tight. “I’m thankful that Mike came into my life so I could have a proper friend, and now I’m making more friends because I know him.” Her breathing became more laboured as she then forced out the next parts, reciting what her parents had always made her say. “And I know I’m not supposed to say things like that but I am this time. But also - also… This child of demons thanks you for your boundless mercy in allowing me to exist for another year. I humbly request that you, with these Angels as my witness, bless us O Lord, and this meal, so that we may survive another day under your ever watchful gaze.” Hiccuping accidentally as she was overcome with emotion, Willow then coughed into her hands, apologising afterwards. “I’m sorry, they make me say it every year…”

Mateo looked between Mike and Will to gauge their reactions, since he didn’t exactly know what the big deal here was. He knew it must have been hurting Willow emotionally, but without context he couldn’t offer assistance or comfort. Will felt his heart break for the poor kid, knowing that people like himself had been looked down upon from various others for just being themselves, but this girl was ten. What could she have possibly done to betray her parents' love so harshly that they would make her believe something like this?

“I’m sorry but I really have to ask, are your parents in a cult or something?” Will could not see any other way for them to be so cruel.

Willow didn’t answer, because she didn’t know herself. Mike shook his head, and gave his theory. “I mean, it’s cult-like behaviour, but it’s just the two of them. Trust me, I looked into it a bit, and whilst there are some wildly radical sub-beliefs within the religious community that Willow grew up in, I think the Burrows adults are honestly the worst.”

Reaching out for the food, Willow knew that saying grace meant she was allowed to eat, and she silently gestured for Mateo to do the same. They were very hungry children after all, and there hadn’t ever been a rule in her house where she specifically had to wait for the adults to eat first. “No one else thought to call child services or something? Why do they dislike her so much anyway? She’s such a sweet kid.”

Upon hearing the praise, Willow burned with embarrassment in her cheeks. “I can’t read.” She answered back quietly, before swallowing more stew like she was drinking it.

“Dyslexia,” Mike then clarified. “If she can’t read the holy text, she must therefore be a demon. That’s their reasoning. It’s ridiculous, because Willow can read, it’s just hard. I know because I’ve been teaching her.”

“I do not understand.” Mateo spoke softly, still getting used to using his vocal chords. “Demons, dyslexia and holy texts?”

Sharing a look of ‘uh oh, how do we explain this one?’ Will left it up to the resident storyteller to explain. “In short, there’s a book that tells of an all-knowing entity known as God, a being that watches over everyone. And his son Jesus helps him spread his messages and stories, like a wandering teacher. It’s supposed to teach people to be kind, respect one another, that kind of stuff, but different people have different interpretations of what that book means. It’s so old, there’s often confusion. Different groups of people can use the same book under different forms of religion, and that’s about all I can tell you without getting too complicated. Willow’s parents are rather unique in that they are the ONLY two people with their specific form of belief, and it’s been making Willow feel terrible. We all know that she’s an awesome person though, so we just have to remind her of that sometimes.”

Brow furrowed slightly with thought, Mateo eventually nodded. “I can help. We’re friends.”

“That’s great,” Mike nodded, always happy to have more people on board in helping out his friends. “I also promised Willow that I would do whatever I could to basically adopt her. I don’t want her living somewhere that forces her to hide who she is.” Brain running faster than his mouth, Mike then turned to Mateo. “Hang on a second, you’re gonna need somewhere to live too. You can come live with me and Willow if you want, I reckon I can make it work. Or like, maybe you can live with Will, or Mrs Byers and my mom have empty rooms… I dunno. There’s tons of options, if you want.”

This was something Mateo hadn’t thought about. Willow liked the sound of the idea, and Will wished he had thought ahead a bit further about all of this because that hadn’t even crossed his mind. “I’ll… think about it.” Giving an answer that would make diplomats congratulate him, Mateo chose the path of ‘I’m overwhelmed by this thought, so I will deal with it later’.

“I’m proud of you Mateo. I’m thankful that we met. You’ve come such a long way in just a few days with me, and literally less than twenty four hours with Mike and Willow.” Speaking telepathically so he could eat at the same time, Will hoped Mateo felt the love in the room as well.

Chewing on a piece of beef from his can of stew, Mateo answered him simply with, “I wasn’t kidding when I said ‘You gave me back the world’.”

~~~~~

They ate, talked of happier things, and rested. The cold came back faster than everyone had hoped, with the days growing shorter as winter drew nearer. Willow healed up Mateo and Will’s hands the moment she felt recharged, but immediately wanted to take a nap afterwards. Finding a room without so many windows, Willow curled up with Mike’s jacket as a pillow again, safeguarded by Mateo who was feeling fatigued from eating what was technically considered as at least two servings of stew from the one can.

Standing outside, leaning against the railing with black paint peeling away to reveal rust beneath, Mike looked out at the horizon in front of them. He could swear he saw smoke in the distance, but it could have just as easily been the clouds. After checking on the kids one last time, Will snuck out to join him. “Anything interesting out here?”

“Just that plume,” Mike pointed to the maybe smoke, maybe cloud in the distance. “Lots of trees otherwise. Not even a helicopter, which is weird. I had kind of expected one by now.”

“Well, if this is used as a training ground that also buries unruly cadets and whatever, they probably wouldn’t come looking for us in here.” Turning around so he was facing the house, Will leaned against the bar with his back, looking over at Mike’s faraway expression.

When he did answer again, Mike’s voice sounded small. “Can we talk about something else…? Anything else?”

“Like what?”

“I dunno, did you ever find a boyfriend in New York? Not that you have to have one or anything I just… I dunno, you’ve been there a while, and… I dunno.” Sighing as all the words failed to come out of his mouth instead, Mike leaned forward and rubbed his face with his hands. Hush wasn’t hiding inside him for now, which made his body feel lighter in most cases, but his heart was still ridden with guilt, regret and anxiety

Cheeks going pink, Will looked to the sky now to avoid his reflection and Mike’s gaze. “Nothing permanent. I did meet some people, kinda made some friends but like… I’m still kinda new there in a way, you know?”

Nodding, Mike did understand that, now that he too had moved out of Hawkins. There was a moment of silence before an impish grin found its way onto Mike’s face. Nudging him roughly, Mike teased, “I guess that makes us boyfriends then, and we just didn’t know it the whole time?”

Between the nudge and his absolute shutdown of his brain, Will fell over with a yell and a thump. Laughing and apologising, Mike shushed Will. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that but shhh you’ll let the entire park know we’re here - or in the very least, wake the kids.”

With a hand offered to help pull him to his feet, Will found himself upright once more. Dusting himself off and burning bright red in the cheeks, he pulled his own coat tighter around him. “What the hell gives you that idea Mike?”

Still giggling like a kid who was awarded an entire jar of chocolate chip cookies, Mike found himself watching Will’s every movement instead of staring out into the realm beyond them. “Something Max told me once, she said that one of the first things she taught El when they truly became friends, was that ‘friends don’t lie, but boyfriends do’.”

I guess he and Max got closer than I thought. Will had this briefly flicker through his brain before he found himself asking, “Wait, what have I been lying to you about?” This whole time, I thought he was the one lying to me. I’ve been honest, right?

“The painting.” Oh. OH. Oh no. Will’s brain immediately went into panic mode because he genuinely thought that painting had been lost in transit somehow. “I know El never commissioned it from you. I knew when you told me, actually.”

Mouth agape, Will struggled to find the sounds he needed to form words. “A-And you never said anything?”

Shaking his head, Mike now lowered it in shame, looking down at the shoes he hardly recognised on his feet. “Sorry, I know, that’s my bad. But I knew, because El knew nothing about DND. She never cared about it like we did. That was always our thing, even before we were friends with Lucas and Dustin.” He sighed, a cold puff of air emitting from his mouth and nostrils due to the cold. “I never meant to hurt you, Will. I… I really didn’t. I’m no party leader, really I’m just a big old coward.”

“Mike…” Speaking softly and putting a hand on his shoulder, Will didn’t realise this had been hurting his best friend so much. Apparently there were a lot of old wounds along with the new ones that Will had never known were there. “It’s okay though. I mean, it’s just the way the two of us turned out, isn’t it?”

Half turning to face him, Mike’s eyes were sad but not hateful. There was sorrow, but no blame. “I know I’m probably way too late, like always but… If you haven’t already decided that you give up on me Will, maybe just consider that even though I dated El, I might be a bit more like you than you thought?” Reaching up with his left hand, Mike grabbed Will’s right one gently, squeezed it and then removed it from his shoulder. “Think about it, okay?”

And then there he was, leaving and taking his gentle voice with him. Mike was sharing his feelings the only way he knew how, and Will was going to make damn well sure he listened to every single one of them. How could I have been so stupid? I mean… Our friends have always been outside the norm in so many ways. And I’ve heard of people liking both genders since moving to New York. Is that Mike’s way of saying that he wants to date me? Did I really just pull a ‘normal people’ and assume something about someone I care about…? He’s right, I do need to think about this… I mean, I’ve always cared for him and no one has ever come close but I don’t… Rushing things isn’t a good idea either.

Leaving Will on the porch at that exact moment was harder than Mike had anticipated. He wanted to watch Will’s face as he thought about it, worked through things and realised what Mike was telling him. But he couldn’t. His right hand was twitching like crazy, and it was getting harder to conceal. His mind was faltering, and Mike refused to let anyone see it; Even Willow didn’t know about this side of him that had been emerging for the last three years. Initially it had begun as just something out of the corner of his eye, or the sensation of being watched. In the last eighteen months it slowly devolved into an inability to sleep, hyperfixating on the regrets of his past. Journaling had been helpful in keeping his thoughts straight, channeling the strange, nervous energy and getting it over and done with quickly, but he couldn’t do that whilst being locked up in the lab. The only thing that had saved him there was the fact he was passing out at random times, too exhausted to be himself, let alone this maniac with a pen scribbling nonsense.

Scooping up the pen and notebook that James had handily left behind, Mike shut himself into the still-functioning but incredibly dirtied bathroom, giving himself the privacy he needed to start writing. 

‘This is Mike. I was one of the kids that James used to bully in middle school. Life has a weird way of bringing back all the pain we Hawkins kids have suffered in the most unique ways. But that’s the thing about choices; they have consequences, ones so fleeting or far away that you would never see them coming. I think about my choices all the time, and I’ve just given Will one now. But regardless of what he chooses, I know I’m going to have to make another one soon. I already abandoned one family to protect them. How long will it take before I flee this one too?’

Chapter Text

Max had crazy dreams, and none of them involved the boys. They were dreams about fire and chaos, difficult to understand and unable to be contained, so she had to stop reaching out. It was like a new presence had entered the Void, barring her from reaching her friends. It was exhausting, and caused her to need more real sleep than normal. Letting her rest, Lucas had been summoned back to the conference room that had been allocated to them, meeting Dustin and Sammy who waited for him with the tapes.

“You even brought snacks, nice.” Spotting small bowls of chips and popcorn, along with the coca cola preferences of those in the room, Lucas loved that Dustin always stuck to who he was. “Ready for a movie marathon?”

“No idea, but I prepared the best I could.” Standing and indicating to the pile of tapes beside him, Dustin addressed the doctor in the room as well now. “These are named like comic books. And a lot of them seem to cross over with each other. The series of ‘The Shadow Strikes’,” he used air quotes as he spoke the title name. “Seems to be bigger than the ‘Operation Psychic’ collection by one volume. So I vote we watch parts one and two before jumping on the shadow train, what do you guys think?”

“You said they came with little description cards stuck inside?” Sammy spoke for the first time since Lucas entered the room, surrounded by papers she was supposed to be reading through.

Nodding and popping open Operation Psychic Part 1, Dustin showed the card stuck inside of the VHS. “Yep, just like on a book or movie. This one says, ‘If you had superpowers, wouldn't you want to talk about them? Here's what our Subjects had to say.’ And then just beneath it has a note that it's part 1 of 2.” 

Popping some chips into his mouth because some food was better than none, Lucas listened as the two geniuses in the room spoke. “Provided these aren't just some strange home movies kept in the security room for safekeeping, I say we do it. Sounds like it's the best spot to start for information.”

“They also look the newest,” Lucas choked down his mouthful and chased it with a sip of his soda so he could talk properly. “Some of them look like they were made years ago maybe, cuz the cases are kinda beat up. Like they travelled with someone.”

Making note of that on the only clipboard amongst the mess of files that she had, Sammy felt that was a good observation on Lucas’ part. “Let's hope they give us something we can use.”

Dustin put the VHS into the player after making sure it was at the beginning, and hit play. The screen flickered to life and sat down quickly to get out of the way.

The ‘movie’ began with a title card and a voiceover introduction done by a female.

Operation Psychic:

The Interrogation

Part 1

 “Scientists are always in the pursuit of discovery. Knowledge drives them to great heights, and sometimes they discover impossible things. Though creatures such as Mothman, the Loch Ness and Bigfoot are still considered myths, superhumans are myths no longer. They hide among us, as blissfully unaware as we are sometimes, until those who peek behind the curtain see their truths.”

“Think the voice-over lady is a scientist too?” Lucas whispered to Dustin, leaning in slightly as his friend was on the other side of the table.

A brief title card appeared with the date of the footage, and a heading.

October 30th, 1984

Subject I Interview

[On a BLUE-TONED SECURITY FEED, Dr. OWENS enters the room, carrying a manilla FOLDER of papers, speaking OFF SCREEN first as he closes the DOOR.]

OWENS: Sir Will, how are you? Mom- 

[OWENS nods to JOYCE]

OWENS: Pop-

[OWENS nods to someone OFF SCREEN]

OWENS: Let's take a look, see what's going on here.

Dustin had shrugged at Lucas’ question and absently ate a chip from the bowl, before pausing the video as the chip sat forgotten in his other hand. “Holy shit, that's Will! And not now Will, that's middle school Will.” Pointing at the screen, Dustin was shocked. He didn't expect to see footage this old on a tape so new.

The screen showed footage of Doctor Sam Owens, Sammy’s father, conducting an interview with Will after one of his episodes. Joyce was right by his side, with Doc Owens sitting opposite her.

Sammy didn't speak. She couldn't even read her notes, the second she heard her father's voice, her eyes became riveted to the screen, despite the scene pausing.

“What do you think he meant by Pop? I mean, Lonnie obviously wasn't gonna show up for this, Joyce wouldn't let him anywhere near it.” Lucas was curious, and Dustin had paused the video so they could talk, meaning he didn't feel bad for interrupting.

“Hopper?” Shrugging, Dustin couldn't think of anyone else. “I mean, I think Mrs Byers had started dating Bob at this point, but he didn't know anything about any of this for ages. He probably only found out when Will took them to the tunnels.”

“Wait, weren't we fighting Demodogs or something at that point?” Tired despite drinking caffeinated soda, Lucas was getting his events confused. It had been so many years ago after all. “Point is, how do you know if you weren't there?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Dustin sighed. “I actually read Mike's book. I take it you didn't?”

This humbled Lucas. Most of the friend group hadn't, and Mike respected that. He knew it wasn't easy for any of them, but of course the Bard of Knowledge couldn't help himself. “Point taken, I retreat.”

“Shall we keep going?” Gesturing to the screen, Sammy had been making notes about the tape and the conversation between the two long-time friends.

[OWENS checks the FOLDER for WILL’S MEDICAL HISTORY]

OWENS: I see you shaved off a pound since we saw you last. Must be making room for all that Halloween candy. What's your favourite Candy? Desert Island Candy, if you had to pick one?

YOUNG WILL, DISMISSIVE and SHRUGGING: I don't know?

OWENS: Come on. Life or Death situation, what would you pick?

YOUNG WILL: I guess… 

[WILL looks at JOYCE, who mutters an answer.] 

YOUNG WILL: Reece's Pieces?

Pausing the video a second time, Dustin turned to Lucas again. “Did you see that? Will couldn't even remember his own favourite candy. Joyce just gave him an answer.”

“Maybe it was just nerves,” Lucas dismissed Dustin’s overly critical analysis of what they were watching. “This was after the arcade but before Halloween. Max hadn't joined our party yet.”

Holding up a hand to halt the pair, Sammy had a question. “What's the significance of this, please?”

“The more the Mind Flayer took over Will’s mind, the less he remembered about himself during his possessions. We didn't know how soon it started, but since you can clearly see Joyce giving Will the answer here, so maybe it started earlier than we all thought?”

Eating more chips as Dustin spoke, Lucas disagreed. “I don't think it was this early, I mean, the Mind Flayer didn't grab him until after Halloween. I remember because I smelled like trash for like, a week thanks to you and the whole Dart mess.”

“Clearly there's a lot of details I'm not privy to…” Sammy muttered, resolving that she would have to ask them more about everything later. “I've made a note to revisit your concerns Dustin but since this is only a few minutes into the first tape, I suggest we keep watching?” As Dustin pressed play, it was almost like the Doctor Owens from the past answered them himself.

OWENS: Good call, good call. 

[OWENS closes the FOLDER and puts it down] 

OWENS: I'm more of a Mounds guy - but I gotta say, peanut butter and chocolate, come on, hard to beat that.

[OWENS turns back to WILL, his full attention on the boy as they get to business.]

OWENS: Alright, tell me what's going on with you. Tell me about this episode you had.

YOUNG WILL: Well, my friends were there, and then they just weren't, and I was back there again.

OWENS: In the Upside Down?

[YOUNG WILL nods once slightly]

OWENS: Alright, so what happened next?

YOUNG WILL: I heard this noise, and so I went outside, and it was worse.

OWENS: How was it worse?

YOUNG WILL: There was this storm.

OWENS: Okay, so how did you feel when you saw the storm?

YOUNG WILL: I felt… frozen.

Everyone was riveted to the screen at this point, even Sammy couldn't cut her concentration to take notes.

OWENS: Heart racing?

[YOUNG WILL shakes his head SLIGHTLY, implying NO.]

YOUNG WILL:  Just frozen.

OWENS: Frozen, cold frozen? Frozen to the touch?

YOUNG WILL: No, like how you feel when you're scared,and you can't breathe, or talk, or do anything. I felt… felt this evil like it was looking at me.

OWENS: It was evil? Well- 

[OWENS STRAIGHTENS for a moment and COUGHS to clear his throat]

OWENS: What do you think the evil wanted?

YOUNG WILL: To kill.

OWENS: To kill you?

YOUNG WILL: not me. Everyone else.

November 4th 1987

Proof of Psychic Prowess

Each new scene was relatively brief, but covered events from multiple angles. It depicted an older form of Will, standing in the centre of the destroyed MAC-Z Base, raising his hands with palms to the sky, as a Demogorgon that attempted to attack Mike had all of its bones broken one by one, killing it with extreme prejudice. Once it was dead and dropped to the ground, Will too fell to his knees, and proceeded to wipe his nose; Presumably to remove blood from his face.

“No fucking way, that's actually so cool!” Lucas hollared at Will’s defeat of the three Demogorgons on screen. “I just saw what happened to the Demos, I didn't see this part!”

“Dude, I didn't even see the Demos the first time, I was stuck in the Upside Down whilst you had those kids.” In awe of the entire scene as the Demogorgon that had come for Mike was in some of the camera shots, it's bones breaking as Will killed it using a mixture of telekinesis and telepathy.

Pulling down the collar of his shirt somewhat, Lucas revealed a light scar from where the Demogorgon had slashed him. “I got closer than I would have liked, but Will saved me. Robin and Murray too.”

Again feeling like she was interrupting because she didn't have the facts, Sammy hovered a pen over the notes she was taking. “He took out more than just that one Demogorgon?” Adopting their terminology easily because her father had told her bits and pieces about the events in Hawkins he knew about, Sammy felt comfortable using the “non-official” names for things.

“Yep, Will took out three demos at once with his mind.” Confirming this, Lucas then added, “One is there, with Mike,” Rewinding the tape a few seconds to show it on screen again, Lucas pointed to it. “Then there was one with me, down in the tunnels. Probably about half a mile away? I dunno exactly, but then there was also the one attacking Robin and Murray who were driving the hell out of there in a truck. All three, simultaneous death.”

Some part of Lucas remembered how gung-ho Mike was about getting the specifics right, and though he was too tired to care at the time, Lucas now stood in for Mike in making sure he accurately portrayed what happened.

Eyes wide and hand writing quickly, Sammy made more notes. “He's a lot more powerful than I think the Greys give him credit for. Whether he knows it or not I guess is another matter though, right? Will didn't exhibit any evidence of psychokinetic abilities after the dimensions were sealed off from each other?”

“Not that we know of at least.” Lucas answered the question as best he could.

Having nothing to add to what Lucas stated, Dustin asked, “You guys wanna keep watching? That was only the first person and I think we have six in total.” Dustin was ready to hit continue again, the awe of watching one of his best friend’s most epic moments wearing off enough for focus to return.

Gesturing to the screen, Sammy was more than happy to keep going. “Please, continue.”

The next title screen read;

March 26, 1985

Subject II Interview

This time it was more like a standard interview, where a young kid, no more than seven years old, sat uncomfortably. He had long, wild and dark hair that was matted and sticking up in awkward directions, partly shading his eyes from the man across from him. The quality of the camera wasn't much better than the first interview scene between Will and Doctor Owens, but something drastically different changed this time.

Whilst they could hear the man asking questions in the background, the female narrator spoke again over the top. “This is Subject II when he first came to us. Wild and unkempt, the boy never spoke a word, no matter what we asked. We cut his hair and cleaned him up. He survived years of various experiments until finally…” Another date appeared briefly on the screen.

March 10, 1990

Subject II Experiment Success

“Pause it?” Sammy asked quickly, unable to do so herself. Dustin quickly did so, allowing the Doctor to ask her followup question. “I believe I know who is doing the voice-over here. I recognised it as soon as I saw the interviewer.”

“It's the girl Doctor Grey, right?” Dustin asked, since he has briefly met her in person just days prior. “The voiceover chick?”

Chuckling at Dustin's crude description of the woman, Sammy nodded. “Yes. The narrator is Doctor Daniella Grey, whilst her older brother, Doctor Gideon Grey, is the one running the experiments on Subject II here.”

“Will and Max called him Mateo.” Lucas supplied, not having met Daniella or Gideon, thanks to having the job of 'fake soldier’ during their infiltration mission. Noting this, Sammy thanked Lucas and gestured for Dustin to hit play again.

The camera quality was better this time, with colour video clearing some things up. Overseeing everything was the same man who had interviewed Subject II in the first scenes, standing by as the boy, now older, closed his eyes. The camera scenes switched to show the front of his face, proving his blood nose before switching back to a shot of the entire room.

Nothing happened for a few moments, until suddenly the three black hockey pucks on the table shot forth, two headed for the targets on the other side of the room, whilst the third headed for the researcher standing watch. Despite its fast speed, he caught it in one hand.

“Nice try, Subject II. But it's going to take more than that to catch me off guard.” Dr. Gideon Grey chuckled as he put the puck down again in front of his test subject, and indicated he try again, firing it in the correct direction this time. It shot forward at greater speed than the three pucks had done when moved together, and embedded itself into the target.

Pausing it yet again as a new title card appeared, Dustin turned to his companions. “So Mateo really is similar to El, is that the current agreed upon theory?” Just wanting to check with the others, Dustin’s gaze flicked between Lucas and Sammy.

“I think so, I mean, he ripped that thing out of Holly with his mind, right?” Lucas didn't have any further evidence to disprove the theory or suggest an alternative.

Making a note of ‘Mateo/II = 011?’, Sammy agreed with this theory as well. “I haven't read the files you recovered yet so for now, I leave it to your judgement. You've actually met him after all.”

“We ready for the last one? Tape’s nearly finished.” Asking after everyone took a moment to sip their drinks, Dustin hit play again as he got nods of agreement.

November 13th, 1990

Subject III Interview and

Experiment Success

“Prior to the interview, we released a feral cat into the room and asked two trained animal handlers to get it into the cage. As you can see, it is highly aggressive and uncooperative.”

[CAT CATCHER 1 receives a RIPPED SLEEVE whilst CAT CATCHER 2 struggled to hold the CAT whilst wearing DISHWASHING GLOVES as hand protection.]

The scene cut to the cat in the cage already on the table, with a nurse and a young girl, mousey brown hair with slight curls to it, wearing a hospital gown, entering the room. There is distance between them.

NURSE: Alright, I have some questions I want to ask you. Do you think you could answer honestly for me?

SUBJECT III, CONFUSED: Yeah? I can do that.

NURSE: Great, okay so I was wondering, how do you think this cat here feels? 

[The NURSE gestures to the CAT with a PEN, ready to write notes. SUBJECT III sits on her hands as she answers]

SUBJECT III: I know he feels confused.

[The CAT turns in his CAGE, making a NOISE as he faces SUBJECT III through the CAGE BARS. SUBJECT III continued to watch the CAT as she speaks.]

SUBJECT III: He doesn’t trust you, but no one has poked him with the needles yet like he had been told. He misses the one that loved him, the one that called him Jenemy. That’s his name by the way. It’s not Fusspot, his name is Jenemy.

NURSE: You just met this cat, and you know all this about it already?

SUBJECT III: About him, yes. He has nothing to hide, so he told me.

[SILENCE fills the room. The NURSE frantically writes whilst SUBJECT III looks like she is about to stand, unaware her nose is BLEEDING LIGHTLY.]

SUBJECT III: Can I let him out?

[Another SILENCE, the NURSE considering the options.]

NURSE: Yeah, go ahead. Just be careful, ok? There’s a latch on the top, and then the door slides upwards.

[SUBJECT III follows the NURSE’S INSTRUCTIONS on how to undo the CAT CAGE and RELEASE JENEMY. She then proceeds to SIT DOWN in her chair again.]

SUBJECT III: There you go. Now you have a choice. You don’t have to come out if you don’t want to but it looked cramped in there.

[JENEMY cautiously assesses the room, sticks out his NOSE, and then extends a PAW. As soon as the PAW touches the TABLE, JENEMY DASHES into the arms and lap of SUBJECT III, who FREEZES UP until JENEMY is comfortable. SUBJECT III begins petting JENEMY.]

SUBJECT III, WHISPERING: This happens a lot.

NURSE, WHILST NOTE TAKING: Do you know why?

[SUBJECT III looks down at JENEMY, answering SLOWLY whilst petting her FRIEND.]

SUBJECT III: I… I try to feel what they do. Makes me on the same level as them, and then we calm down together. When they realise that I’m not going to hurt them, or be angry with them or anything we just… We just sit.

NURSE: Has there ever been any creature that hasn’t responded this way?

SUBJECT III: Sometimes.

[She shrugs, the NURSE still taking plenty of NOTES.]

SUBJECT III: Street cats and snakes and shy creatures still tend to just leave instead of coming to play with me, but I don’t mind. They’re curious, and don't trust me, and I don’t get mad at them for it. 

[SUBJECT III becomes DISTANT and QUIET.]

SUBJECT III: My parents didn’t like it though.

[The NURSE pauses her WRITING]

NURSE: Was it because they were worried you would get hurt maybe?

SUBJECT III, APOLOGETIC: No, they just didn’t like animals in their house… The poor rats were just hungry. And the spiders wanted to be out of the rain. I think the snake really scared them though…

[SUBJECT III begins to PANIC, her BLOOD NOSE becoming more evident as JENEMY also PANICS, RIGID in her arms.]

SUBJECT III, DISTANT: I didn’t mean to scare them, I promise. I didn’t bring any more animals inside after that I swear.

NURSE: Don’t worry, you're not in trouble with us about it, I'm just curious. With Jenemy on your lap now, how do you both feel?

[SUBJECT III looks at JENEMY, who MEWLS at the same time SUBJECT III SPEAKS.]

SUBJECT III: Hungry. 

[SUBJECT III LOOKS UP, speaking NORMALLY like nothing happened.]

SUBJECT III: We're hungry.

REWIND AND INSERT PART 2

TO CONTINUE WATCHING.

For such a simple recording, continuous from a single angle, there was a lot to unpack for the three watching. Lucas and Dustin had gone through their fair share of troubles and bullying, but Sammy, with an education in psychology, knew that the child she just watched on her screen was hurting from the some of the worst kinds of invisible wounds any child could face.

Seeing all three kids broke her heart, honestly. Even knowing that Will was an adult now, like his two friends that sat with her currently, they all faced something terrible. And it was such different kinds of terrible, too. There's so much pain in this world. I just hope more people chose to take the harder option and helped heal it.

“So, Subject III,” Dustin pointed generically at the screen as he spoke. “We didn't meet her at the base.”

“No, she was with Mike.” Confirming things for Dustin because he had been in the control room, Lucas stared at the can in his hand. “I'm pretty sure that's Willow. Holly is the only one of us that's actually met her though, so we should ask her to be sure.”

Contemplating this decision, Sammy asked for advice. “How do you think she would handle seeing her friend on a tape like this though?” Putting down her pen, Sammy stretched her arms. With the expressions of apprehension she received, Sammy was glad she asked first. “Let's take a break here. I know we have,” She did a quick count of the stacks of tapes. “Seven more tapes to go and then some files, but we need to be thorough. I'll grab some stuff so you two can take notes, we can take the files labelled Subjects I, II and III, and share the workload. Agreed?”

“I'm down for it.” Always happy to sort through info and learn more about a problem to create solutions, Dustin looked over at Lucas. No doubt his friend was smart, but this wasn't exactly his area. (Technically, Dustin’s genius excelled in hard sciences, but at least he understood a lot of the soft sciences so far too). “You gonna be good with this?”

“Me?” Lucas gestured to himself as he pushed his chair in. “Look, I'll do my best. But that's why we're working together right? We can look over each other's stuff after.”

“If that's the case, then Lucas you can do Will’s portion, Dustin can do Mateo’s and I'll take Subject III, who we presume is Willow. See you back here in… oh, say twenty minutes?” Wondering if that was enough time for the boys, she got affirmations and they immediately headed out of the room, leaving their things behind as they split up.

Chapter Text

Mike didn't remember falling asleep. He didn't even remember leaving the bathroom. He did feel warmth, comfort and peace; peace he hadn't experienced in a long time. Something soft pressed against his face, keeping his eyes closed and gently bouncing his own breath back against his skin. When he did take a breath, the scent reminded him of sunlit warmth, kinder days and a smaller world…

After drifting from his last train of thought, Mike figured he should probably move. This proved more difficult than first seemed however; His right hand was not just trapped, but rather entwined with the fingers of another right hand, pressed against their chest where Mike couldn't tell if that was truly Will’s heartbeat or just his imagination.

Will!?

Of course. Given they had been trekking in the wild for two days and weren't exactly the cleanest young men in the world right now, Will’s scent had reminded him of them when they were young children, dressed for fall weather and had just come inside to play games in the basement after playing together outside for hours. It was familiar, reassuring and felt more like home than almost anything else in his whole world.

Continuing to discover just how entangled his limbs were, Mike slowly came to realise his left arm was lifted up over Will’s back, his forearm acting as a pillow for Will, just as his upper arm had supported his own head. The leg trapped beneath his body weight (his left leg) was straight out beneath him, partially supporting some of the weight from Will's legs as well, due to what was happening with Mike’s final appendage.

Somehow, in their sleep, Will had wrapped both of his legs around Mike’s right leg. Mike couldn't even bend his knee without moving half of Will’s body. How was he supposed to get up now? Part of him wanted to fight it, just stay laying there until Will woke up of his own accord. A different part of him was in a complete state of relief, because Will hadn't been facing him in the night. If Mike had opened his eyes to find a sleeping Will, eyes closed in gentle rest, he probably would have kissed Will awake before fully waking up and realising for himself what he was doing.

But mostly, practicality won out. Sleeping on the floor was mediocre at the best of times, and as the serenity of sleep fully shrugged itself away, Mike knew his joints needed time to stretch and sit in normal positions. So how was he going to do this?

“Mike… are you awake?” A sleepy Willow asked, her voice clear in his mind as she didn't want to wake anyone else by accident.

Holding his breath for a second before letting it out slowly to ensure he didn't startle Will awake after getting a jumpscare of his own, Mike clenched his teeth as he responded. “Yeah, something up?”

“Me, I'm up. Well ok I'm awake but I don't wanna move, it's warm… What're you doing? I can't hear you moving around.”

Great. To explain himself to a ten year old, or lie. Talk about a rock and a hard place- Ok maybe don't think about that when you're tangled up with another guy, that's a problem you really don't want right now Mike! Thankful that yet another word blunder without filter had been trapped in his brain rather than shared with others, Mike tried to calm himself. “I'm just a bit stuck. It's fine.”

There was some silence from Willow, in which Mike knew she was thinking about what the hell he meant. His only hope now was to try and free himself from Will before she figured out what he meant, because she clearly couldn't see him from wherever Willow was laying. Wiggling his free fingertips on his left hand, Mike felt the jacket that had originally been acting as Will’s pillow, and feebly tried to grab it without moving his arm. It took a few tries, but he got it, dragging it closer until it was fully grasped in his palm.

Extracting his second hand turned out to be easier than expected, in a positive turn of luck. Gently shifting his right hand down, Mike was able to turn his hand and cup it around Will’s, slipping it so his palm was now on the back of Will’s hand, instead of the other way around. Curling his sleeping companion’s fingers, Mike gently pressed Will’s own hand to his heart, ensuring that the warmth trapped there would stay, therefore not disturbing him.

This next part was going to be the most difficult part of the entire process. With only one leg to use as a counterweight for the rest of his body, Mike gently lifted Will’s head up with his arm, swapped the jacket-pillow into his free right hand, so his left could cradle Will’s head from the back. Placing the jacket down, Mike had nothing more than a plea to the universe that the cold material didn't wake Will up. It was the one thing Mike didn't have time to control.

After several moments of waiting with baited breath, and being lulled into false security that Willow had fallen back asleep, Mike nearly collapsed into Will with all his weight when Willow's voice jumpscared him a second time. “You fell asleep cuddling Will, didn't you? That's why you're stuck?”

Deciding to be obstinate (not very mature, he knew), Mike refused to answer. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't admitting the truth, either. Instead, he did his best to keep his right leg straight, his left leg kneeling beneath him, one hand no more than an inch away from Will’s back, and the other stuck out in the air to keep it out of the way more than anything else.

Inching his way to freedom was an agonizing process for his knee and thigh, holding up all of Mike’s weight in a single spot on a wooden floor, but it was working. Right until Willow decided she had enough of the silence, and spoke to Mike again, causing Mike to tense up and freeze as he basically semi-hovered over Will. “Does this mean you told him?”

“WILLOW I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU KEEP TALKING I AM GONNA PISS MYSELF!” Because thinking had no filter, Mike accidentally lost his shit for a second as he just needed the kid to understand simply doing the thing wasn't how this worked. Taking a deep breath so he didn't fall apart literally as well as emotionally, he then apologised. “No Willow, I haven't told him yet, there's a process to it. And before you ask, NO, I am not telling you the process so please, please I beg of you stop asking. You'll know when I do, I'll tell you myself - you'll be the first person I tell. Y'know, if Hush isn't there too already. But please, for the love of all that is good and holy in this world please, let me focus! I seriously do need to pee and I do NOT want that to happen until I'm free. Okay?”

There was total silence, but he could sense it. Willow was laughing at him. The ten year old who had hardly known familial love and only heard stories of true romantic love, was laughing at him. Sticking his tongue out in her general direction now that he could see her (but not the other way around), Mike reassessed his situation. All that was left was to shift his hand, shift his knee, and then the rest of Mike's leg could slowly be freed from Will’s clutches, and he would be in the clear.

Unless, of course, Awkward Michael Wheeler struck again, because of course nothing could go right for him after such a perfect wakeup call that he completely did not deserve - not in the slightest. Freedom from Will meant overcompensation in Mike’s muscles, causing him to stagger when moving forward. With a cramp in his left thigh from holding all his weight, Mike collided with the nearest wall, smacking his forehead into the solid surface, causing a loud thump to sound through the house.

Mateo and Willow, resting together a few feet away, both shot up, as Willow was already awake and Mateo was a light sleeper when it came to strange and sudden sounds. Holding up his hands in surrender, Mike insisted he was fine with visual cues, before rubbing his forehead with annoyance and fleeing to the bathroom, as he really did need to pee. It wasn't just to get Willow to stop talking.

Smothering her giggles with her hands, Willow was trying so hard not to laugh too much at her poor mentor. Even Hush was amused at the effort, because he was capable of Shadow Travelling Mike into a different spot of the room without taking Will with them. But Mike didn't ask, and Hush didn't want to interrupt the plan Mike was clearly sticking to his guns with.

Not understanding in the slightest what just happened, Mateo decided to ignore it and wandered over to Will. Shaking his shoulder slightly, he did what he could to wake Will without being mean about it. Eventually Will came to, rubbing his eyes as he sat up, Mateo taking half a step back. “Sorry. Everyone else is awake, I thought maybe you would want to be awake too.”

“S’Okay.” Smiling tiredly at Mateo, Will was grateful for his consideration. “Good morning.” Looking around, Will could see Willow giggling and yet searching for a place to hide, and no sign of Mike. “What's… going on, exactly?”

“I have no idea. Mike headbutted the wall and it woke me up. Willow hasn't stopped...” Gesturing with a hand in Willow’s direction before she ran around a corner and out of sight, Mateo didn't know what word to use. “That.”

“... Giggling?” Raising an eyebrow, Will looked at Mateo, confused. “The sound she was making, she was giggling.” It took a few seconds but Will realised Mateo might never have been taught the word for it in the first place. “It's a type of laughing, usually because someone is being sneaky, or mischievous.”

If a person could murmur telepathically, Mateo was the king of it. “Like a… cheeky monkey?” He asked the question with a strange combination of embarrassment, annoyance and stubbornness. Like he was remembering something, which was inherently a good thing, but he didn't like what he was remembering, and hoped that it would never get brought up again.

“Yes!” Will lit up anyway, thankful they had a connection to use that would help Mateo understand. “Exactly like that, it's an example of being mischievous.”

Sitting down on the floor beside each other, Will and Mateo watched as Mike appeared. Standing in the doorway that led towards the bathroom and bedrooms, Mike faced the large, open area that functioned as the kitchen and living areas. Will went to open his mouth to tell Mike where Willow was, but before a sound could pass his lips, Mike held up a hand to silence him. 

Instead, Mike squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes. Hush wasn't within his body currently, having been patrolling around the house just in case any soldiers came along, meaning Mike had nothing but his Empathic Link and Psychic Tether to locate his young companion.

It only took a second or two, before an evil grin passed his lips, causing Mike to laugh. This was just too easy. Willow didn't stand a chance! Now tipping his head upwards as he opened his eyes, Mike called out clearly for the whole house to hear, “You can't hide from me, Willow.” He didn't shout, but his tone came out a fraction deeper than usual, his pronunciation exact and his overall voice audible clearly in every way. No longer drawing things out, Mike moved quickly through the house, rushing past Will and Mateo who had watched this entire process, trying not to slip on the floor as he just wore socks.

In moments, Willow’s cries from the next room were audible. “No, no Mike no, no I didn't - No MIKE STOP NO!” Her words devolved quickly, so Will and Mateo scrambled to their feet, wondering what the hell was happening. In the seconds it took between Willow's pleas to devolve and the confused to arrive, Willow was suffering from bouts of raucous laughter. Mike had found her, trapped her on the floor, and was tickling her.

“This is for teasing me!” Stating his reason for revenge, Mike was laughing along with her, and eased up to make sure she didn't hurt herself trying to breathe. Standing up and offering her a helping hand, Mike and Willow got to their feet, calming down again.

Mateo didn't know what was going on, and thankfully he had just the word he needed to ask with. “... What???”

“Willow was teasing me, for headbutting the wall earlier, so I was tickling her as payback. Now we're even - anyone else hungry?” Wanting to move on from this conversation, Mike dodged any more questions by returning to the food stash.

~~~~~

Once everyone had eaten, Mike unfolded the map and laid it out for everyone to see. It had three different shades of green, some tiny blue-pen crosses in various areas of the grid, and a lot of annotation in big red marker. “Someone really went to town with this.” Sitting back on his haunches, arms crossed and looking down at the map, Mike wasn't sure what he thought of it overall.

“It's not very artistic but it's helpful.” Will shrugged and read the markings aloud. “There's ‘MONSTERS’ at the bottom, ‘DOE Zone’ to the middle right, ‘more bad’ to the middle left, ‘36C’ and ‘Nice?’ And who knows what at the top of the map.” A small smile crossed Will's features. “It kinda looks like a crude dungeon map.”

“Does that make us here?” Willow leaned forward and poked the red X at the very bottom. There was a purple block at the edge of the park that had what looked like a dot and a door inside, but since she was looking at the map sideways, she couldn't read the letters on them.

Deep in thought, Mike nodded. “I think so. But if that's true, then we can either go backwards to the bad men, or we go forwards to the monsters. I don't like either option, but we are going to need more water eventually. Maybe this ‘Nice’ area should be our goal, go check it out? What do you guys think?”

“Fight monsters.” Mateo spoke his opinion first, already making up his mind.

Whilst he agreed they should head for water, Will had a more cautious approach. “Woah, hold on there. We don't have to fight them, they might just be territorial and we should avoid them. We don't want to tire ourselves out.”

“Monsters are just more animals, right?” Willow spoke hopefully. “Maybe I can convince them we are friends?”

“Hush? Do you feel alright coming through so called Monster territory with us?” Wanting to ensure he was including everyone in the decision-making process, Mike reached out to Hush, closing his eyes to concentrate under the guise of just looking thoughtful. There was a sensation of excitement in response, matching Mateo’s intensity, that indicated Hush was absolutely on board. “Okay, sounds like we're all in agreement then. Upwards!”

Gathering up everything they could, Mike had the creative idea to turn his shirt into a bundle. Claiming he would be warm enough because he still had a jacket and a tank top, Mike wrapped some of the remaining cans from the stash up in the now spare fabric and the bootlace Mike untied the day before, using it with the sleeves to form the final knot. “Tada! Now we can carry food with us.”

Keeping his concerns reserved for now, Will simply encouraged Mike's ingenuity, thankful that they would have food for their trip too. Carrying bottles of water in their rather large military pockets, the boys each could carry two, but Willow carried just the one in her hand because adding any extra weight to her already oversized, hardly fitting clothing was deemed a bad idea. Able to slip the book, pen and map into his pocket around one of the water bottles, Mike helped cover up what was left of the stash just in case they had to come back here for some reason.

Leaving the house as they found it to the best of their ability, the team of four wandered off into the forest, keeping relatively close together so they always had line of sight on each other. Hush had returned to hiding within Mike, as it was just the easiest arrangement for the tethered trio. 

Hanging back a bit with Will as he carried the food bundle, Mike had finally figured out how he wanted to go about handling this morning’s situation. “How'd you sleep last night?”

“Pretty well, actually. Then again, not being a prisoner or having nightmares about torture always improves things. No offence to Mateo, but I haven't been sleeping well for months.” Due to the nightmares coming from Mateo’s real-world suffering as he reached out for help, Will didn't blame the kid in the slightest. “How about you?”

If he was honest, Mike was in pretty much the same position. He had felt much more rested compared to his time in captivity, and waking up with Will’s presence in his arms was a true joy of his world. But he couldn't exactly admit all that, could he? “Just needed a bed and it would have been perfect. My shoulder is still aching from the floor.” This may not have been the truth he wanted to tell, but it wasn't a lie either. Having two heads pin your arm down was sufficient cause for a shoulder to complain. “Anyway, I just wanted to ask because… well, usually when it's cold, you're the last to sleep and the first to wake. That's all.”

“For once… I wasn't cold.” Will smiled at Mike, his heart fluttering at the little things, like how Mike paid attention to his sleeping habits and remembered them, even from when they were kids. “I don't know what changed, but I wasn't cold this time.”

Aha! So he doesn't know. Okay, now to make sure Willow doesn't dob me in on this. Having another little secret he could keep to himself, Mike nearly missed his Danger Sense going off, alerting him to something from above. Throwing up a brief shield, Mike watched an acorn ricochet off it, landing harmlessly to one side. Pointing at the tree with indignation, Mike admonished the plant. “Well that was rude. You shouldn't drop things on people's heads like that.” 

Laughing, Will knew Mike wasn't really mad, but it was a silly sight regardless. “Hey, stop a second,” Still chuckling, Will grabbed Mike's jacket to slow him briefly. Reaching to his face, Will gently used a thumb to wipe away the tiny blood droplet from his nose. “There, fixed.”

Chuckling now too, Mike grinned back at Will, internally ignoring the fact that he was also blushing like mad. “Thanks. Let's get going again before the kids realise we aren't behind them.”

The two kids in question were leading the way by a few paces, with Willow happy to talk enough for the both of them. Mateo had asked what normal life was like, in the fewest words possible, and Willow did her best. She explained about school and how there were lots of other kids that ran around, the way they learned things and that you had to go home again afterwards. She spoke about cars and television, as well as radio music and supermarkets. Anything that came to mind really, she was happy to talk about.

“So when you come live with us we can do all the fun things together! We can reach you about board games and DND and bedtime and dessert!” Giving herself a few moments to breathe, mostly staring at the ground to choose where she wanted to step (socks for shoes were not great for hiking in), Willow hoped Mateo was happy with her explanation.

It was a lot to process. But he looked forward to learning about all of it, and the more time he spent with Willow, the more he wanted to do it all with his friend. “Us, together? Will too?”

Getting closer to Mateo so she could whisper to him, Willow grinned. “I hope so. Mike promised he was gonna adopt me, so maybe Will can adopt you and when they move in together we can be family. We'd be better than friends, you'd be my big brother.”

They glanced back at the two adults as they laughed together, before Mateo asked shared a bit more of himself with Willow. “I had a big brother. I don't remember much… What are big brothers supposed to do?”

She hadn't been expecting that question. As an only child, Willow didn't actually know. She had seen what Mike did for Holly a bit though, and used that as a reference. “I'm not sure but… I think they're kinda like another parent? They look after you, but play and have fun with you too. But you don't have to look after me, I'm a big girl too.” Promising she wouldn't be a burden to him, Willow hoped that would be okay.

Everything Willow had described about ‘being a big brother’ tracked with what Mateo could remember of his own. “I understand. I would like that. If I am your brother, does that make you my brother?”

Shaking her head immediately, Willow was happy to correct him. “No, brothers are boys. I would be your sister cuz I'm a girl.”

“Oh. What do sisters do?” Wondering if there were any other differences, Mateo was happy to let Willow keep talking. 

Again, referencing what she knew of the bond between Mike and Holly, Willow gave a small shrug. “Same as brothers I guess. Sometimes be a bit annoying for fun, but also helping make sure brothers don't forget things, make sure they remember to look after themselves too.”

“We can find out together?” Quiet as always, Mateo was also hopeful. His heart felt lighter as Willow beamed at him, in complete agreement.

Walking a few more steps, Willow gasped suddenly as a thought came to her. “We should figure out what your DND class is! Oh right, DND means Dungeons and Dragons and it's a table game. For inside. You make up stories and go on adventures.”

Finally! Relieved he didn't have to ask about this thing that everyone kept talking about, Mateo had been wondering what ‘DND’ was this entire time. “Is DND also… normal?”

Shaking her head and speaking in a conspiratorial whisper, Willow acted like she was sharing a secret. “Nope, not to most people. It's special.” Giving a little giggle, Willow then specified, “It's a good kind of special.”

Before Mateo could answer her again, there was a loud snap from just ahead of them, causing Mateo to freeze and put out an arm to physically halt Willow. She stopped, confused, but Mike’s next words confirmed what Mateo had thought. “Guys… Back away from the bush-”

“Why?” Will whispered as the kids slowly walked backwards towards the adults, Mateo remaining in front of Willow.

Mike’s senses had flicked into haywire mode, Hush shifting within him as the shadow readied himself as well. “There's something dangerous ahead.”

Chapter Text

Twenty minutes, it turns out, wasn't enough time. Being pulled aside by all sorts of doctors, coordinators, nurses and assistants, Sammy should have known better than to leave that conference room. Three hours later saw her managing to hide from the others, knowing there was another supervisor on staff they could turn to for help by now.

Dustin and Lucas had been diligent in their note-taking, coming together to work on their projects even without Sammy present, because they both felt like they had something to focus on. At a loss on how to help their best friends since they were so far away, the Core Party Duo left no educational stone unturned when it came to their projects.

“Hey Sammy; Finally drag yourself out of that meeting?” Lucas had tried to meet up with her two hours ago, but he wasn't allowed in due to not being staff.

Laughing weakly, Sammy felt exhausted. “Oh I left that meeting an hour ago and my fellow supervisor was half an hour late, so I'm hiding in here… This is what I want to be working on anyway.” Slinking over to a chair and relaxing in a dramatic fashion, Sammy was relieved to have a few moments to herself - or at least, with people who understood.

“Well I'm about done with Mateo’s file, I'm not sure there's anything more I can derive from his footage in our first tape that isn't already in here. He's just a big mystery, which is exactly what shady government corporations love.” Closing the file and looking at his personal notes, Dustin continued. “No birth certificate, no known relatives, brought to an orphanage at the assumed age of seven, and there for no longer than a week before being picked up by Doctor Gideon Grey himself.” Sighing as the book dropped back onto the table, Dustin allowed himself a moment to relax his muscles. “I spoke with Hopper, and he mentioned the language used in the orphanage reception papers reads in the same coded way that meant someone from outside the state brought him in anonymously.”

“Don’t forget that the main goal of his experiment was supposed to be mutating his blood to present in a similar fashion to Will’s.” Lucas piped up, having been helping out with Dustin’s notes. “Will’s file is 99% stuff we already knew,” Lucas gestured to himself and Dustin specifically, implying that people who went through events alongside Will would be in the know. “All I found out is that Will’s blood has been mutated into some weird bloodtype, where ‘notable similarities are found in other subjects from the experiments of Dr. Martin Brenner’, and that they thought Will had telekinesis years ago, but no proof.”

“Wait, say again?” Dustin hadn’t looked at Will’s files because he had been too busy scouring Mateo’s. “Does it say why they concluded that?”

Opening the file to read the direct quote, Lucas cleared his throat. “Subject I is suspected of being able to perform feats of telekinesis due to a credible rumour. Unfortunately, the tape that supports this theory was destroyed in the attack on the Hawkins Lab in 1984. From the memory of Drs. Daniella and Gideon Grey (though they acknowledge this to be potentially fallible), Subject I admitted to Dr. Sam Owens that ‘The Monster unlocked the door from outside, sliding it across with its mind’. Due to no creature from Dimension X demonstrating this ability, including the one identified by Subject I at the time, we believe this may have been caused by Subject I himself. Fear has proven to be a powerful motivator for triggering psychic episodes, whether the subject is aware or not.”

“They started their entire project based on nothing but a rumour… And it was centred around kids? I genuinely can’t believe people sometimes, there’s no reason for our government to be so desperate.” Sighing as she rubbed her face, Sammy groaned with discomfort just thinking about it.

Scratching the back of his head, Dustin did recognise it as something peculiar. “Will never mentioned that to us. Then again, he didn’t really talk about it all that much. I don’t blame him, it was terrifying enough to face the Demodogs.” Willing to entertain the theory, Dustin didn’t have enough evidence to dissuade it either. Looking over at Sammy, the genius knew she had been busy but felt the need to ask, “Any progress with the Subject III file?”

“Yes, actually,” Opening up the clipboard folder that she had been guarding all day, Sammy had done everything she could to glimpse at the file with every spare second. “I was able to get a ten minute phone call with the primary nurse that was assigned for the pre-transfer experimentation under Daniella, and I have been able to confirm that Subject III is definitely Willow Burrows…” Voice trailing off as she flipped through the pages to get to her notes summary, Sammy then continued reading. “Clear signs of a mentally abusive home life where she was treated as less than human and unable to conform to stereotypes placed upon her by her parents. Firmly believes her parents are actually angels sent to monitor her because she is a ‘demonic child’. She disassociates to repress the most traumatic memories, seemingly having no recollection immediately after coming out of the disassociation.” Automatically going into explanation mode, Sammy took a quick tangent before continuing to read her notes. “Like she’s just woken up from falling asleep, she won’t question it and just assumes she had been tired, before moving on. And ‘she was showing psychic potential without nosebleeds, able to form empathic connections with animals around her without actively seeking to do so’. Apparently she was found to also have a healing ability similar to what we now know Holly has, but the nurse purposefully omitted it from her reports for Willow’s sake.”

Both men in the room gave themselves time to process this information, Dustin forming a small smile on his face. “Dude, that was some of the most horrible stuff we have heard of being done to a ten year old by her own family, and you’re smiling?” Demanding an explanation from Dustin, Lucas did not understand.

“Sorry, sorry,” Apologising with a chuckle and a shake of his head, Dustin looked up at Lucas and Sammy. “It’s exactly something Mike would do. He saw an outcast, and took her under his wing. He just couldn’t help himself, and I’m proud of him for that.”

Relaxing because it wasn’t something twisted and nefarious somehow, Lucas berating himself for not having more faith in Dustin. “It is a classic Mike thing to do.”

“I still have some more research I’d like to do into Willow’s home life later - you know, go over things more thoroughly. But whilst we are all here in the room, shall we get onto the next tape?” Asking if the boys were ready for new notes and more interviews, Sammy set aside the notes she had already begun, finding a new, blank sheet of paper to get started with.

Hopping up, Dustin set up the next tape as he was the self-nominated VHS commander. Lucas was more than happy to sit and chill, letting his friend do the work whilst waiting for the new tape to play;

Operation Psychic:

The Interrogation

Part 2

The title card changed on its own to another without a voiceover; this one showing a much more recent date.

November 13th, 1990

Subject IV Interrogation Part 1

{With clear, colour view, the SECURITY CAMERAS change through several angles of the same scene; In the room, SUBJECT III (WILLOW), SUBJECT IV (MIKE) and SUBJECT GAMMA are present. WILLOW and MIKE are strapped into HOSPITAL BEDS, undergoing a TRANSFUSION with SUBJECT GAMMA. SUBJECT GAMMA is trapped within a small GLASS TANK, where the only exit is through the TRANSFUSION TUBING attached to MIKE.}

[DR. DANIELLA GREY walks into view to check on her EXPERIMENT in person.]

DANIELLA: Aha! I see you’re awake again. How do you feel?

SUBJECT IV: … Alive. I feel alive. How amusing.

DANIELLA: Amusing? How so?

SUBJECT IV: Let’s just say, I thought I lost my head for a minute there.

DANIELLA: Like your actual head, or your mind?

SUBJECT IV: I’ll let you decide that.

DANIELLA: Well you’re sure being more fun yet cryptic compared to the first time we spoke, aren’t you Subject IV?

SUBJECT IV: Four? I find that insulting.

[DANIELLA laughs and approaches SUBJECT IV’s bedside, looking into his EYES before making some notes on her CLIPBOARD]

DANIELLA: Any troubles with your vision? Your eyes have changed colour somewhat.

SUBJECT IV: Depends, have you always looked like a common whore?

DANIELLA: Oh, such a burn, I am oh so offended.

[DANIELLA rolls her eyes and wanders away, CLIPBOARD still raised]

DANIELLA: How long have you exhibited psychic potential? Are you aware of the fact you have any at all?

SUBJECT IV: This is a pathetic line of questioning. We will not be here long; I will see to that.

DANIELLA: That’s what Subjects II and Gamma thought as well I’m sure, but they’ve been with us for years. I have it in good faith that you, myself and Subject III will have plenty of time to get to know each other.

SUBJECT IV: That is a bold decision, but I find your faith is misplaced. This world is pathetic, and deserves to be rewritten…

[SUBJECT IV falls UNCONSCIOUS, but his STATS remain STABLE and UNCHANGED.]

DANIELLA: How peculiar

[DANIELLA LEAVES THE ROOM]

November 14th, 1990

Subject IV Interview Part 2

[The TRANSFUSION TUBING has been removed. SUBJECT III (WILLOW) is still FAST ASLEEP, but SUBJECT IV (MIKE) is AWAKE. DR. DANIELLA GREY is already in the room, CLIPBOARD in hand.]

DANIELLA: Do you remember our conversation yesterday?

MIKE: You mean when I sounded like Darth Vader cuz of that mask you had on me? Don’t remember it being much of a conversation.

[MIKE WHEEZES, having DIFFICULTY BREATHING without the OXYGEN MASK on]

DANIELLA: No, actually. After that. You called me a whore, that might jog your memory.

MIKE: No? I mean, it might be accurate, but I would remember actually calling you that if I did.

DANIELLA: Curious. Do you have a history of sleeptalking?

[MIKE gives DANIELLA a look of EXASPERATION]

MIKE: If I was asleep, how the fuck would I know?? That’s such a dumb question, what kind of scientist do you think you are? 

DANIELLA, SPEAKING with a SARCASTIC DRAWL: Wow, you must have been so popular with your friends. You really think you are the brains of the bunch, huh?

DANIELLA, CALMER: How long have you been aware that you exhibit psychic potential?

MIKE: What makes you think I have psychic potential?

[DANIELLA makes NOTE of this.]

DANIELLA: Never noticed then, that’s hard to believe… Is there anything about yourself that you do know?

MIKE: Yeah, actually. If you come anywhere near Willow and me, I’m going to write the most brutal endings into existence just for you, with my own hands. You got that?

DANIELLA, AMUSED: Is that a murder threat? 

MIKE: That’s a choice I’ll make if you force me to. Not every ending results in death, because there are worse things that can happen…

DANIELLA: I heard that you were meant to be the heart of your team, the fun one. Have you always been so macabre?

MIKE: Have you always kidnapped people to experiment on them against their wishes? Why should I tell you literally anything you ask of me? 

DANIELLA: What if I make it a game? You like games, right? You can ask me a question, any question you want and I’ll answer you. Then, you do the same for me.

MIKE, CAUTIOUSLY INTERESTED: Alright. What caused you to choose such an amoral path into scientific discovery?

DANIELLA, SPEAKING HONESTLY: An explanation to something that occurred between my brother and I as kids ourselves. I want to know how it works; how to evolve it. My turn now. How long do you think you can hold out against this mental torture you’ve found yourself in? Everyone breaks eventually.

MIKE: I dunno, I’ve been doing just fine so far. And for the first time in two years, I have something to fight for again to get me through it.

DANIELLA: That truly is a strong bond you have with Subject III. I look forward to documenting your perseverance.

[WILLOW’S STATS change, indicating she might WAKE UP soon.]

DANIELLA: And on that note, I’ll get going. Thanks for the chat, it’s been enlightening.

[DANIELLA LEAVES]

Before the video could play any further, Dustin paused it, needing some time to think. Sammy was thankful for the pause, because she was furiously writing down new notes as she tried not to forget anything from the first pass, whilst Lucas was just confused about what he had witnessed. “Did we know Mike could sleeptalk?”

“Are we sure it was Mike talking? I mean, he had that purple shit in him, maybe it was this ‘Subject Gamma’ speaking instead.” Using airquotes mid sentence, Dustin provided an alternative.

Lucas shrugged, genuinely having no clue. “Whatever was going on, he mostly sounded weird cuz of that mask on. It was hard to hear what he was saying.”

“Does Mike often talk about choices like that?” Sammy interrupted, needing to ask so her brain could process the rest of her thought pattern accordingly. “In both parts of the interview, he mentioned something about a choice, or decisions.”

“He kinda has to,” Lucas glanced at Dustin, before continuing to speak with Sammy. “He’s our Dungeons and Dragons DM - Dungeon Master - So he, by default, has to give us choices all the time. He makes puzzles and stuff for us to figure out.”

Feeling like he may be on the same path as Sammy, but considerably more uncertain about pursuing said path, Dustin gave the addition of, “He also uses words regarding writing in both parts. I mean, sure, he’s an author and a DM, but since when did Mike think the world ‘deserves to be rewritten’? That doesn’t sound like Mike, unless he’s secretly a supervillain in his sleep.”

Both boys laughed at the idea, because saying it aloud made it sound inherently ridiculous. Sammy just made notes about it, jotting down Dustin’s contribution regarding Mike’s behaviour.

“Any other theories?” Lucas then asked, wondering if there was another perspective that Sammy had, given she didn’t know Mike as well as they did. “Throwing any and all ideas out there - we like to think there’s no bad ones.”

Shaking her head, Sammy didn’t have anything else. “Whether it’s Subject Gamma or not, it's something to check into later. We should keep moving through this tape, before someone finally finds me hiding in here…”

“Yes, right. Good point.” Humbled by the reminder, Dustin hit play again, letting the video continue.

November 19th, 1990

Subject IV New Power Manifestation

Post Sound Test

[There is a DUAL CAMERA PERSPECTIVE of the room, showing SUBJECT III (WILLOW), SUBJECT GAMMA and SUBJECT IV (MIKE) in GLASS TANKS. Four GUARDS and two DOCTORS staff the room.]

[Within the TANKS, MIKE is on his KNEES, in EXTREME PAIN whilst covering his EARS. WILLOW is in the FETAL position, also COVERING her EARS. SUBJECT GAMMA is in an overly EXCITATIOUS MOLECULAR state.]

[ The DOCTORS power down the SPEAKERS, bringing RELIEF to the SUBJECTS. MIKE falls to one side, completely on the GROUND.]

[GUARDS 3+4 open and enter MIKE’S tank but he is NON-COMPLIANT. The GUARDS are able to OVERPOWER him however and lead him out of the CHAMBER.]

[GUARDS 1+2 move to ASSIST WILLOW, but they are UNABLE to. A GOLDEN SHIELD is BLOCKING them from touching her.]

GUARD 1: Hey, we got a problem over here! 

[The two DOCTORS APPROACH.]

GUARD 1: Docs, we can’t touch her. There’s something blocking us.

[DOCTOR 1 STORMS over to MIKE, FURIOUS about the SHIELD]

DOCTOR 1: You’re blocking us from reaching Subject III, aren’t you? That’s why your nose is bleeding, this is a new psychic ability manifestation?

MIKE: Don’t… 

[MIKE STRUGGLES to SPEAK, his BREATHING UNEVEN, BODY DISORIENTED and the BLOOD NOSE appearing SIGNIFICANT]

MIKE: …Touch Willow. You’ve hurt her enough for today. So take us back to our room or whatever, but I swear if anyone else comes close to her again…

[MIKE makes his way to WILLOW, WOBBLY on his feet, walking UNAIDED but ESCORTED by GUARDS 3+4.]

DOCTOR 2, SOFT-SPOKEN: Are you doing this?

[MIKE PUSHES past DOCTOR 1 and GUARD 1 to reach WILLOW, who he PICKS UP. The GOLDEN SHIELD has DISAPPEARED. However, MIKE is very weak right now, and needs to take a breather against the GLASS TANK.]

DOCTOR 2: Here, give him some space.

[MIKE then CARRIES WILLOW out of the tank. WILLOW begins BREATHING again, free from her SHOCK and trying to REOXYGENATE herself. WILLOW also wraps her ARMS around MIKE, seeking COMFORT from her friend.]

“Mike’s a Paladin, through and through.” Shaking his head as he gave everyone another break, Dustin felt like he should have been able to guess the outcome of Mike's power manifestation.

Having expected a wildly different outcome, Lucas didn't get it. “Shouldn't his power be something real weird and shadowy? Like the thing they were pumping into him in the interviews?”

“I would have assumed so as well, but I guess we need to learn more about what Project Gamma is.” Agreeing with Lucas, Sammy was also aware they didn't have everything yet. “From what we've seen on these tapes, or even just with Mike’s portion of this tape, I dare say that ‘The Shadow Strikes' is a series of tapes about Project Gamma.”

The boys had figured something similar, and the trio took a break to make more notes before continuing their watch of the tape. Lucas really needed it, because for some reason, watching this segment had caused his teeth to clench, and the base of his head felt uncomfortable in a way he just couldn't quite tend to.

November 18th 1990

Subject V Interview

 [SUBJECT V (MAX) is seated across from DR. PRESTON, in a SMALL INTERROGATION ROOM. MAX is also HANDCUFFED to the TABLE. A SINGLE CAMERA records low quality footage.]

DR PRESTON: I am Dr. Preston, this is Subject V, and this is the second preliminary interview being conducted today.

MAX: No, asshole. I'm Max. You can't just pretend we don't already have names.

Dr. PRESTON: You're going to be more trouble, aren't you?

MAX: You bet your ass I am. You tried to threaten Holly by claiming you'd shoot me, but you're cowards.

[MAX slams her HANDS into the TABLE]

MAX: Cowards! You call me expendable, then don't have the guts to prove it. I've dealt with scarier shit than you - and don't even try threatening me with Holly, because unlike me, I know you need her. So what exactly do you think you're going to get out of this?

Dr. PRESTON: Plenty. I'm sure our psych people will enjoy reading into your little outburst. Now, so we can get this over and done with, I do have some questions to ask. How long have you been exhibiting superhuman abilities?

MAX: I don't know.

Dr. PRESTON: How do your abilities work?

MAX: I don't control it. It literally kind of just happens. Yay me.

DR PRESTON: Do your abilities come from your time interacting with Dimension X?

MAX: Does being trapped in the brain of a psychopath count as ‘Dimension X’?

[MAX uses her hands to quote the name DIMENSION X]

DR PRESTON: Regarding the abilities of Subject VI, do you know their triggers and limitations?

MAX, SNARKY: I'm sorry I don't know anyone called Subject VI.

DR. PRESTON: Don't be stubborn. Answer the question.

MAX: Can't tell you about someone I don't know. The only person I've met with a name like that, is some poor kid who couldn't tell me his own name.

DR PRESTON: Now that's not true. Were you not the friend of Number 011 as well?

MAX: She was much more than just that stupid number. Plus, it's not even her real name.

DR PRESTON: What is her real name then?

MAX: You don't deserve to know it.

DR PRESTON: I think we're done here. This one is just a loud mouth, she doesn't pose a threat to transit like Subject VI does.

[DR. PRESTON leaves the room the screen cutting to BLACK as a GUARD ENTERS.]

“It is times like these that I regret having staff do the most important tasks on our behalf. Dr. Preston was far too impatient and easily angered to properly conduct the preliminary interviews for Subjects V and VI. Alas, we do what we can with what we have.”

Lucas had been smiling proudly at the sight of his girlfriend not taking any shit from assholes like Preston. Dustin made notes about the state they had found Holly and Max in, marking the major difference as ‘Soteria yes/no’, and Sammy had nothing particular to say for this, ready to move straight on to the next part.

November 20th, 1990

Subject V Experiment Success

[SUBJECT V (MAX) is dressed in a WETSUIT, being escorted by DOCTORS, SCIENTISTS AND SOLDIERS.]

SCIENTIST: Now remember, we just want you to reach out with your mind, and listen.

DOCTOR: If you can't breathe, or something physically goes wrong, hit the bar with your fist and we will pull you up.

SCIENTIST: Now this is what is known as a deprivation ta-

[MAX snaps, cutting off the SCIENTIST]

MAX: Yeah, I actually know how The Bath works. Not the first time I've seen one.

[MAX is aided into the BREATHING HELMET before being LOWERED into the DEPRIVATION TANK.]

[The CAMERA PERSPECTIVE changed to view the ENTIRE ROOM. A TIMESTAMP in the corner ticks accurately. STAFF are visible MONITORING READINGS as they WAIT.]

[After a few SPED UP MINUTES, time resumes. SPEAKER FEEDBACK causes the FUSES to SHORT OUT. SPARKS emit from various INSTRUMENTS before the feed cuts to black.]

“We learned that day that Subject V underestimated her abilities. She was able to amplify the sound through the speaker that it ended up destroying them, and our entire system, cutting power to the entire compound running on that grid. She claims not to have spoken with anyone, but I believe she did learn something.”

“We sure learned something,” Dustin had noted the timestamp and wrote down what had happened when the Rescue Party had been planning things together the day before.

Remembering well what had happened, Lucas gave some context. “Jonathan's radio scared the crap out of us, it was suddenly tuned to the military comms. We didn't even know it was on. Max helped hook us up with getting in there… I TOLD you it was Max, right when it happened!”

Dustin thoughtfully put his pen down. “Yeah… yeah you did, actually. How did you know?”

“Just a feeling.” He popped more chips into his mouth as he shrugged nonchalantly.

Eyebrow raised, Sammy’s eyes met Dustin’s, who discreetly pointed over to Lucas with his hand. Sammy shrugged, because she had no way of knowing, and so Dustin shrugged back, also being uncertain.

Watching both of them shrug at each other, Lucas felt he missed something. “You guys okay?”

“Just amazed at how unhelpful you can be sometimes.” Dustin covered for the real reason of the exchange with a typical teasing barb. He wrote this down to discuss properly with Sammy later, but instead hit play before Lucas could retort.

November 18th, 1990

Subject VI Interview

[SUBJECT VI (HOLLY) is RESTRAINED via POLYGRAPH MACHINE. DR PRESTON sits OPPOSITE her, PAPERS in front of him. HOLLY has her EYES CLOSED, FOCUSED on something.]

DR PRESTON: If you’re trying to use any form of psychic power, they will not work. You’ve been implanted with Soteria for the safety of yourself and the staff of this research facility, which inhibits all psychokinetic abilities. Alright, for the sake of the recording, I’m Doctor Preston, here on behalf of the Doctors Grey. I’m sitting with Subject VI, about to run a polygraph test to establish some baseline information before further transfer.

HOLLY, DEFIANT: Your test is going to be a load of shit. I heard they aren’t even all that accurate.

DR PRESTON: What is your name?

HOLLY: Holly Wheeler. 

DR PRESTON: Hair colour?

HOLLY: Blonde

DR PRESTON: eye colour?

HOLLY: blue

DR PRESTON: 7 minus 2?

HOLLY: 5

DR PRESTON: 2 times 4?

HOLLY: 8 

DR PRESTON: How long have you been exhibiting superhuman abilities?

HOLLY: I dunno, I haven’t exactly been keeping track.

DR PRESTON: Do these abilities have anything to do with your time in Dimension X?

HOLLY: Dimension what?

[HOLLY frowns, CONFUSED about the question.]

HOLLY: No, I don’t think so?

[DR PRESTON raises an eyebrow, UNCONVINCED]

DR PRESTON: Have you, or have you not, been to an interterrestrial plane of existence?

HOLLY: Yes, I have. You’re lucky I know what that word means mister, cuz a lot of kids my age don’t even read sci-fi books. We called the blue place The Upside Down. And then the big desert place was The Abyss. I don’t know anything about anyone calling something ‘Dimension X’.

[DR PRESTON SIGHS, sitting back in his chair and pushing his GLASSES up his nose.] 

DR PRESTON: Fine, from here on Dimension X will be referred to as The Abyss. However, the Wormhole will continue to be referred to as such, and not… whatever childish designation our Subject has named it.

HOLLY, ANGRY: Holly. My name is Holly. Not Subject. Not VI. Holly.

DR PRESTON: How did you evade capture in Croydale?”

HOLLY: I think you already know the answer to that question.

[DR PRESTON removes a REMOTE from his POCKET, pushing a BUTTON. To the RIGHT, a roller curtain reveals a pane of GLASS. SUBJECT V (MAX) is visible, RESTRAINED and UNCONSCIOUS. DR PRESTON presses a HIDDEN INTERCOM.]

DR PRESTON: Please wake Subject V.

[The FOOTAGE changes cameras. This room is more blue in tone, shows the window to be made of ONE WAY GLASS, and the GUARD is clearly visible. With their PISTOL, they SLAP MAX in the face to wake her up, CUTTING her CHEEK. MAX awakens with a SHOUT.]

[CAMERA ANGLE swaps back to HOLLY and DR PRESTON, showing HOLLY GASP when MAX is hurt.]

HOLLY: Why would you do something like that? Is everyone like you needlessly cruel?!

DR PRESTON: Unlike you, Subject V is in the unique position of having re-creatable circumstances. With the abilities of Subjects I and II at our disposal, we have designated Subject V as our variable of acceptable loss. Something that will put research behind schedule, but won’t halt it entirely. Now, you can continue answering my questions truthfully and to the point, or your friend in there starts suffering.

[MAX SPITS at the GUARD]

MAX: ASSHOLE! Don’t tell him shit Holly! 

HOLLY, SCARED: You wouldn't. Not really, you aren't going to kill her.

[SHAKING HEAD and TREMBLING, HOLLY is visibly trying to RETREAT but being unable to.]

HOLLY: You wouldn't have taken her like you took me if you didn't need her for something.

DR PRESTON: I'm going to ask you again. Please answer honestly this time. How did you evade capture in Croydale?

[The GUARD raises the PISTOL, pointing it at MAX. MAX stares down the GUARD threatening to FIRE on her]

MAX: I've faced much scarier shit than a coward like you.

HOLLY, TERRIFIED: Dimension Door - I cast Dimension Door, that's how we got out.

DR PRESTON: How does this ability work?

HOLLY: Uhm… (Staring at Max through divider, threatened by gun. Shakes head slightly) I - I don't know exactly. But I just think and I can open doors. But I can't go too far or it knocks me out. I don't know how far is too far or if it always has to be on a wall or something I haven't - I haven't really practiced it that much.

DR PRESTON: Do you have any other abilities?

HOLLY: I…

[HOLLY FALTERS, at a LOSS FOR WORDS.]

HOLLY: I don't know what changed, but I was able to talk to Max. In my head. It's never happened with anyone else before.

DR PRESTON, INTO INTERCOM: Stand down, we're done here.

DR PRESTON: Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Other staff will be here soon to remove the polygraph, try not to hurt yourself.

[Whilst speaking, DR PRESTON gathers his PAPERS, and leaves eagerly.]

Pausing the tale there, Dustin needed a minute to get up and stretch his back. He'd been sitting at the table for hours, and it was starting to get to him. Lucas was silently having some serious concerns about his girlfriend that he now wanted to go speak with, and Sammy knew there wasn't too much left with the video now. “I think she did rather well, all things considered.” Adding her opinion to fill the silence, Sammy commended Holly’s efforts under pressure. 

“It's not easy beating a polygraph in normal cases for sure. But being in a heightened state of panic probably helped.” Being more practical about it, Lucas still thought Holly had done a good job.

Sitting back down, Dustin hovered his finger over the play button. “If the pattern holds, this should be the last segment of video for this tape. We ready?” Getting confirmation from both companions, he hit play and sat back.

November 17th, 1990

Subject IV Proof of Psychic Prowess

This time the footage wasn't that of a security camera, but rather a body camera. It was blurry and unclear, with a voiceover drowning out the horrible audio quality.

“During the attempt to apprehend Subjects V and VI, they seemed to travel between Croydale and Hawkins instantaneously. As seen in the footage, a golden crack was located in the bedroom wall, allegedly ‘healing’ itself and leaving no trace.”

The camera footage changed again, showing a new scene from a different time stamp. The person wearing this camera was reaching into a car, recognisable as Steve’s. Max was also partially visible on camera, whilst Holly was extracted directly.

“From the observations of the retrieval team, Subject VI was the cause of this spontaneous travel. She was unconscious prior to the minor car accident that occurred, leading us to believe she has great psychic potential.”

The screen faded to black with one final voiceover, still spoken by Dr Daniella Grey.

“I have high hopes for the progress of humanity thanks to our Subjects. There is so much potential here.”

“Because that's not ominous, at all.” Dustin rolled his eyes, reaching out to start rewinding the tape.

Looking down at the files around her, Sammy decided to change things up a little bit. “Dustin, I'm going to give Willow's file to you, along with my notes. I'll take Holly and Mike’s, since we have the Wheeler family here and it might be just enough to get everyone else off my back for a while, and Lucas, you take Max’s? You know her best.”

More than happy to take the file on his girlfriend, Lucas reached over to take it. Sammy collected up the papers for Willow’s file, which Dustin took, albeit with some confusion. Whilst it showed on his face, he said not a word, immediately jumping in to read what was present. “What do you want us to do with these when we're done?”

“Move onto the next tapes without me if need be.” Happy for them to continue, Sammy didn't want to hold up their investigation. “I'll do my best to be available whenever you need me, I probably won't be going home any time soon…”

With the files reading ‘Subject VI’ and ‘Subject VI’ before her, Sammy had a few thoughts running through her head. Is psychic potential hereditary? How did two kids in one household become so powerful? And what kind of person is Mike Wheeler, truly? Hopefully his family can give me these answers. Good thing they're all in this hospital with me.

Chapter Text

Frozen on the spot, Will saw Mike move subconsciously half a step in front of him protectively, whilst the kids continued to step backwards together, away from the noise ahead of them, a furry creature the size of a badger soon emerging from the foliage. Ears and nose twitching as its head swept from left to right, the giant rat came scurrying along, closing the distance. Turning tail to flee more effectively, Willow and Mateo fled to where Mike and Will stood, staring as more rats began to emerge, following the first like a swarm. There had to be about five or six of them, with the leader stopping briefly to sniff the air, lifting its face towards the sky.

Overcome with many sensations, Mike was struggling to form a plan. He was trapped between Willow’s fear of the unknown creatures that looked nothing like a natural rat would, thanks to their clearly blind, milky white eyes, unusual size and grey, almost slimy appendages instead of the traditional pink or brown. Even the nose was a deep, rose-wine red instead of pink or black, like most people would assume rats had.

Also battling against Hush’s urge to transform and consume the creatures for the sake of protecting his friends, Mike had to hold onto the promise that Hush made, alongside Willow, that they wouldn’t reveal him to Will or Mateo yet, just to keep Hush from acting recklessly. Couple this with deep-seated, violent rage of which Mike could not determine the source, he externally reverted to his twelve year old self; The kid who ran into the dark to look for his friend, even when he didn’t know what was out there.

“What are those things? Are they Demo-Rats or Dire Rats do you think?” Head turned to Will but eyes trained on the freaks of nature in front of them, the words came out of Mike’s mouth without him fully recognising what he had just said.

Broken from his inability to move, Will looked between the rats and Mike, starting to back away as the kids had already moved behind them, ready to escape. “What?” Wondering how on earth that was important right now, Will watched as the leader opened its mouth, the nose bending backwards to reveal a petal-shaped mouth full of strange and jagged teeth, just like a Demogorgon. “Demo-Rat?”

The leader of the pack let out a squeaky screech, sounding awfully similar to the pollywog state of a growing Demogorgon. Its friends let out a response, and the entire pack began to charge at the four humans.

Turning to run and catching Willow before she fell briefly, Will called out to Mike, “Definitely a Demo-Rat! Why is this important?!”

“Because Demo-creatures, when not commanded, hunt by the scent of blood!” Mike skidded to a stop, called Mateo’s name, and tossed him the makeshift package of food cans. Changing directions, Mike realised that the mutated rodents were chasing him. Since he had thrown up even the briefest of shields earlier, Mike’s nose had suffered a bleed. Knowing that blood had gotten on Will as well, Mike knew the only way to get this pack of Demo-Rats to change directions was to give them a stronger scent.

Summoning a blue shield in front of himself, Mike was able to block off the rodents, forcing them to collide into it abruptly as they had tried to chase down their human prey. Nose beginning to bleed again, and wincing each time they headbutted the shield to try and get through it, Mike knew this was only a temporary solution.

Also stopping abruptly not far off, Will, Mateo and Willow looked back at Mike. “I can’t leave him - so how do we help him?” Willow held up her arm slightly, vaguely reminding the boys of her tether to Mike.

“Don’t worry, I’d never leave Mike behind.” Will spoke in a whisper to Willow, ensuring the young girl knew he wouldn’t abandon his friends so easily.

Using his telepathic bond with Will, Mateo asked, “I can scream at them again? Would that work?”

Will shook his head, knowing that Mike had been right. “We have to try and figure this out without powers. Unless we can kill those rats, using them will just cause them to come after us instead of Mike.”

The blue shield was flickering, indicating that it would fall soon. Mike’s mind hurt with each pang, the shield having grown wider to deter the more curious packmates that tried venturing around it to the source of the scent. As Mike backed away, Willow felt herself get tugged forward, almost falling flat on her face as she was dragged towards the monsters, in Mike’s direction. The trio realised they really needed to hurry because they were running out of time to help, before Willow became inspired by her fear. “Quick, what eats wild rats?”

“Birds?” Will shrugged. “Cats and snakes? Why?” Creeping forward along with Willow so that she wasn’t alone, Mateo and Will kept close to the young girl just in case.

“I might not be able to kill them, but I might be able to scare them off if they think something is coming to eat them, instead of eating us.” Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Willow did her best to focus on the Demo-Rats that were trying to attack Mike. She could tell they were hungry, which was something she could use. By allowing herself to feel as they did, Willow was able inject a wave of fear that she initially felt when first seeing these creatures, but did her best to conjure the mental images of the creatures Will had mentioned, thinking that if she could make them believe there was a predator nearby, they would scatter.

However, her plan went slightly sideways. Rather than just faking a predator attack, Willow couldn’t tell if she accidentally summoned one in the process. From the treetops, a larger animal dropped down in a pouncing action, just barely missing Mike in the process. Shield dropped from exhaustion, Mike staggered backwards and out of the way, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his jacket without thinking about it.

This new creature was clearly also a mutation, because it was difficult to tell what genus exactly it was. Passing for either a cat or a weasel, yet sized big enough that it was comparable to the rats it fed upon, one swipe of this creature’s claws had laid waste to two Demo-Rats, causing the rest to flee.

“Mike!” Will hissed, hoping his voice crossed the distance without alerting anything else untoward. “Let’s get going, now!”

Coming to his senses, Mike turned tail and fled, catching up to his party and leaving the area as quickly as they could. They ran until they couldn’t any longer, headed roughly in the direction they had still believed to be forward. Without a compass, orienteering was not an easy task. “That was scary.” Mateo spoke up to the group once they slowed down again, never having experienced something like that before.

“Ow!” Mike then immediately whined, having just been punched in the shoulder. “Will, what was that for?”

“That,” Will put his hands on his hips, not just to be ‘intimidating’ but also to help catch his breath by ensuring his muscles weren’t all cramped together. “Was for using yourself as bait.”

Moving to stand beside Will in solidarity of this notion, Willow spoke up as well. “You got too far away.” She held up her left arm, pointing to it for added effect. “The tether was short because we were both scared.”

“Shit… Sorry Willow, I admit I didn’t think that far ahead. I just knew that I was the only one who had been bleeding right before they showed up, so…” Mike let the sentence hang just as he hung his head, leaning against a tree for stability.

Standing aside from the two currently worrying Mike into feeling ashamed, Mateo took half a step forward. “I understand.” Having a different opinion, Mateo knew where Mike was coming from. Usually, he only had himself to look out for, so most of his instinctive plans wouldn’t have involved others. “I would have done the same.”

Head raising slightly, neck turning to look at Mateo directly, Mike shot a grateful glance at the kid. There was a certain sense of comradery in this knowledge, and they both felt a little bit closer to one another emotionally. “Thank you, Mateo…” Standing straight, Mike looked at everyone in the group. “New default plan. Something freaky happens, we just all run away together. Sound good?”

With everyone agreeing to this idea, they began wandering again, Mike taking the food back from Mateo so the kid didn't have to keep carrying it. “Willow?” Mike spoke to her in his mind, knowing that using their telepathy wouldn't count as ‘using powers’ since it didn't cause the nosebleed. “I really am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but I wasn't going to let anything happen to us. If it really got to it, I would have let Hush do his thing. Like a backup plan.”

Looking over at him, listening and keeping her thoughts to herself for a few moments, Willow drifted closer to hug Mike's arm as they walked. “Thank you. I didn't know animals could be so scary. I don't want to lose you two.”

“I have a promise to keep, to both you and Hush. You won't lose me any time soon.” Promising that he wasn't trying to get himself killed, Mike then asked the group aloud, “What was that thing that jumped in last minute, anyway?”

Willow shrugged, since none of them knew what it was. “I didn't mean to call it, but I'm glad it came anyway.” Since it had saved them by allowing the chance for running away, Willow liked it by default.

“We were talking about birds, cats and weasels, so maybe it was one of those but mutated too?” Will suggested, thinking it could have been a natural predator of the rats. “Looked like a cross between a cat and a weasel at least.”

“Not normal.” Was Mateo’s only input. Granted, he couldn't recall seeing many animals but he did know what a cat was; and that second creature was no normal cat he knew.

Looking up at the trees, Mike thought back to all the Monsters from the Upside Down and Abyss that they knew of. “Think they'll have Demodogs or Demobats here?”

“Oh God, I hope not. Demodogs are…” Will shuddered, since they were just a smaller form of Demogorgon. “The Demobats weren't much better but they mostly left me alone.”

“It's weird to think that they're just behaving like normal animals now.” Mike smiled at this idea though. “Makes Dustin sound a little less nuts about Dart. We never really encountered the demos without Vecna controlling them after all.”

“You've fought these kinds of monsters lots of times before?” Willow was confused because the adults were talking so casually about the scary things, and she started to wonder if they weren't so rare after all.

Wanting to know more as well, Mateo spoke again as well. “What are Demogorgons?”

Looking at each other, Mike and Will came to a silent decision together. “Let's find somewhere we can stop and rest, so we can fill you in.”

~~~~~

Sharing only two cans between the entire group this time, the adventurers realised they were also already running low on water. Filling in the kids about what Demogorgons were, what they'd named them after, their weaknesses and the variants that they knew about (such as the Demobats and the vines), Willow and Mateo sat riveted for the entire explanation. Willow always loved stories about Will the Wise and was glad she was finally getting some with more truth to them, whilst Mateo was just relieved that the adults seemed to know what they were doing when it came to the monsters.

“They must have been harvesting DNA from the hivemind in the MAC-Z and bringing it back to our world.” Mike surmised, pondering on how the Demo-Rats came to exist. “There's no way some rats just got in, ate a bad vine, got out and came here from Hawkins or something.”

Helping re-wrap their food bundle, Will made another logical statement to the group, thinking about the bigger furry creature that had intervened on Mike’s behalf. “If they're experimenting with Demo DNA then they've probably done some wild cross-experimentation with normal animals too. They would have had to start somewhere.”

“Do you… think that means my animal powers won't work here? Because they're not normal animals?” Given that her actual attempts to cause the mutated rodents to run away earlier didn't work as she planned them, Willow wondered if that effectively made her useless in this area. She wanted to be helpful, not just at the back and afraid all the time.

Speaking with nothing but faith, Mike believed in Willow. “They'll work. I just know it.”

Standing and stretching, there was a small bout of silence, before Mateo spoke. Changing the topic of conversation slightly, there was something else that the youngest boy had observed that he wanted to mention. “It was blue.”

“Huh?”

“Your power,” Mateo indicated to Mike. “Blue this time. Normally it's yellow.”

Thinking back on it, Mike realised he was right. In the moment, it wasn't something that was a huge issue but now they had time to think, he wondered what the difference was. “You're right, it was. I dunno, it didn't feel like I did something different?”

Only half listening, Will's eye had caught sight of something that made him wish they'd waited to eat. Staggering slightly on the underbrush, Will hesitantly headed towards the sight regardless. It was a corpse, picked clean of flesh, tendons and organs, likely due to time and creatures alike. Seeing something that had once been human reduced to such a gruesome state was jarring. There was no way to know who this had been at a glance. Was this a good person or a bad one? Had they died because they were abandoned, or did they die protecting others? What had caused them to become so alone?

So many questions, and no answers. But unlike the weaknesses of mortal flesh, their items seemed relatively untouched. Finding a canteen and a knife protected from the elements, Will apologised to the corpse for not being able to do more for them, prayed their end had been quick and noble, and thanked them for leaving their gear behind for him to find.

“Will?”

His voice was soft as always, notes of care and worry entwined so deeply with each sound that it was able to pull the sorcerer from any deep thought. Turning to Mike, who had pulled away from the kids slightly to approach so they didn't have to come close to the dead body themselves, his Paladin showed great worry. “You weren't answering. Are you okay?’

“Yeah… yeah I'm okay. Can't say the same for this poor person though.” Stepping away from the corpse in shredded military threads, Will returned to his party. “I found a knife, and maybe a better water bottle than the plastic ones we have at the moment.” Holding up the gear, Will couldn't feel anything slosh around in the canteen, indicating it was probably empty.

“Sweet! The knife should come in handy too, who knows what we might need to cut.” Putting an arm around Will's shoulders, Mike wanted to comfort Will, knowing that deep down, the sensitive and heartfelt soul he was, was likely struggling with the sight. “Hey, it'll be okay. We’ll get out of here, and Nancy will expose everything. You know her, no stone unturned. If anyone can figure it out, it'd be her or Hopper.”

“This isn't a game, Mike. Real life is so much different to DND.” He whispered back, not wanting to worry the kids but unable to speak telepathically with his best friend. “There aren't always happy endings for everyone.”

“That doesn't mean we don't stop hoping,” The moment Mike gave up on hope was the day he truly lost his mind. He couldn't have Will giving up when they had made it so far. “We have always fought for what we thought was right. And we fought together. If a little bit of delusion helps us process the horrors and make it through to the other side, what's the harm?”

Seeing his point, Will’s burden felt eased, for now. “Thanks Mike. As always, you know just what to say to me.” Smiling lightly at his friend, Will was glad that he was stuck in what was effectively the apocalypse with the one person that could convince him of anything.

“Plus, Dire Rats are a pretty classic level one enemy.” Jumping in on the conversation, Willow helped try to lighten the mood. “So even though we didn't kill them, we totally got experience for running away. Right Mr DM?” Looking for Mike’s approval, Willow hoped she got it right.

Mike nodded, proud of her for being able to cope so well with everything and not shutting down completely. Mateo turned to Willow, and reminded her of their conversation that got cut off. “Before. Your game, you wanted to know my… ‘class’?”

With an enthusiastic nod, Willow turned back to Mike and Will to ask for their help, but Mike already had an answer. “Mateo’s a bard.”

Flabbergasted by this, Will and Willow didn't even consider the bard class when it came to Mateo. “A bard? Really Mike?”

“Yeah,” Letting go of Will so he could swap which hand was carrying the food, Mike began explaining himself. “Ok, I know the obvious choices would be more towards the spellcaster classes, like Warlock, Wizard and Sorcerer. But technically, via available spells… I mean, so far one could argue that Mateo’s Telekinesis is just Mage Hand because he only uses it on objects - Yes, I noticed that when we fought the soldiers - and that his Bardic 'instrument’ is his voice. He hasn't spoken a word for almost half his life and the first time he chooses to open his mouth, he uses it as a sound-based weapon. That damages so effectively it causes debuffs to opponents. Therefore, I put forth the argument that Mateo is a rare class of bard, and a powerful one.”

His argument was presented well enough that his fellow DND players couldn't find anything off the top of their heads to refute it with. Then again, with years behind him as Dungeon Master, only Dustin could really question Mike’s knowledge of the game. Mateo liked the sound of this so far too.

“Okay, so if we think of it that way, then we have a level 1 Druid which is me, Paladin,” Willow pointed to Mike, “Sorcerer?” She then pointed to Will, who nodded in agreement. “And a bard, in an outside dungeon, whose Quest is to… escape?” She got more nods from this. “And we are searching for water to help us reach that goal because we are playing a realistic campaign and not a story one.”

Summing up their adventure so far as just another story made it seem a lot more fun than it was terrifying for Willow, and Mateo wanted to know more about the game his companions held such a close bond to. The adults were mostly just glad they had a way to keep everything in perspective, with a goal oriented mindset to help them get back to their real lives.

“What are we waiting for then?” Will asked the party, looking around at the people on his team. “Let's keep going on our quest.”

~~~~~

Turns out, Demo-Rats were freakishly common in this unnatural forest. Most of the time the party had been able to sneak past them, the rats too busy feasting on the corpses of fresh kills; even if it was one of their own. The forest itself had a wild ecosystem that had found a violent form of harmony, with plants mutating slowly along with the animals whose bodies fed the earth, causing everything to seem like they'd crash-landed on a planet without herbivores. 

With the last of the day’s light, the party found a tree whose roots formed a protective circle just big enough for everyone to sleep inside of, and checked the map one last time.

“I think these squares with the middle tone green are supposed to be like, thick forest areas. Probably why this is circled as a monster zone, because there's so many. Maybe we can climb this tree tomorrow, see if we can spot the water we are searching for at the top?” Having no idea if they were getting closer to or further from their goal was rough, so Mike offered up the only plan he could think of.

Having another option, even though they'd spoken about not using powers, Willow suggested sleepily, “I could try calling another bird to check things out for us?” Mike could feel that she really meant, we could have Hush go and find out for us? But Mike didn't want to risk it. Just a drop of blood was enough to put them all in danger, and Hush wanted to stay close in case things got too dicey for his humans.

“I'm good at climbing trees, I'll see what I can find out tomorrow.” Volunteering himself to get to the top, Will was more than happy to try Mike's idea. “For now, how are we going to go about sleeping? Fire still isn't an option?”

“We might be able to risk it, but we don't know how these weird mutants react to it, only Demo-Creatures. So yes it is an option, just not strictly a good one.” Mike shrugged.

“No fire.” Mateo knew they had been safe enough without it so far, and wanted to remain as invisible as possible.

Seeing she was outvoted, Willow yawned before even being able to speak properly. “What if we do night watches instead?” Rubbing her eye gently, Willow didn't want to be as exhausted as she was. “We take turns being awake in the night and then nothing can sneak up on us.”

“That's a good idea,” Will liked the sound of that, but added a caveat to it. “Mike and I can do that, so you guys can sleep properly.”

Immediately pouting, Willow tried to pull the ‘But I'm not tired!’ card, but Mike beat her to it. “Don't even start Sapling, you're two minutes from falling asleep as it is.”

“I will keep you warm.” Speaking decisively though he wasn't as tired yet himself, Mateo felt the spark within him to protect Willow. After all, his big brother had protected him. Maybe it was his turn to protect someone now. His way to fit into this new world, wherever it took him.

This was enough to convince Willow maybe she should try to sleep, as Mateo had mentioned during the day he didn't like touching people very much. Moving up against the tree trunks itself, the kids got comfortable, and Willow really was asleep in just two minutes. Remembering what he held in his pockets, Mike slipped out the notebook and pen, sitting on one of the tree roots to catch the evening sun that made it between the branches. 

“Really Mike?” This wasn't angered or frustrated - Will’s question was more one of amusement. “Writing at a time like this?”

Looking up before he had even opened the cover, Mike offered Will a sheepish grin. “Can't help it. I thought maybe I could write down about the monsters and stuff we have been finding in here; Come up with a more cohesive plan. Or see if James wrote something else on a different page in the book, that kind of thing.”

“It's nice to see you holding onto who you are.” Will’s voice softened from being amused to just genuine admiration. “Honestly, I'm about ready to draw in the dirt with a stick myself.”

It was hard to keep smiling at Will’s comment about staying true to himself. Mike was definitely trying to, and he was glad that it looked that way to others. But there was definitely something else going on in his head he couldn't figure out yet. “I miss seeing your new art. I look at all your drawings all the time; Willow loves seeing it too.” Looking away before he went red in the cheeks, Mike looked off to trees in the distance, acting as casual as he could manage. “But you should probably get some sleep, cuz I'll be waking you up in the middle of the night.”

“You want to take the first watch?” Will had planned on doing it himself, since he had slept the most out of everyone the night before. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I'm sure. I won't be sleeping yet anyway, I wanted to use the last of the light to write with.” Pointing to the sky with the pen, Mike met Will’s gaze one more time.

Realising that talking was wasting the final rays of daylight, Will excused himself from the conversation. “Don't let me keep you then. Goodnight Mike.”

“Goodnight Will.” Both men felt their hearts flutter when they spoke the other's name with softness, each of them blushing lightly out of each other's sight.

Before he got back to the book, there was one last person Mike wanted to chat to. “Feel free to wander about tonight while I'm on watch if you want. I could use the extra pair of eyes.”

Rather than emitting himself in a freaky fog fashion, Hush excused himself from Mike's body in a more subtle fashion, phasing himself into Mike’s shadow before regrowing his standard form. As if needing to stretch from being cramped for too long, Mike could easily sense Hush’s relief at the ability to move. Knowing they were safe even if he wasn't fully paying attention, Mike opened up the book to the last page he had written on.

It only took half of the page, but there was something strange beneath it that he couldn't recall adding himself. It was incredibly cursive, more so than standard handwriting usually was. Whoever wrote it put a lot of care into every letter. But the book literally hasn't left my pocket. Who could have possibly written this?

It took a minute or so for Mike’s eyes to figure out what it said; between the dying light, cursive script and lack of reading glasses on hand, Mike traced the letters along their path with his finger to help himself figure it out.

Hello Mike. Did you like my Thanksgiving gift? I wasn't invited to your little dinner party, but wanted to share my thanks regardless. The decision was a simple one; I can tell how much you like him. But do you truly love him enough to leave him, or will you write a better ending for you both as you remain by his side?

Gripping the pen so tightly he nearly broke it, Mike tried not to scream. Scratching new letters into the book beneath it, he didn't care about keeping it neat anymore. Hell, it was almost as illegible as the cursive he had tried to read.

Fuck off. You're not real. And I don't want anything to do with you. Leave Will alone, or I'll make sure of it myself.

Closing the book again, Mike clutched it to his chest, and looked to the sky, trying to ensure the tears he could feel trying to well up in his eyes, wouldn't fall. Please. It's not real. It's not. I can hold out a bit longer. I have to keep my promises. Able to sense Hush trying to comfort him from afar, Mike took a deep breath and did his best to calm his heart. After all, waking a sleepy Willow wouldn't be fair on the young girl, and secrets were painful to hold on to.

Chapter Text

Darkness fell slowly, as the inevitable outcome you knew occurred, but could never quite see coming when you're in the middle of it. Staying awake wasn't difficult for Mike; Getting up to ease the muscles in his butt and back after sitting on tree roots for too long was always just enough to wake his brain back up each time it got drowsy. Sensing Hush nearby, Mike also realised he was getting pretty hungry again.

After much deliberation on their rations and the implications of eating from one of the cans without someone else awake to share it with, Mike realised he was in a unique position compared to the rest of the party. “I guess it could be because I'm bored, but uh, Hush, you interested in maybe hunting something?”

There was a buzz in Mike's diaphragm as soon as he asked, like a burr of excitement appearing within him as Hush responded without delay. “Well we should try transforming into something and see what we can find. Who knows, maybe this place has chickens and cows of some kind, we might get lucky.”

The transformation was what concerned him most. He didn't want to become a Demodog again, just in case. But they hadn't turned into something else before, so was it even possible? Did they ultimately need Willow for some combo move before it would work? After all, Hush and Mike could transform bigger, but Willow could help Hush transform differently. So at best, this was a stretch. 

He had factored this consideration into his wondering whether he could pull this off in the first place. Ultimately landing on a Tiger, Mike knew he had no true ties to his high school sports team in the same way Lucas did, but it was an easy, powerful predator to bring to mind.

Even in the darkness, Mike could see Hush appear from the shadows, waiting for Mike to be ready. Stepping away from where his party slept, Mike began taking off his clothing, discovering the chill of the night meant nothing on his skin, like his body had forgotten that it was supposed to be cold. Only undressing because he wanted to avoid getting blood on his clothing like he had the last two times he changed and… fought, it was a countermeasure to avoid Will, Mateo and Willow from finding out about his night time experiment.

Being totally naked in some random forest was actually a little bit too unsettling for Mike, so he decided to leave his underpants on just in case. He couldn't plan for everything, there were children in the party, and his clothes did seem to morph with him whenever he and Hush transformed. In theory that meant it would be fine.

Crouching and reaching out to Hush, Mike closed his eyes and focused on what a tiger looked like. He'd seen them on television before of course, in movies and the random documentary or cartoon. But morphing into one in real life was a vastly different matter. The shadows that made up Hush's form travelled along his skin, the purple veins of infusion growing along his muscles, eyes becoming completely purple as Hush’s form completely attached to every molecule that was a part of Mike.

Purposefully changing into a new form with caution was much slower than the original, near-instantaneous transformation the pair had experienced back in the Butterfly Room. The sensation of being a creature, of being a body other than his own, was a bit disorienting. There was no immediate threat to pounce on instinctively, nothing to flee from with fear, or run towards with urgency. It was just… quiet.

Moving carefully, Mike believed this was the first time he had so much control over the changed form. Normally Hush would take the helm, second after their merged mess of emotions of course, and it was more like autopilot. One paw at a time, Mike got the hang of walking, doing his best to step carefully so he wouldn't wake the others. Standing beside his clothing, Mike decided to measure his size by walking up the side of the tree with his front paws, curious about how high up he could reach.

It was not anywhere near as far as he had hoped. Shorter than before, the knot in the trunk Mike had been staring at as he undressed stood higher than his eyesight now. I'm not sure we’re a full grown tiger. Thank goodness he retained higher mental function this time around because holy shit he would be in a bit of trouble if this had all gone sideways. A tiger cub wouldn't be enough to take on those Demo-Rats unless we picked off a single one and got lucky with our claws. Looking at the paws he could see, Mike slowly lowered himself again, glancing back at his tail he'd barely noticed.

Perhaps a herbivore would have been better. Everything green here seems relatively untouched. Shaking his feline head, Mike let out a huffy sigh from his nostrils. Unless it's all poisonous. That would be a good reason for why we have only seen carnivores so far.

From deep within, soul-adjacent if you would, Mike internally observed a sensation of vulnerability, and a desire to be more robust. A request for power. A plea for strength.

Hush wasn't afraid to admit that their current form would be weak to the creatures they had already witnessed in this forest. And Mike hated it, but he completely agreed with the amorphous creature co-inhabiting this body with him. All the creatures here either had Demo DNA or had adapted to live beside and consume creatures that did. Being able to transform into any standard animal was awesome when it came to the idea of super powers in general (looking at you, Beast Boy from Doom Patrol), but it wasn’t going to be quite enough in a place like The Park.

Standing stock still and closing his eyes, this change occurred faster. It was a silent process, thankfully, but slipping from one skin into another was still disorienting. At least the Demodog felt familiar; Mike had fought them, studied them and now, this was his third time becoming one. It should have sickened him. It should have been such a revolting thought that he abhorred even considering the idea.

But honestly? It was kinda cool.

Sure, Mike felt guilty that he could literally turn into a monster that gave all his loved ones trauma just at the sight or sound. But he felt kinda invincible. He’d already faced down idiots with guns and lived when he was a Demodog. He knew how the body moved, the autopilot kicking in for him with ease, rather than feeling like he was inhabiting the body of some creature beyond himself. And most of all, for a creature with no eyes or visible nose, that smelled and consumed with its mouth, Mike could see better now than he could before, as a human or tiger, given the moon was covered by clouds.Resisting the urge to say goodbye because he knew it would instantly awaken and trigger Will with the worst flashbacks possible, Mike snuck away, headed into the forest slowly. Keeping the tether well in mind this time, Hush was also remaining hyper aware of its potential tug so they wouldn’t disturb Willow. As far as she knew, in her sleeping state, they were both safe. And Mike knew he was safe, because he was basically just another animal in The Park now, the same as every other experiment living here. This allowed the shadow-pair to venture further away from the party than before, slinking off into the night.

~~~~~

He missed his friends. Admittedly, Will had friends with him; He wasn't alone this time, and for that he was grateful. Who wouldn't be? But it didn't stop him from missing the others. Dustin’s theories, Lucas’ resolve. Max’s snide remarks and brutal truths, El’s determination. Even Steve’s protective nature, Nancy’s journalistic curiosity, Robin’s well-intentioned yet roundabout rambling and Jonathan's level-headedness. Will wouldn't have minded getting scolded by Hopper or being held by his mother at this stage either, because he missed them all.

Will hadn't felt this weak since they last fought Henry. Being caught back in the same mess as usual. Considering himself delusional because he thought they were all finally free of it - who was he kidding? The military probably only let them get back to their lives as if nothing happened beyond a few more NDAs because they had planned this all along.

Opening his eyes, Will found himself within the Void. But it wasn't empty darkness today. There were no buildings, or constructs. 

Only fire.

Flames that burned despite the watery film over the expanse that was the Void. Burning impossibly, without any fuel yet blocking Will's path forward, with no catalyst in sight. Wondering if Max was around, Will became worried that maybe she was caught within the flames somehow, and endeavoured to find a way through them.

“MAX?!” He called out after wandering for some time, sticking close enough to the heat that it warmed him, but staying far enough back it didn't burn. “HELLO?!”

Stopping briefly to listen, Will’s heart skipped a beat, palpitating as he heard a reply. “Will?!” It was Max, far beyond the flames, calling back to him. “WILL?!”

“MAX!” He shouted out again, hurrying along in an attempt to find a break in the wall of fire. “Are you okay?!”

“There's so much fire! I can't get through!”

“It's the same on my side!” Tilting his head back and cupping his mouth, Will hoped his voice carried far enough for her to hear clearly. “I'm going to keep trying!”

“Okay!”

~~~~~

Reaching the approximate end of his range, Mike could no longer see the tree where his friends were sleeping. Hopefully, if he did indeed find a creature to eat, it would be far enough away that a potential struggle wouldn’t wake them. Patrolling the area like Hush had been earlier, Mike raised his head and sniffed the air, doing his best to detect other creatures in the vicinity. There were bugs of course, and far off, he could sense something flying through the air. Bats, probably. He couldn’t tell from here what kind, so he ignored them for now, knowing they weren’t what he was after.

Freezing as he sensed something, Mike took the chance to sniff the air again, his mouth opening outward slightly so he could breathe more in at once. Blood. And it’s not far away. Encouraged by Hush as the shadow was somewhat bored (he had hoped to be on a dream adventure with Mike and Willow about now, but this was a good alternative), Mike crouched down low, almost crawling along with his stomach on the ground as he stalked his prey.

The blood scent led them to a wounded animal much larger than it should have been; It was a rabbit that was the size of a hare, almost the same size as Mike was in Demodog form. It looked to be wounded from another close encounter with a different predator, and had slowed down to rest before continuing whatever it was doing.

If a Demodog could smile, Mike would have been right now. He was getting very hungry, this creature didn’t seem to have Demo DNA in it as far as he could tell, and Hush was also becoming more excited by the moment. Shifting so he could get closer, wanting to get behind it before he pounced, Mike ‘saw’ the rabbit stop in its tracks, ears listening as they flicked about for directional cues of potential danger. Pouncing before it could run, Mike collided with the rabbit’s ribs, clutching at it with his claws and opening his mouth wide to bite down, hoping to wound it enough that it was no longer able to run away.

He underestimated the mutated creature of course however. This was a giant rabbit after all, which meant the powerful back legs used for jumping? Also giant, and therefore stronger. Strong enough to instinctively kick off a predator, slamming into Mike’s ribs as payback, and knocking him off. Tumbling to the side with a howl of pain, Mike was quick to right himself with Hush’s help, goal oriented and falling into the simpler, sharper animal instincts that this form afforded him. 

The rabbit turned to flee, unknowingly headed further into Mike’s ‘allowed’ hunting range. Hindered by multiple wounds now, Mike having attacked the left-side ribs whilst the former predator that failed to consume the rabbit had wounded its right flank. With Mike back into full predator mode, he rushed after his target, leaping a second time and landing on its back this time.

Letting out a screech of triumph, Mike slammed his head down onto the creature’s back, mouth wide open, stabbing hundreds of teeth into the fur-covered spinal region of the rabbit. Shredding through muscles, veins and arteries with ease, Mike’s Demodog mouth wrapped four of the five petal segments around the bone, the fifth one pushing into the vertebra connected directly to the skull. A strong twist, and the bones popped free, snapping the spinal cord and killing the oversized, mutated lagomorph with a final, decisive strike.

Tumbling to the ground as he released himself from the dead weight he was latched onto, Mike skidded a bit on fallen leaves, before hopping about in celebration. Both Mike and Hush were excited that they’d been able to successfully hunt something together without losing their minds to blind rage, and that they would both get to eat tonight. Rearing up on his back legs briefly, Mike placed both forepaws onto the rabbit’s left side, aiming where he had already begun to breach the mammal’s skin. Tearing into the warm carcass, chunks of flesh came away as Mike sundered each muscle from tendon, bone and organ, devouring the meat with great abandon, driven by the hunger he shared with Hush.

At first ripping through his well-earned meal with gusto, Mike slowed down as he reached his fill, becoming more aware of himself again, regaining the higher-functioning thoughts humans were defined by as a species on this planet. Sniffing the air in case the bloodied carcass had called forth any more creatures, Mike left the animal’s remains where it lay, hoping it was enough to distract any wandering predators or scavengers from venturing too close to the ‘safety’ of their current sleeping tree.

Finding a different tree trunk some distance away, Mike did his best to carefully rub the blood off of his maw, knowing that the less blood on him in this form, meant less blood on his face when he changed back. The tree he had found was smoother than others around it, so it didn't hurt so much to rub up against at least. When he had removed as much as he could (forepaws and claws included!) Mike took a final moment to assess his immediate location before heading back to the others.

Smelling something peculiar, Mike almost recoiled from the air itself. It smelled like blood, which could have easily been because he just ate freshly killed meat, but this was different. He knew this scent from more unpleasant memories.

The blood was human.

Abandoning stealth for speed, Mike felt a surge of energy flow through his body, empowered by his hunt ‘refueling’ his battery. Hush hadn't stayed merged and transformed with him for this long before, so the food not only settled their shared stomach, but re-energised their psychic capabilities before reaching the stage of over-exertion. Only slowing again when he was close enough to see his pack resting beneath the tree, Mike’s instinct once again made way for rational thought. They're fine, he surveyed them from a distance, sensing no danger nearby for now. Demogorgons and therefore Demodogs probably, can smell even the smallest amounts of blood. That's all it is, they're okay.

Relaxing slightly as he hadn't been absent for carnage when he was supposed to be protecting the sleeping trio by keeping watch, Mike slinked back over to his abandoned clothing, changing back and dressing quickly. The blood scent had come from Will directly, which meant he might have been using his powers in his sleep by accident.

Leaving his socks and shoes behind for now, Mike nearly fell to his knees at Will’s side, saving himself from making a loud ‘THUMP!’ at the last second. Grabbing both of Will's shoulders and shaking him, Mike sighed with relief as Will began to wake up. “Your dream -” Mike whispered and pointed to Will’s nose. “You were using powers.”

There was a slight groan, and even with barely any light to see by, Mike could tell Will was struggling to open his eyes and look up at him. “Is there trouble?” He mumbled, keeping quiet in case he was wrong.

“No, we’re safe.” Helping Will sit up, Mike remained crouched. “I just wanted to wake you before something did happen. Also, it's about time for your turn.”

Pinching his nose closed to stop the bleeding, and coughing into his mouth, Will realised there was a strong and rather terrible scent coming from Mike. “You smell like you hugged a dog that got into a fight.”

It was hard not to laugh, given that technically, Mike had been the dog that was in a fight. “It's probably from the rats and the weasel thing. You just noticed now cuz you woke up.” Even though Mike knew this was not the case, it was the best excuse he had. I didn't think about the smell. I'll have to figure that one out later.

Turning so they could face each other, Will got caught up in another odd fact about Mike. “What happened to your shoes?”

Given he didn't put them back on in his hurry to redress, Mike bit his lip. Even though he hadn't been feeling it tonight, and was instead feeling significantly warmed up after running, Mike had another somewhat believable reason for this too. Damn, who knew DND Improv was so good for lying on the spot? He really had thrown that “Friends don't Lie” rule out the window, hadn't he? “To keep me awake. Cuz it's cold but just my feet.”

“Right…” Nodding, it made sense enough. Weird but still sensible. “I'll take my turn now then, you should get some sleep too.”

“Thanks Will,” Speaking in that same, gentle tone he had used since he was a child, Mike couldn't help himself. Despite the lies (to protect him) and the suffering (that Mike added to), Mike couldn't help but feel like Will helped him become his best self whenever it was just the two of them. “It’ll be morning before you know it.” After grabbing his socks and boots, and finding a clear space within the protective circle of roots, Mike quietly finished his hurried redressing before curling up to try and get some rest.

Without Will looking in their direction, Hush slipped out of Mike’s body, wanting to go back on watch just in case. Falling asleep faster without the shadow within him, Mike descended into uneasy slumber.

~~~~~

Thumb running back and forth over the edges of the walkie talkie in his hand, Will was tempted to try it again. The batteries were still in good condition, the antenna was fine, and it hadn't received too much of a beating during their travels under his care. But sound would attract unwanted attention, and Will refused to be the reason something happened during the night. His friends and family had always been his protectors, watching over him as he rested, was possessed or trapped in someone else's head, so it was finally his turn to do the same.

It was just scary knowing that Max might need help right now too, and he was forced to choose who needed his help more. Max might even still be looking for him now, but he was no longer in the Void due to being woken up. There was nothing he could do for her whilst awake.

No longer warmed by the flames, Will was keenly aware of just how cold it had become this night, wondering if the fire he'd encountered in his mind was enough to keep his entire body warm as he slept. Finding a spot to essentially dig himself into as a comfortable ball, Will kept the radio beside him, turned off to save power.

He didn't know how long it was between Mike falling asleep (a quick event, though not as fast as Willow had), and the sensation that something was watching him. It was benign at first, perhaps there had been bugs or spirits that had taken an interest (with psychic powers being real, ghosts might have been too for all Will knew), but over time it became more menacing. Aggravated shaking of the leaves in the tree above him, a snap of twigs in the dark distance; anything to put him in alert mode any time he thought he could relax.

What Will didn't know however was that these noises weren't a threat at all. It was just Hush, doing his part to help with keeping watch, knowing trouble might occur if Will did fall asleep. Just because he wasn't meant to let Will know he existed in the first place, doesn't mean he couldn't have a bit of fun with the guy. After all, Mike and Willow liked him oh so much.

When danger did hop closer to home however, Hush hid beneath the brush, risking detection by stirring up the leaves. This functioned both as an alert to Will, but also as a warning to the mutated creatures coming towards the sleeping party. It was a group of the giant rabbit-kangaroos, just the same as the one Hush and Mike had preyed upon earlier. Their behaviour indicated they were tracking a scent - so if the now-dead mutant may have been part of their group.

Panicking, Will retreated within the roots, wondering if he should wake everyone up so they could run, or to leave them sleeping in case this potential danger passed them by. There were loud thumping noises of bodies coming closer; Images of frogs coming to mind thanks to comic books, Will wondered if (should he be correct) that meant the water was closer than they had realised.

Soon, large creatures with red-brown fur, rabbit shaped bodies and kangaroo tails that stood at the average size of a hare came into view. It was a strange combination of creatures, and though they were mostly known as non-aggressive creatures, Will surmised that their genetic mutations might have caused changes to their behaviours as well. Also, rumour had it that Australian animals, no matter how nice they seemed, could probably kill you.

Sitting silently as more appeared, Will simply repeated the same thing in his mind, the mantra doubling as a prayer of sorts. We aren't here; there's nothing for you here.

There was movement behind him, Mateo reaching out telepathically as he froze in place, wanting to understand what was going on. “Will, are they going to eat us?”

Not breaking his concentration, Will knew his nose had begun to bleed. He didn't know what exactly was happening, but the mammalian creatures hadn't interacted with them yet, so perhaps his ‘prayer’ was working? On the positive side, they didn't seem to have any Demogorgon attributes, so hopefully the blood from his nosebleed wouldn't be detected. To answer Mateo's question, when he felt confident enough to perform the simple multitasking action (he was hardly breathing, he was focusing so hard), the sorcerer managed a shrug of his shoulders.

The hybrid creatures stopped just a few paces away from the tree, nerve-wrackingly close to Will himself. Willow woke up at the sounds of the thumping, being silenced by Mateo who put a hand up for her to stop, partially blocking her vision. Only Mike stayed completely asleep, with Hush watching from a distance.

Hush was the only one who truly knew what Will had done. Outside of the roots, having moved from the brush to the branches of the trees above, the shadow creature could not see his friends. He panicked for a moment before sensing that emotionally, they remained unchanged. There was no thought of escape, no threat of danger. Just the relative calm of rest and the turbulence of confusing dreams.

Until Willow woke up of course, in which case there was a startled moment and mostly confusion. Hush surmised that Will had created an illusion, hiding the humans in plain sight. As the sun slowly crept back up the horizon, the moon dipping out of sight for now, Hush returned to his friends, circling around the tree and approaching from behind to slip into Mike’s body again.

After spending their time investigating near the tree and what looked to be squabbling - thanks to various head-thwacks with forepaws and headbutts to the rump - the mutant creatures looked to the skies, sniffing the air before thumping away, returning to their hiding place until the next night came. Letting out a massive breath, Will wiped his face, relieved they weren't discovered. “That was close… What the hell did I just do exactly?”

Chapter Text

Early mornings sucked. Whoever decided that starting work, regardless of the profession, at 6am in the morning should be shot. Then again, for one Dr. Samantha Owens, her current predicament was mostly her own fault. Fairly certain she was wearing the same clothes from two days ago (because she hadn't gone home), Sam emerged from the only hiding spot she had left in the entire hospital; The janitor storeroom.

Of all the staff in the entire building, they were the ones that watched and understood. They too worked tirelessly without much conversation beyond their own ranks, often seeing struggles or noticing secrets that others did not. Sammy always did her best to greet them, thank them or at least acknowledge their presence in some way, and this had rewarded her with a place no one would ever wake her outside of a catastrophe. Also succumbing to the brutal realities of double shifts, randomly extended hours and a chronic lack of sleep, the janitorial staff had created a safe haven hidden behind the shelves of chemicals and cleaning paraphernalia within the closet, as it was the only place no other staffer accessed unless suffering exigent circumstances. If you contributed to the comfy crashpad, then you were allowed to rest there any time.

It wasn't abnormal to find someone waiting inside or near to the janitorial closet if others were asleep and there wasn't enough space for everyone at any given time, often with quick apologies exchanged and wishes for semi-decent rest. Waking up to find another ready to drop with exhaustion, Sammy was quick to move out of her blankets to make space for them. “Here, take my spot. I gotta get back to work, but this should keep you warm.” Without air conditioning or heating since it was just a storage area, having a pre-warmed sleeping space in the winter chill was likely handing someone a $10 bill “just because”.

Sneaking out of there to a bathroom to fix up her hair, Sammy then headed through as many areas as she could to avoid the staff that usually asked for her on the way to grab some food. Honestly, she knew better than to treat her body and mind like this. She was a doctor for goodness sake, and specialised in psychology for fun. But a group of civilians that her father had personally bent and broken rules for because they deserved to be saved were counting on her to help them. And she believed she may have just discovered either the secret to saving them, or a truth that would condemn everyone.

And that answer lied with none other than Michael Wheeler.

Thankfully, the entire Wheeler family was right here, in the hospital with her, allowing Sam to visit them at any time. Since Holly had been given a clean bill of health along with Max after a day or so of rest, they could usually be found somewhere in the hospital regardless of what time it was. Ted was often found wandering the halls, getting coffee or snacks for himself and his girls, which was where Sammy found him now. “Mr Wheeler, one sec!” Raising a hand to indicate she was the one trying to get his attention, Sammy hurried past the shift workers as they changed over, giving quick handover summaries to their replacements before they disappeared from the hospital for a few hours.

Hovering by a coffee pot, Ted’s hands were full with two cups, but he did wait for Sammy. She had been polite with him, which was always a good way to start any form of relationship, and never once had she doubted his personage in any way. It was a breath of fresh air, in a way. “Doctor Owens, at it already are we?” Asking with an apologetic smile at the rushed state she seemed to be in, Ted waited for her as she threw together a coffee for herself

“Ah, yes, never stops in this place.” Nodding before taking a sip, Sammy recoiled and cringed at the fact she burned her tongue on the coffee. “Yeah, no it’s too early for me to be awake, but here I am. Did you get any sleep last night?”

Nodding, Ted began to walk along slowly with Sammy, dodging people as they went. “Nancy and I finally talked Holly and Karen into staying somewhere close by, so we can also sleep in real beds. But of course, the girls wanted to be here as soon as possible after waking up again, so I’m back with them.”

“Sounds like your family are really attached to each other.” Phrasing this as a compliment, Sammy liked to see family units working together to the benefit of the whole. It was as nature intended. “Would you mind if I drop by some time later? I’ve got some questions I’d like to ask everyone but definitely not so soon. Probably, say, around 10 maybe? Might give you something to do whilst Nancy undergoes her therapy.”

“You’ve hardly slept a wink, and you remember Nancy’s appointments? No wonder you are in such demand with all the other staff.” Thoroughly impressed by Sam’s memory, Ted hoped Sammy knew just how incredible her brain was.

Laughing awkwardly and speaking the family line with a humble tone, Sammy shrugged for comedic effect. “Blessed with genius, cursed to overwork. That’s what Dad says anyway.”

Thanking Sammy briefly as she got the door to Nancy’s room on his behalf, Ted took her up on the offer of distraction later in the day. “Come get us whenever you have a minute to spare, we’ll see what we can do for you.”

Nodding to Ted, and then again to Karen whom she spied between the crack of the door before closing it again, Sammy felt a little bit better about her day already. Next stop, the conference room. If she was really fast, she might even be there in the ten minutes it took to walk that far, rather than take several hours like she had the day before.

Converted into another sleeping area, Dustin and Lucas had been gifted sleeping bags by Hopper who realised both boys had passed out at the table the night before. They had been combing through files the night before, focused on trying to find new information or connect the dots between experiments and a potential purpose, creating a timeline across several sheets of paper that had been taped together, then taped to the wall for writing on at any time. If there had been a corkboard, there would have been red string everywhere. If it had been a whiteboard, then Sammy had no doubt every available colour would have been used to annotate the timeline as concisely, yet accurately, as possible.

Despite being careful with the sliding door to the room, the sheer act of opening it caused both boys to jump up from the desk, looking to see who had come in. Relieved to find it wasn’t Jim, both Dustin and Lucas immediately relaxed again. “Sorry, we thought you were Hopper,” Lucas explained their reaction. “He got us sleeping bags and all but like… We still passed out at the table.”

“We were watching the first ‘The Shadow Strikes’ but yeah, we fell asleep part way through. It’s certainly dark content-wise, but it’s not quite scary enough to keep us awake it seems.” Having seen nastier stuff in person, Dustin had a hard time getting scared from horror movies, let alone camera footage. “How are your projects going?”

“I’ve made some preliminary notes, and I plan on talking to the Wheelers later this morning about some things; Don’t you think it’s interesting that two people in the same house developed psychic powers? I’m starting to wonder if it’s a genetically passed trait, rather than a situational or genetic lottery inheritance.” Sitting down with her coffee in one hand, the files she had collected from her hiding place at the closest nurses station in the other and using her foot to pull out the wheeled chair, there was a sigh of relaxation as her body slowed down again.

Raising an eyebrow not at her actions, but rather at her words, Lucas didn’t like where that train of thought was headed. “Just so long as you don’t start doing crazy whacko experiments, we’ll be fine.”

This got Sammy laughing, her hand shaking as she tried to get her coffee cup down without spilling it. “I’m not one of those people Lucas, you don’t have to worry about me. Sure, I’m curious about if it would work or not, but I’m not game enough to try.”

Finally getting to the business end of their topic, Dustin, Lucas and Sammy got to work sharing their notes, adding to the timeline board and contesting the order of events when things were unclear. They also got back to watching The Shadow Strikes, which played out like a terrible ‘found footage’ home horror movie. It was really just a montage of moments with some narration by Daniella, made a few years ago. They spent a few hours together, Lucas disappearing briefly so he could visit Max, with doing something similar at another interval after getting a radio message from Robin, who desperately needed a break from being in Steve’s room whilst he slept the days away. Eventually, Sammy’s turn came, when she left to speak with the Wheelers.

Starting with Ted, mostly to give him a break, Sammy learned that Mike had become more reclusive than usual, hardly ever leaving his room since he finished school. The father understood that his son was writing a book, but even he thought this behaviour was a bit extreme. Until the three months where suddenly he was out every day, sometimes without eating or saying a word to anyone. Ted had never truly understood Mike, and it was something he deeply regretted because he didn't want to have a poor relationship with any of his children.

Whilst the father of the family had been very honest, casual and forthcoming, Sammy felt she would need to take things in a more gentle manner when it came to speaking with Karen. They spent longer together, talking about Mike and Will's relationship, how hard he took losing El and whether or not she had ever read Mike's book. According to the mother, when it came to Mike, reaching out was never easy. He was so busy trying to protect his friends from the world, he decided to protect them from how he felt, too. He would disappear randomly, worrying everyone just to find out he had been trying to handle his emotions alone again. But even on the outside of Mike’s life, Karen had noticed Max was able to break through to him, with the help of Holly. Somehow they had gotten Mike to smile again, and were the reason Mike had finally found the courage to move out and try to live a new life on his own. She had been so proud of him.

Nancy, understandably, wasn't up for another talking session. Between her family hardly leaving her side and doctors or nurses constantly coming to check, test and evaluate her for potential complications or neurological damage, Nancy just needed some time to rest. Honouring this, Sammy left the older sister be, opting to chat with Holly instead.

Finding the youngest Wheeler staring longingly at a snack machine, Sammy knew her presence wouldn't be a shock fur to her reflection. “Got a preference? I'm happy to shout you a snack, I kinda need one myself.” Wondering what Holly would choose, Sammy waited for an answer.

Deliberating further, Holly tapped her chin. “I think I'll just go with MnM’s, please.” Reaching forward and inputting the code for what snack they wanted, Sammy then swiped her personal ID into a reader, logging her data on an internal computer log that would be checked and processed later, removed from her next pay cycle.

Having chosen the same snack for herself, Sammy pulled out two MnM’s packets and handed one to Holly. “Wanna go chat for a bit? Nancy wasn't feeling up to it, and I've already spoken with your parents.”

“It's about Mike, isn't it?” Worried for her brother, Holly was a perceptive kid. “Have you heard from him or Will? Are they okay?”

Holding up a hand to slow her roll, Sammy wanted to immediately assure Holly this conversation wasn't anything dire. “No, I haven't heard from them yet. Actually, it's not just Mike I want to talk to you about, it's you as well. I've been going over your files that your friends took from Doctor Gideon and Doctor Daniella. I just had some questions, if that's okay?”

“Oh,” Opening her packet, Holly sighed. She had hoped maybe the boys finally got in touch properly, as Max had informed her she heard Will during the night. “Sure, we can talk about that.”

Finding a quieter place to chat, Sammy slipped into the supervisor’s office, throwing up the “Meeting In Progress” sign before anyone could try and steal her away. “Please, take a seat. I'm sure my colleague won't mind you borrowing his chair; He doesn't start until later anyway.”

Sitting down in the office chair offered to her, Holly munched away on her chocolate. “So what did you wanna talk about me for?”

“Most of all, I just wanted to ask if you're okay.” Holly was young, and she had been through a lot already. It would be remiss of Sammy to not check in with her in an official capacity to ensure Holly was processing everything in an emotionally healthy manner. “One of the tapes we reviewed showed an interview you had with Doctor Preston. Did you want to talk about it?”

Raising an eyebrow, Holly called what this question was. “I'm okay. Max is okay. It all turned out mostly fine. I'm more worried about Nancy, Steve and Jonathan than myself, so I don't need your therapy talk. Thanks but no thanks.” Moving to get up, Holly was ready to leave again.

“Woah, slow down there. It's not all therapy talk, I just wanted to check in on you first. If you don't want to share something with me, you don't have to. But I do have some questions about your brother too, remember?”

Sammy was nice. Holly didn't want to hinder something that could help find Mike, and even though she felt like the conversation might be some kind of psychologist's trap now, she remained seated, relaxing back into the chair. “Okay, I'm listening.”

Taking a deep breath, relieved that Holly chose to stay, Sammy opened her own MnM’s finally. “Your mom and dad said that Mike was pretty distant after everything you all went through except with you and Max. Would you consider yourself close to him?” Framing it as a question focused on Mike, it was just as much about Holly.

“Yeah, I'd say we are pretty close. He taught me a lot about Dungeons and Dragons, which was a lot of fun. And I talk to him once a week so we can always keep in touch, he doesn't even do that with Mom and Dad. Just me and Max.” Spinning absently after speaking, Holly looked at the roof. Her body was restless from being cooped up in various places too long with nothing to do or focus on except worrying about things she couldn't change.

Wishing she had her normal notes with her and not leaving them back in the conference room, Sammy endeavoured to just keep her thoughts focused until she could write everything down. “When he finished his book, did he give you a copy too? Dustin mentioned everyone involved in the Upside Down adventures got one.”

“Yeah, and I read it too. Actually, I helped him write it. Proof read the chapters and stuff with Max, gave him feedback.” Stopping the spinning so she could snack some more, Holly's eyes met Sammy's. “He had two copies of it himself though on his shelf. I saw it when Max and I were hiding out in his house looking for him. It was weird cuz one was bigger than the other.”

Thinking hard on this information, Sammy began to wonder if Mike had given everyone the full story. Given everyone's admissions that Mike had remained closest with only Holly and Max, the only other person who would likely know of this secondary volume was Max herself. “Do you think you could use your powers to grab the books?” The question slipped out before the thought was fully formed.

Smirking as she answered, Holly had wanted a good reason to practice her powers. Since Nancy was showing concussion-like symptoms that meant light shows (such as Spirit Guardians) were a no-go. And with her parents being overprotective of her now that she had effectively been kidnapped twice for psychic purposes, she didn't have the heart to practice when they were alone, which left only helping her friends heal. Mostly Jonathan anyway, as Nancy didn't want Holly to push herself, and Steve had asked her to send the attention his way instead, being the selfless person he was. “I reckon I could do that - Do you want to be there when I do, just in case? Or can I get my friends to help me?”

“Whatever is best for you. I know Mike's house is a long way from here, so if you need to practice gradually increasing your distance rather than doing the full thing straight away, please do so. I don't need you falling into a coma.”

The pair chuckled at that, with Holly promising she would be careful; both with her powers, and who saw them. Enjoying their snacks in peace, the conversation turned to more casual topics, as Sammy had gotten the answers she was after for now.

~~~~~

“You'd think they would have checked in by now, right? Like honestly, they have a radio with batteries in it and Max said she heard Will last night so like -” Robin was running through her worried rant again, with slight variations from when she was about to pass out this morning. Having finally rested in the chair by Steve’s bedside, Robin was rubbing her neck to ease the knot in the muscle.

As the one interrupting her for the millionth time, Steve spoke from the bed, getting instant silence and attention. “Robin, chill. Maybe they just don't have signal or something. Or maybe they're too focused on getting out to talk to us I mean, Max talks to Will in her sleep, right?”

“He's not wrong, Robin.” On Steve’s team for this discussion, Dustin glanced up from the book in his hands. He had been reading the notebook originally containing Dr Brenner's notes, with annotations completed by the Grey siblings. “This is the D.O.E. we are talking about here. They probably have radio jammers set up.”

“But I'm so bored and I just want them to be okay,” She complained, resting her arm on the table with the radio, immediately putting her head on top. “Can't you at least bring a semi-decent movie in? You have a VHS player, it would give us something to do.”

“You're more than welcome to help us research Robin but you promised me you would take care of Steve. And right now he looks pissed, rather than taken care of, so maybe stop whining?” He loved his friends. He really did. But Dustin was exhausted, just like everyone else, and was trying to make sense of science he was in the middle of learning the concepts for in college. Things written in the book were still somewhat beyond his comprehension.

“Thanks Henderson, but-” Shifting so he could be comfortable again, Steve grimaced a bit as it pulled on his stitches. “I get where she's coming from. Plus, the babysitter doesn't need a babysitter, so feel free to go home any time.”

Dustin and Robin briefly shared a glance, before looking at Steve with the same, eyebrow raised expression. “No. We’re your family and you're stuck with us.” They spoke the rehearsed phrase in unison, Robin smiling as she spoke in a teasing way, whilst Dustin was just grumpy that Steve kept trying to send them away. He should know better by now.

“Eh, it was worth a shot…” Sighing and settling in, Steve wasn't really mad. It felt nice to be loved, and it was an interesting change of pace to be so damaged that he was the one being babysat instead of watching all the other punks that grew up under his protective care.

Book half-closed, fingers keeping the page for him, Dustin had a thought form thanks to Robin’s complaints. “Actually, I'll be right back. I have a question for Max.” Taking the book with him like a priceless treasure, Dustin promised he would be right back. He was wondering if the psychic fire she had encountered might have been blocking the radio signal somehow. It was a long shot, but she was the only person with Void-Walking that he knew.

~~~~~

Knocking on the door as he opened it, Lucas had decided to take a break from researching and annoying Max to check in on Jonathan. After their impromptu road trip together, he felt it was the least he could do. Of course, Joyce and Hopper were in there with him, keeping him company. “Hey Jonathan - Mrs Byers, Chief.” Getting a smile and small wave fun Joyce and a nod from Hop, Lucas focused on the one in the hospital bed. “How's the healing going?”

“Unnaturally fast,” Jonathan smiled. “Holly has been posting me visits, so I've been careful to build onto my jello for her.” Chuckling a bit, Jonathan seemed to be in good spirits. “How about you and the Research Party?” Using the nickname that the trio had earned due to how often they had their noses buried in papers, Jonathan was wondering if they had come up with any new information of interest.

Crossing his arms, Lucas shook his head. “Honestly, not all that fast. Mostly it's just been going over information we already kinda know. There were these interview videotapes for example, and Will’s one was from middle school.”

Eyebrows raised in shock, Joyce looked over at Hopper, who didn’t seem too surprised that this was the case. “You mean, back when Will was having his episodes?” Jonathan was the one who spoke, wanting the clarification.

“Yeah, Doc Owens - Senior I mean, was there and so was Mrs Byers.” Lucas confirmed this for him, and relaxed his stance, but not his tone. “Apparently they’ve been keeping an eye on him since then. The Doctors Grey are nasty pieces of work.”

Reaching out to his mother, Jonathan took Joyce’s hand, whilst Hopper kept to himself since he was sitting on the other side of the bed. “That actually explains a lot.” Jim spoke in a low voice, pissed but not at anyone in the room. “I thought it was shady that the D.O.E. didn’t come after us with what we did to the MAC-Z and their soldiers. Seems like internally, they knew we wouldn’t say anything because it is literally insane to normal people,” Clearly, Hopper still kept in touch with Murray to some degree given this statement. “And so they waited until we were separated to make their next move.”

“It just proves that we are stronger, together.” Squeezing Jonathan’s hand lightly, Joyce looked at her son, thankful that he hadn’t been alone when walking into trouble earlier that week. “Seems like they still underestimated us though. Well - you know what I mean.” Joyce sighed, her words not working quite how she wanted to.

Everyone in the room knew what she was getting at though. “Absolutely. Nothing’s gonna stop us from saving our family and friends, this misadventure proves it.”

“Well said kid.” Hopper praised Lucas for his words, which made Lucas grin with pride.

Interrupting the conversation just by arriving, a nurse excused herself, needing to check on Jonathan’s leg. Getting out of the way, Lucas hung by the door as he said goodbye. “I’ll see you guys again soon, let you know if I find out anything new.”

“Thanks Lucas, swing by any time. Let us know if we can help.” Jonathan waved goodbye, Joyce moving out of the chair so the nurse could inspect Jonathan’s amputated left leg. With a nod and the pull of a door, Lucas headed back to the conference room to rebury himself in scientific jargon that made his head swim. Yay for me… The things we do for our friends.

Chapter Text

Leaving Mike to rest for a little while longer, Willow had fallen back asleep as well as Mateo and Will spoke telepathically to each other, working together to figure out what the hell just happened. Focusing on something different this time, Will cupped his hands and concentrated on a single thought, repeating what he had done earlier but with less fear involved. Slowly but surely, a yellow D20 with white numbers appeared in his hands, but he couldn’t feel any weight. It was like there was nothing there.

Acting carefully, fully aware his nose was bleeding again and the need to eat was growing in his stomach, Will slowly dropped his hands away from the die, wondering if it would react to physics. The D20 remained exactly where Will had created it, floating in mid-air without anything to support it

“I can see it. You are making that, right? You didn’t have that before?” Wondering if this was all Will’s doing, Mateo continued to speak with his mind, amazed at what was happening.

There was a slight nod from Will, before he slowly moved it from side to side, imitating a table roll, and finally waving a hand through it to see what would happen. Unable to interact with it physically, the die appeared like smoke as his hand passed through before returning to its allegedly solid appearance. Finally easing up his focus, Will let out a deep sigh, the reduced exertion relaxing his muscles. “That’s crazy. I knew someone, briefly, who could do something like this. I wish I could talk to her about it, I’m sure she could have taught me so much.”

“You’ve known someone with this power before?” Mateo hadn’t heard of people having the same powers as each other without being in a situation similar to himself and Will; But even then, Will could barely use his telekinesis, whilst Mateo struggled with telepathy with anyone other than Will.

Nodding, sitting back and wiping his nose on his sleeve again, Will told Mateo what little he knew of his sister’s sister. “Her name was Kali. Kali Prasad. She was a part of the same program that my adopted sister was part of, with Dr. Brenner. She had been designated 008, but she escaped and made friends in the city. That’s where El met her. But more bad things happened, and eventually she died helping us take down 001; Henry, I mean. Point is, Kali could make illusions as well, she had years of practice.”

“Perhaps you can…” Mateo searched for a word that suited what he wanted. “Make her happy? By using her power in your own way.”

Smiling over at him in the morning sunlight that broke through the foliage, Will agreed. “Yeah, I think I can make her proud. I didn’t get to know her well, but I can keep her memory alive as best I can. She deserved better.”

Stretching out his limbs, Will stood up slowly, and Mateo shook Willow awake a second time, feeling the need to move after a long night of being still. Sleepily, the young girl yawned and moved off Mateo’s arm, rubbing her eyes as she woke up. “Did I dream the big bunnies up or were they real?”

“They were real, but they ran away when the sun came up.” Assuring her that it wasn’t her imagination, Will was amused that he didn’t guess her first question of the day would have been about the mutant creatures that nearly discovered them.

Pointing wordlessly at Mike, Mateo looked at Will with a questioning expression, wondering if he should wake up their final party member. With a nod of approval, Mateo began poking Mike in the side, intending for the weaker jabs to wake him up. Suppressing laughter, the two standing back tried not to be too loud, as Mateo jabbed harder and harder until almost punching Mike in the ribs to get him to join the realm of the awoken. “Hey… what gives?”

Yawning and grumbling, Mike was already confused before the strange wake up call. Having been in a dreaming state, he had strange fragments of memories of what he had been dreaming about, but none of it made any sense. He’d never been on a stage outside of a science competition before, so what was he doing behind a red theatre curtain? And why was he dreaming about walking in on his parents as teenagers making out? That was a super strange and somewhat disturbing mental image that wasn’t going away, even as he opened his eyes to find everyone else stretching the stiffness out of their limbs.

Deciding that it was just his subconscious trying to tell him it wanted to watch Back to the Future in the strangest way possible, Mike tried to push away thoughts of his rest, sitting up and popping his shoulders by raising his arms upwards.

“I decided to let Mateo wake you up. I didn’t realise he was going to jab you so hard.” Hand hardly covering the grin he wore, Will was trying not to laugh still as he spoke.

Annoyed that his friends were being so mean to him, Mike’s nose flared very briefly as he smelled something familiar; It was more fresh blood, and it took him less than a second to identify where it had come from. I wonder if being a Demodog has made my normal sense of smell better? If that’s the case, I hope I don’t make my eyesight worse. That would royally suck. “Is everything okay? There’s new blood on your sleeve.”

Getting an encouraging nod from Mateo, Will sat back down to be on the same level as Mike. Willow quickly followed, with Mateo stretching his legs first before joining them as well. “So, there were these big rabbit-kangaroo things that came last night. I didn’t know if they were friendly or not but I didn’t have time to wake everyone up, so I just sat there and… I found out I have a new power.”

“Dude, seriously?” Blinking in confusion, Mike wondered how that was possible. “That’s so cool, we never considered having more powers, did we?”

Shaking his head, Will had not considered there were any new powers to discover for any of them. “What power is it? I wanna know!” Eager to learn more about it, Willow leaned forward, hoping that Will would share more information.

“I can create illusions, just like Kali could.” Hands pressed together tightly as they rested on his crossed legs, Will was cautiously excited about the idea. “I tested it just before we woke you guys up, and it’s so cool. You can only tell it’s an illusion if you’re close to it; It doesn’t smell like anything, and if you touch it your hand or whatever goes right through, just like smoke until you’re not touching it anymore.”

Kicking back and using the tree trunk to rest against, Mike reached for the food bundle that was growing closer to empty. There were six cans left, meaning that after this, they only had two meals remaining before they had to figure out an alternative for food. “Sounds like you’d be pretty hungry then.” Handing a can to the kids and another to Will, Mike gestured for Will to have it all for himself. “I’m not hungry, so fill up. Between the four of us and our powers, I think we could probably sneak past any enemy now, Demo or not.”

“Yeah!” Willow let Mateo open the can since he took it from Mike, deciding to recap how everyone could use a super ability to stop the mutant creatures. “Will can cast Illusion, Mike can make shields, I can talk to them or Mateo can scream at them.”

“Are you sure you don’t want any Mike?” Feeling selfish for having an entire can to himself, Will wanted to check that Mike wasn’t just being stoic or stubborn.

Nodding, Mike made the same gesture again, pointing at the can and sweeping his finger upwards slightly to point at Will in a single movement, before dropping his arm again. “I swear, I’m not hungry. It’s okay. You’ve used your new power… twice? Plus you were Void Walking again last night before I woke you up, weren’t you?”

Biting his lip as he scolded himself for getting carried away with experimenting, Will put the freshly opened can down and picked up the radio again. “Yeah, I heard Max, but there was all this fire in the way. I was going to try and radio them again this morning, see if we could get through.”

“Give it here, I’ll do that while you eat.” Taking up the radio, Mike put out a call over the airwaves to see if anyone was listening and willing to respond. Mateo and Willow quietly shared their can of food, everyone hoping there would be some response. “Nope, no luck again today.” Pushing the antenna down and turning it off after a few minutes of silence, Mike set the walkie-talkie down carefully on the ground.

Getting out the notebook again, Mike decided to write some things down about his dreams, hoping that putting pen to paper would clear the thoughts from his head. “Those creatures you saw; I think I’m going to call them Rabbiroos. What do you guys think?”

Will nearly snorted his food because the amusing comment caught him off guard, whilst Mateo tilted his head to one side in confusion and Willow beamed. “I love that name! They were kinda adorable!”

“You saw them?” Asking her in his mind, Mike waited for someone else to dispute his name choice aloud, watching with a small smile as Will tried to regain his breath without choking on his food.

“It works.” Mateo went back to scanning the area around them intermittently, acting like a watchdog.

Calming the urge to laugh just long enough that he could speak, Will couldn't help but adding, "It sounds like something Scooby-Doo would say."

Finishing the last of the can of food by tipping it back into her throat, Willow answered Mike at the same time. “Yep, I thought I was dreaming. But Will said it really happened.” There was a small surge of guilt from both Mike and Hush as she mentioned this, because they both knew the appearance of these ‘Rabbiroos’ was entirely their fault. Hush had clocked the fact the creatures followed the scent he and Mike left behind after mauling one of their number, and neither of them considered the ramifications of a successful hunt beyond no longer feeling hungry. “Hey, I felt that. Did something happen? Tell meeeee!”

“We may or may not have hunted one to eat last night - It’s why I’m not hungry now, I ate a lot more than I thought I could. But I was able to turn into a tiger for a little bit!” Trying to lessen the impact of the bad news by following it up with good news, Mike tried not to wince too visibly as Willow’s can hit the ground.

“You ATE one?! Mike! But they were so cute!!!” Whining loudly, Mike rubbed his temple with one hand to ease the headache Willow was able to induce with how loud she was. Even Hush rippled slightly within Mike’s shadow, uncomfortable at the reaction the young girl had given them.

Shifting against the tree and sitting in the shade, Mike faced the trio of party members that were basked in the dappled, golden light from the skies above. It was times like this he wished he could take a photo, even if everyone looked terrible from days of sleeping outside and living terribly. “We were hungry… There wasn’t much else we could do. I didn’t want to open a can and just eat it all without anyone else being awake. That didn’t seem fair, so hunting was the alternative. I’m sorry.”

Echoing the emotional tones of Mike’s apology, Hush implied he felt the same, apologetic for their actions as he had encouraged the hunt immediately. “It’s okay. I’m glad you did eat something though, I was worried.”

~~~~~

They had walked for hours, the trees slowly thinking again and the sound of running water growing louder. Mateo had heard it first, being the most eager to increase their pace. Collectively parched and lacking water of their own after travelling a great distance, the knowledge that water was close by gave them all hope.

Emerging from the trees with caution, the travellers saw a lake before them, with a cascading waterfall not too far to their left. The river continued on to their right, far off into the horizon they couldn't see, and Mike had to grab Willow by the shoulder before she rushed towards the water. “Hold on, we don't know if they did aquatic experiments too. Who knows, there might be Demo-Piranhas in there or something.” Reminding the young girl that anything could happen and they wouldn't see it coming, Mike then pointed to the waterfall. “We would be better off trying up there.”

Mateo on the other hand, was frozen on the spot as he was dumbstruck by the beautiful scene in front of him. “So much water…” He had never seen so much in one place before, and watching it sparkle in the sunlight was mesmerising

Wrapping a light arm around Mateo’s shoulders, Will got his attention with a casual whisper. “The ocean has more water than even this.”

Finally tearing his eyes away, Mateo stared at Will with something the older male had never seen on his face; Genuine, childish wonder. “Pirates get more water?!”

Laughing softly, Will nodded. “Come on, we should follow Mike and Willow. We're headed up the top to get our own water.” Leading him by the shoulder, Will guided Mateo after their friends. “Hey Mike, how can there be Demo-Piranhas if Demogorgons hate water?” Wondering if the great storyteller had an answer for the flaw in his logic, Will waited to hear it.

Turning to walk backwards, meaning less yelling, Mike spread his arms wide and shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe they genetically removed the hydrophobia, cuz it's a fish?” He turned forward again, so he was less likely to trip over. It was a valid counterpoint, so Will dropped the line of questioning and pondered on it quietly.

Transferring himself from Mike’s shadow to Willow’s, Hush wasn't a fan of the great outdoors he decided. He much preferred the great canopy, because the trees at least provided shade. Direct sunlight just made him feel transparent and exposed. At least it wasn't trying to burn him into nothing, as the cold weather winds took care of that.

The trek upwards took about fifteen minutes, reaching the top of the waterfall where the current ran clear over the rocks. Willow got nervous about going close to the edge due to how high it was, and thus she held back, giving her water bottle to Mike for filling up. Mateo was nervous about the height as well, but his fervor for touching the water was higher, meaning he squashed down his discomfort and fear, inching closer to the riverbank with an outstretched hand. He didn't go to the very edge of the waterfall; that would have been crazy. But several feet back from the sudden drop, Mateo’s face lit up with unbridled joy as the liquid touched his fingertips, freezing cold but pure in its form. It took a lot of willpower to not rush into the river completely, wondering what it would feel like compared to the short, cold and harsh showers he used to receive as Subject II.

“I don't think I've ever seen a kid so excited about water before.” Mike spoke with a reverence at the scene, watching Mateo as he stood beside Will.

Glancing at Mike and then looking right back at Mateo upon realising how close the two men were standing to each other, Will spoke with gentle pride. “I can't wait to take him to the ocean one day. He loves pirates, but he's never seen so much water in his life. Simple joys, I guess.”

“Does that mean you've decided you want to adopt him? Like Hopper and El, or me and Willow?” Nudging Will gently, Mike quietly hoped this would be the case. He knew that Willow wanted the four of them to be a family together, and who could say no to such a perfect ending? Seriously, nothing would make Mike happier.

There was a small shrug, and a non-committal sound before Will spoke. “I mean, I'd love to, and I want to be in his life, but we haven't talked about it. I don't even know if I could, I mean, I can barely afford my place in New York without Mom’s help. And that's with a job. If they haven't kicked me out for missing rent already that is…”

“Come live with us.” Speaking before his fear could get the best of him, Mike almost cut Will off by accident. “I mean, I'm going to take Willow back to Hawkins. She'll have a real family there, and her parents aren't there.” With the food bundle and Willow’s bottle clutched in his right hand, Mike briefly grabbed Will’s hand with his left one, interlaced their fingers and squeezed softly before letting go again

Effectively short-circuiting at the suggestion, Will’s mind immediately went to war with itself. Living with Mike was something Will missed deeply, and had often dreamed about having a place for just the two of them during those eighteen months in lockdown. On the other hand, Hawkins was home to trauma. Everything bad that had happened, occurred there. Well, maybe not everything bad, but most of it

Crouching to put the food bag down, Mike then pulled the two empty water bottles from his pockets. “You don't have to answer me now or ever, if you don't want to. I just wanted to let you know it was an option. I'd be just as happy moving to New York if it keeps us, and the kids, together.” Flashing a smile at Will, Mike then moved further downstream, headed for the very edge of the waterfall to fill the bottles there.

Approaching from behind him, Willow could see how much fun Mateo was having at the water's edge, and didn't like the feeling that she was missing out. Having also overheard the conversation, she had her own comment to make in support of Will’s decision making. “We will be happy wherever you're happy.” Startling Will a bit just by speaking, she then looked up at Will and asked, “Can I go play with Mateo in the water?”

“... You're asking me?”

Willow's deadpan expression met Will's incredulous one. “You're an adult, right? I'm supposed to ask first, aren't I?”

Moments like this really hit differently. Mateo hadn't asked, but he had also experienced a bizarre childhood with no freedom or choices, so he simply took the chance to do so when it appeared. But Willow had been taught differently, and it was one of the more normal behaviours of a conscientious child. So why did it surprise him that she was asking? Because I never really thought of myself as that kind of adult before.

“I, uhm - Y-Yeah, you're right, I guess.” Rubbing the back of his neck as he took a deep breath, Will thought about what his mom would say. “Just don't go jumping in or anything and you should be fine. We don't have a way to dry you out if you fall in.”

Before he fully knew what was happening, Willow’s body collided with his; her arms were wrapped around his hips, her face pressed into his diaphragm. “Thank you!” And in the next instant, she had run off as fast as she could despite wearing socks that kept causing her to catch and slip on the grass.

Watching them play at the water’s edge was a surreal sensation. After cleaning off her hands, Willow washed her face and then flicked her fingers playfully at Mateo. He recoiled from the water, before looking down at his hands and doing the same to her, causing Willow to shriek and start giggling, before they went back to creating blockages in the current with their fingers, watching as the water rushed into and around them.

Wondering if this is what parents felt like, Will hoped that these were the kinds of moments Joyce chose to remember with fondness. He decided that's what he wanted to do too.

“Want me to fill your bottles up for you?” Returning from the waterfall, Mike put down his freshly filled water bottles and held his hands out to take Will’s.

Shaking his head, Will wanted a turn to clean his hands too. “Nah, I can do it. I'm going to clean out the canteen while I'm here and fill it up too, so we can carry a little bit more.” Unclipping the radio from his belt, Will placed it safely with their food bundle, before heading over to begin the process of water collection for himself. Mateo had done it down by the riverbed before Willow joined him, so they were all nearly finished for now.

It was Mike’s turn to watch over the kids now, as Will crouched carefully by the waterfall. It was a steep drop down, looking to be about a 200 foot drop if Will had to guess. Finding a sweet spot where water ran off a rock close to the edge, Will used it like a water fountain to fill up the bottles, rinsing out whatever may have been in the canteen and then filling that up too, hooking it around one of his belt loops so his hands would remain free.

There was a loud, echoing crash of rolling waves; a sound you would only expect to hear at a beach, as something broke the surface of the water below. Given how far the sound echoed, the kids jumped back from the river and looked left, thinking that the cause was upriver.

Mike however sensed something different. Similar to how his body reacted when he was the one in direct danger, this time the buzzing sensation was oddly removed from his person. He felt connected to it, but it was outside of him. Looking right, Mike could see the column of water as it reached its apex before beginning to fall. He saw Will with his back to the drop, about to walk away from the edge.

And he saw a giant, blackened tentacle covered in scales so deeply red they too nearly looked black. Will was in danger, and his new powers had alerted him to the fact. But was he fast enough?

Also sensing something behind him with less intensity, Mike had to make a call and believe that the kids could fend for themselves as he leaped to assist Will. The end of the tentacle wrapped itself around his waist and pulled him backwards, shifting as it caught itself and Will fought against its weight so that it had more of a hold on his legs than anything else.

Though he wasn't athletic, Mike's reaction time thanks to Danger Sense had allowed him to effectively run and dive towards the edge of the drop, catching Will's hand and countering the grip of the tentacle that was holding him. One shoe caught on a rock to help hold him in place, Mike’s other boot dug itself into the softer ground as much as possible to create a horizontal foothold in helping prevent him from going over the edge with Will. His right hand was gripping Will’s wrist as tightly as possible, with Will himself reaching up and grabbing hold of Mike with his spare hand as well, not wanting to let this new beast take him to certain death with the size of the drop alone.

Behind them, the kids had their own problems to deal with. As Demo-Rats did seem to like their pack size set to six, a group of them had ventured close enough to the water, hoping to feed on the children whilst the beast below took the prey closer to the edge. Willow had instinctively used her powers to summon an emotional response in them of predators that would eat them, Hush bursting forth from the ground as a snake to help intimidate the Demo-Rats. This seemed to keep them at bay, but it wasn't enough to make them run.

Caught up in a decision of his own, Mateo didn't know who to help. His abilities assisted in both situations, being able to scream at the rats and disorient them (but potentially make them mad and attack afterwards) or he could use his telekinesis to help lift Will back to safety (if the ground didn't collapse under their combined weight and drop them all for good).

As for Mike, his mind became as stuck as his left hand. It was the only thing giving him leverage to pull up, but gripping an entire body with one hand was straining every muscle he did, and didn't, know he had. Which is why having his brain go into lockdown as the voices invaded, now of all times, was so terrifying.

~~~~~

Inside Mike’s Mind

You know, if you fall, Willow falls with you.

“I'm not going to fall.” In complete denial, Mike shouted back at the darkness, watching as the reality around him briefly flickered back into existence only for it to be Sattler’s Quarry, not the waterfall he was at moments ago. “Let me help him!”

No one would judge you if you let go. It wouldn't be your fault he fell, the monster took him. The kids would be safe, and they would believe you.

“I would never betray Will. If you think I could, you clearly don't know me very well.” Pissed that these voices (or was it just the one voice? He didn't know) that sounded like copies of himself were coming up with such horrible things to say, Mike just wanted to focus on saving the man he was hopelessly in love with.

Is it betrayal or mercy? Let him die now, so he can't see the monster hiding in your mind. Let him fall, so that when you get back to your life, you can “blend in” again like before. Wasn't that the decision you made? To protect your friends, you'd kill your spirit via conformity to society?

Lost for words, some part of Mike could actually see the logic that this particular argument was presenting. But it didn't matter. Conforming to society was one issue; Watching another friend die in front of him? Not going to happen. “Fuck off! I'm busy! Bother me in my sleep or something later, just go away!”

~~~~~

Holding on for dear life as this scaly scoundrel tried to tear him away from safety, Will couldn't say much for the pain he was in. But he could see the strangely glazed effect that had overcome Mike’s eyes, like he was seeing something else that wasn't there. He could feel the microscopic twitches in Mike’s hand, like his body was fighting the urge to let go. But, despite the faraway gaze, Mike was able to shift his left hand out from beside him with the instinct to protect his friends, grabbing onto Will for better purchase. Surely the monster would give up soon, and provide them with an opportunity to get out of this predicament?

Still holding off Demo-Rats, Willow felt her stomach drop as Mike’s emotional state suddenly disappeared from her range of senses. Trying not to let the newfound panic affect her powers currently keeping the rodents at bay, Willow shouted back to Mateo. “Go, help them! I've got these guys, go!”

Being given an answer rather than standing there struck with decision paralysis, Mateo hurried up the riverside, shifting as carefully as possible until he could see Will directly. Reaching out and using his powers, he focused on Will’s shoes, pushing them upwards to help raise his entire body away from the monster pulling him down.

Finally giving in, the tentacle released Will, and the combined effects of Mike and Mateo caused him to shoot up the side, hitting the ground next to Mike, safe and sound. It really hurt, sending shockwaves of new pain through his already aching body, but at least he was alive.

Getting flipped onto his back in the process of Will being brought to safety, Mike recovered faster than Will did, broken from the mental hold he was trapped in, and rushing Will to his feet. “Go, get away from the edge! There's a chance that thing is going to try again!” With another shockwave of water from below, Mike was right, a second tentacle that seemed longer than the first now emerging from the depths below. Running together, they scooped up the supplies that had been left on the ground, and stopped by Willow’s side, barred by the Demo-Rats but safely away from the edge of the cliff

Mike did not run though. He was mad, he was in pain, and he wanted to hurt something. Specifically, the monster that had tried to hurt Will. Remaining in perfect range of the new tentacle, Mike felt his Danger Sense go off as the beast moved to swipe its appendage along the entire clifftop, aiming to knock whatever was up there down into the waters below. Closing his eyes, squaring his shoulders and holding his hands like he was gripping a weapon, Mike’s nose bled from both nostrils as a golden sword appeared, created of the same energy that made up his shields. Crying out as he swung it down, timing the strike with his Danger Sense ability, Mike was able to pierce the fleshy black ‘underbelly’ of the appendage, slicing through it and cutting it clean off, the red scales showering down around him as they were torn clean off from beneath rather than being sliced apart.

A strange howl bubbled up from the waters below, the still-attached portion of the tentacle sinking back to the depths of the lake. Blood oozed like treacle from both sides of the wound, the inner flesh a dark green like infected tissue. Almost twenty feet of severed tentacle tumbled across the clifftop, with Mike’s sword vanishing from his hands as he felt the ability be pulled from his soul almost, Willow having crouched down to protect herself and Hush. A golden shield had appeared above her as she accidentally invoked Mike’s abilities like they were her own, their emotional connection restored when Mike came to his senses. Will and Mateo had been lucky enough to just duck under the appendage, already mostly out of the way, and the Demo-Rats immediately abandoned their live prey for the new flesh that was free game as food for whatever creature reached it first.

“And stay down!” Mike shouted triumphantly at the lake below after things settled for a minute, before staggering away from the edge and feeling like his entire body was simultaneously numb, and on fire.

Processing everything that just happened, Hush disappeared back into Willow’s shadow under the guise of burrowing into the ground, and Willow, Mike and Mateo all using the river to clean their faces of blood to avoid any Demo-Creatures later. “Dude, you just summoned an honest to God sword. A real, golden glowing sword, like a Divine Weapon or something.”

Letting Will’s words sink in, feeling the warmth of his hand on Mike’s shoulder, a grin slowly broke out on his face. “Yeah, I did, didn't I?” Chuckling and feeling proud he had managed to evolve his power a little bit, Mike threw in the classic line of, “Sometimes the best defence is a good offense I guess!”

“For real though, thanks for saving me back there.” As Mike stood and they took a step away from the riverside, Will wrapped his arms around Mike tightly, hugging him like there was nothing else in the world.

For Mike, it was enough to make his eyes water. He hugged Will tightly back, remembering the night that Will had done the same for him with the soldiers, but kept the guilt to himself about the fact that something, deep down inside of him, had tried to convince Mike to let Will go. “Always. I'll always save you - you know, when you're not too busy saving me.” Trying to make light of the situation but also promise that he would always protect Will, Mike smiled even as they pulled back. “I can't take all the credit though. Danger Sense delayed you from getting pulled down, it was Mateo that pulled you up.”

Gathering together, the party reveled in the fact they had survived another monster encounter, heading back towards the trees as they followed the river upstream. “Willow helped too. Not just the rats, but she told me to help. I couldn't choose.”

Giving a reassuring smile to his younger companion, Will knew what a tough decision he had been stuck with. “It's not easy to choose which friend to help when everyone is in trouble. Hopefully, it doesn't happen again. It's not your fault for feeling that way, it makes sense.”

“We're family now, and we are all important to each other. Just like family is supposed to be.” Speaking with a definitive tone, Willow closed the case on that topic.

Clearing his throat slightly, Mike did have one other thing he wanted to add as they reached the shade. “There is a lesson to be learned here for us though I think. A big clearing with water, but no animals drinking means it's probably a trap. They knew better than we did, and we nearly got caught out by it.”

“I know what to watch out for in your next campaign then.” Teasing him a bit because Will knew Mike had been thinking about DND again, the pair laughed and the group continued on foot to whatever they came across next.

Chapter Text

After nearly losing Will off a cliff and dealing with Demo-Rats, the Adventuring Party, though low on rations, weren’t nearly as concerned about hiding from the ‘monsters’ in the park anymore. Together they had been able to fend off plenty of different creatures, or sneak their way past, and together they decided it was time to take a more active role when it came to survival skills. With rain on the horizon as the afternoon drew on, Mateo pointed out a small cave worn into the side of a precipice. Since they were in the deeper part of the forest, almost feeling more like a jungle with how dense, yet tall the trees grew, they decided to make this their camp for the night. Together, they devised a plan to try catching and killing one of the Rabbiroos, figuring that the genetic mix-and-match containing two creatures normally eaten by humans was probably their safest bet on something to hunt.

Using the knife he collected from the unknown soldier the day before, Will created some pointy sticks that were easy for Mateo to levitate, acting as projectiles to strike the creature down with. Mike and Willow had gone out to find some of the creatures, as they acted like a lure. With Willow’s power of Animal Charm, the team figured it would be best if they went, using their telepathic bond to keep chatter to a minimum. Once there were enough sticks that Mateo was satisfied he could kill any squishy creature with, as well as some whittled down to be ‘clean’ enough to eat off of, Will got to work on making a fire.

He had learned from a book his father Lonnie had gotten him about various camping things that it was possible to make fire without matches, but most of the methods that came to mind first, he didn’t have. He didn’t have a battery on hand, or some kind of lens to concentrate light. He would have to make do with just sticks and his knife to shape them.

It took a lot of time, hard work and a bit more practice with his own telekinesis ability that he had discovered back when he first met Mateo in person, but Will was able to get a fire going by the time the rest of the group had brought down the Rabirroo, torn it apart (messily, apparently) and brought back enough of the meat on skewers for them all to try eating. Thankfully they had planned it so the carcass was far enough away from their camp that other creatures coming to feast from the remains wouldn’t be too close for comfort. They also hoped that, finally having a fire to keep warm by in the night, would also keep most of the creatures away.

The meat chunks had been huge, and everyone struggled to finish their portions, hoping that it would keep them full through to the next morning, if not longer. They enjoyed each other’s company, and Will offered to take first watch this time as everyone else worked so hard on the hunting of their dinner. Mike tried to protest but Will wasn’t having any of it, insisting that they rest, and so everyone curled up as comfortably in the cave as they could, not needing to hold each other for warmth for the first time during their stay in The Park.

Staying awake without the others gave Will some time to think on his own, keeping watch in the distance but also watching the fire in front of him. What was that fire in the Void? Using a spare stick to draw things in the dirt, scratch it out and restart absently whilst thoughts coursed through his mind, the artist just couldn’t quite figure it out. Is it another psychic out there blocking us? Is it something to do with The Park that’s manifesting as fire in The Void? Does something live there that even El didn’t know about? Is the fire real, or just an illusion…? Too many questions. But I don’t think the fire was an illusion. It gave off real warmth, unlike my illusions that are nonexistent to every sense but the eyes.

When it finally came time to swap shifts so he could finally get some rest himself, Will found Mike sleeping up against the back wall, the furthest from the fire whilst still being within its protective light. He was facing the wall so the flames wouldn’t keep him awake, but everything Will tried wasn’t working. Not even the same rib-jabbing that Mateo had performed that morning, which Will was reluctant to try, but desperate enough to attempt once.

Hearing Will move around more than before, Mateo woke up, stretching as he did so. “Want me to take the next watch? I can do it.” Offering to take over for Will instead, Mateo was wondering what it would be like to be awake during the night whilst out in the wild

“You should be sleeping, you’re pretty young still. But since I can’t wake Mike, sure. Just wake me up if you need anything, ok?” Swapping places with Mateo and handing over his drawing stick, Will bid Mateo goodnight a second time, and fell into an uneasy slumber.

~~~~~

It had all the hallmarks of a shared dream, but something was very different this time. Looking down at herself, Willow saw she was wearing a grey jumpsuit, with green straps around her shoulders like a backpack, with a ghost emblem on her right sleeve inside a red circle with a red line crossed through it, and a black velcro patch where a name should be. Her usual tether that was visible only in dreams was present again in the futuristic arm guard fashion too. “WOW!” Clapping her hands excitedly, she recognised the outfit from one of the few movies Mike had shared with her. “I’m a Ghostbuster! Don’t know which one though, cuz the name tag is gone… But that’s okay!” Stomping her black boots on the ground as she twirled on the spot, Willow showed off the outfit to her shadow companion.

Hush had no idea what a Ghostbuster was, or why he should be excited, but it was nice that Willow was happy about it. “It suits you. But where is Mike? He should be here.”

Also unaware of where their adult guardian was at, Willow looked around the room with more care this time, wondering if there was a clue to his location. The room was the same mossy stone they’d become accustomed to in other shared dreams thanks to Hush, but there was also a table to one side. It was the same direction that her tether indicated Mike was, so she approached cautiously.

Burned into the top of the table was a simple puzzle. It read “Knock on Wood” at the top (thanks to Hush speeding along the reading aspect) and had a series of dots grouped together. Looking at it, then at each other, Willow and Hush both basically shrugged before Willow did what the table told her to do. She knocked three times, then once, then twice and finally one more time, wondering if that's what the dots had meant.

~~~~~

Standing in another stone room, aware that Willow had to be close by and probably with Hush thanks to the tether, stood Mike. His room had a cheval mirror in which he could appreciate his new outfit (not that he appreciated it at all), and little else to do. There also hung a hat on a wall-mounted hat rack that matched his attire, but without a front door to leave through it seemed a bit pointless.

Taking in what he wore, Mike questioned his psyche putting on his reading glasses without giving him anything to read, but being thankful that he at least kept his tousled hairstyle from his final year of high school. Otherwise dressed in a white dress-shirt with violet vertical pinstripes, a dark purple silk tie, a mottled-grey vest that looked more like close-knit carpet than clothing held together with dark purple stitching that nearly looked black with slacks to match, and black business shoes to round out the attire, plain white socks hidden away by his pants. Turning slightly and raising his arms revealed that his vest was lined halfly with red silk and halfly with blue, likely as a precise split down the middle. I just need cufflinks and a cane, then I'll look like someone tried to dress me as my grandpa. Mike rolled his eyes, and jumped out of his skin as he got a response.

“Well I think you look rather dapper.” The voice spoke with the nostalgia of childhood nightmares, a sweet and calm tone that was friendly until you remembered you were watching a horror movie, so you knew immediately that kid was going to die.

Mike knew he was standing right behind him. Thankfully, figments of the imagination, even in dreams, didn't cast reflections it seemed. “I don't care what you think. I don't want to wear this, so how the hell do I change?” Never really knowing how the getting dressed part when you awoke in a shared dream worked, Mike was mostly hoping to will a new outfit into existence. It wasn't working at all.

Stones in the wall moved, creating a space to see through to the other side. Willow’s face appeared, and Hush immediately became a bird to sit on the ledge that was now available to him. “Mike! There you are. Wow you look very proper. Like a banker.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose beneath where his glasses sat, rubbing it gently, Mike tried not to be too defensive or harsh with her as he replied. “My dad's a banker. I don't wanna look like my dad!” Clearing his throat and wondering more about what was going on, Mike briefly commented on her outfit as well. “Nice Ghostbusters getup though. Is there a hallway on your side of the wall?”

Shaking her head, Willow was stuck in her box of a room without a way out, whilst Mike had seen the hallway appear at the same time this window in the stones did. “I did the knock that the table said to do. And then this happened! Do you have something you can do?”

Shaking his head, Mike informed her he had no instructions on his side. “Just a hat and a mirror.”

“Ooh, what's the hat look like?” Curious because she couldn't see far enough into the room from where she stood, Willow hoped Mike would look good wearing it.

Sighing as he gave in to the whims of the child he loved, Mike collected the hat from the rack, putting it on. It was the same as his vest, a fedora in style with a silk purple ribbon around the base to match his tie. Coming back over with it on his head, Mike crouched to see Willow and Hush through the gap again face to face. “Tada, hat.”

“A hallway opened on my side! Maybe it was like a lever secretly or something?” Excitedly pointing in the same direction as Mike's hallway, everyone was starting to get the idea of what this dream was going to be like moving forward.

Ruffling his feathers and concerned for the adult friend of the trio, Hush asked, “Are you alone on your side of the wall? This doesn't seem fair.”

Willow's excitement faded as she agreed with Hush’s opinion, trying to reach through to Mike only to be met with an invisible wall. “I can't even touch your hand.” She then pouted.

Putting his hand up against hers even though there was something between them, Mike didn't want them to worry. “Yeah, I'm alone over here,” He lied(?) but smiled regardless. “I'm a Dungeon Master. I have to think up puzzles like this for you guys all the time, I can figure this out. Hopefully there isn't too much reading on your end.”

“Right,” nodding her head, Willow accepted this. “I guess there's nothing for it but to keep going then! See you soon Mike.”

They bid each other goodbye, and began to walk down the hallways revealed to them. “You're such a liar these days. I wonder what caused you to abandon your party rules you so quickly use against everyone else you care about?”

“Fuck off, we are not on speaking terms.” Huffing because of course the voice in his head was an absolute dick, Mike struggled to ignore his voice, but was able to keep his focus away from looking at the intruder.

Speaking nonchalantly rather than being accusatory, the speaker seemed to be nonplussed about the situation. “I'm just saying that, for someone who hates being lied to, you've successfully lied to everyone you love and frequently.”

Purposefully ignoring him as he walked down the corridor, Mike strode along with the sole purpose of getting away. Keeping an eye on the tether, which had manifested as a cross between a watch and a compass for him this time, Mike wanted to stay with Willow as much as possible. If she and Hush couldn't see or hear the intrusive extra on his side, then maybe reuniting with them would cause his presence to diminish.

No matter how fast he walked, the presence was always just a step behind him, occasionally making sounds of amusement like he knew Mike was running away. Coming into another room, the voice spoke again, commenting directly on Mike's character. “For someone who prided themselves as being the brave one, you're quite the coward, aren't you? I suppose that's why you were friends with Eddie Munson. Similar people, you two were.”

Cringing as he heard Eddie’s name, it took all of Mike’s willpower to not turn around and shout back at the voice. He knew that trying to make direct eye contact would simply bring the intruder more into focus, which was the opposite of what he wanted. “You don't deserve to talk about Eddie. I know I wasn't as close with him as Dustin was, but I'll defend his honour from you anyway. I know you're just trying to goad me into what you want, and it won't work.”

“You think me more nefarious than I am, Michael.” The voice sighed. “So far, I've just been reminding you of the truths you have been hiding from yourself.”

Looking around the room, Mike wanted to see what this puzzle was supposed to be. Without another hole in the wall, they likely wouldn't be able to communicate without backtracking to the first room. From what he could see, there were a series of portraits hanging on the wall in black and white, both of people he recognised and some that he didn't. The entire room had a strange, sepia tone to it, giving it an aged, vintage feeling. “What the hell…?”

~~~~~

Skipping along with Hush fluttering at her side, Willow tried not to worry too much about Mike. She knew he was smart, didn't need help reading, and enjoyed puzzles. Plus, if he could live in his house all alone, surely he would be fine by himself for a bit.

Coming to a new room, Willow had her breath taken away. Looking around in wonder, the room was filled wall to wall with Dungeons and Dragons scenery, set pieces, monster models and character minis. Stopping at the first shelf by the door, Willow recognised some of the pieces that Mike kept on display, such as his favourite goblin and kobold minis, along with a Red Dragon and a Thessylhydra. Looking back to the room at large, she saw five dioramas almost completely set up, and with Hush perched on her shoulder, she moved forward to investigate. “They must be pretty important if they get their own battle scenes

The first diorama looked like a school classroom, a monster roaring at nobody. From the description she had been given by Mike and Will, this would have been an adult Demogorgon. The mouth was wide open, tiny spiky teeth in full view with the claws up menacingly, looking like it was ready to swipe through the tables with ease. Upon closer inspection, there was some blood on one table, and a teeny tiny slingshot with appropriately sized pebble ammo sat on another table at the back of the science classroom. “Hey Hush, can you read the itsy bitsy words?”

Hopping down onto the diorama directly, Hush’s bird form looked like he could have taken on the miniature demogorgon easily. Peering closely, Hush then nodded and informed Willow, “It says, ‘Hawkins Middle School Science Project Wall’. I didn’t know words could be so small.”

“That must have been one of Mike’s schools,” Willow realised, knowing that he came from Hawkins originally. “Maybe this diorama is something that really happened?” Willow had heard a lot of stories about adventures Mike had created, but she knew not many of them were real life ones; Or if they were, it wasn’t the full truth. That was why she loved the Will the Wise stories so much. Mike couldn’t help but talk about things that were real when it came to Will Byers.

“Is there a sign on the table? I feel like this is something that should have a name.” Since it was so obviously placed in the room, Hush figured there was something that had more information on it that they hadn’t seen yet. Hopping off the diorama and launching himself into the air, Hush then transformed into a kitten, using his increased size to check the edges of the table. “Here,” He pawed at a sign for Willow to take a look at. “This one says, ‘Saturday, 12th November, 1983. The Day Will Came Back

Thinking about it, Willow realised that was the same date that the soldiers had come for her and Mike in his house. “That’s not weird at all…” Sighing, she moved onto the next diorama, Hush transforming into a rabbit so he could super-hop up onto the table to see as well.

The second ‘exhibit’ of sorts was set up in two parts. The top segment looked like a dead farmer’s field, full of rotten plants that couldn’t be determined. There was a hole in the centre, with two cars parked nearby, and a rope leading down into the second area. Beneath, plastic flames filled an otherwise blue tunnel, with a small gas can laying on the ground.  “What’s the date on this one?” Asking Hush again as she investigated further, Willow liked how this one had the cut out so you could see the tunnel longways, and not just at each end or through the hole at the top.

“This one says Sunday 4th - Monday 5th November, 1984. The Day El Closed The Gate.’ I guess this one happened at night?” Since the date was nonspecific, it seemed like a reasonable assumption to the shadow creature.

Pointing at some of the upper-area paint work, Willow agreed with him. “Yeah, the cars have real lights that are on, and the flashlight here has where the light is making the ground brighter. That’s so cool, I wish these were real sets. They’d be so fun to make more scenes with!”

Wandering over to the third one, Hush beat Willow to it and read the plaque first before she could investigate. “‘Thursday, July 4th, 1985. The Flesh Flayer Destroys Starcourt Mall.’ What is a Flesh Flayer?”

Shrugging, Willow then pointed to the giant, slimy looking, spider-shaped creature that was visible through the broken fake-glass roof of the shopping centre building, surrounded by small flames to show the building was burning. “That thing is, I guess? It sounds yucky anyway. But at least it’s not another November diorama!” Trying to be positive as she was becoming more certain by the second that all these recreations were real, terrible moments, Willow let out an ‘ooh!’ of curiosity as she realised the Starcourt model opened. “Hey, you can see inside this one. There’s a flipped over car, and little explosions on the sides of the monster’s body. Maybe they exploded it to death, and that’s why there is fire everywhere?”

Speculating with someone as clueless as she was didn’t get her very far, so they moved onto the fourth diorama in the room. “Got another date ready for me there Hush?” Seeing a pizza sign made her hungry, even though she had eaten heaps before sleeping.

“Yes. This one says ‘Thursday, March 27th. The Day of False Victory.” Changing back into a kitten so he could carefully claw his way up Willow’s Ghostbusters jumpsuit, he looked at the table with her. “Did they not get the Surfer Boy Pizza?”

“I dunno… But there’s the cool little van. Oooh, and I can open the door! Looks like there’s a bathtub inside, that’s weird. And a big stick. Definitely going to ask Mike about that one later I think, this doesn’t make much sense to me.” Poking around the pizza diner which was clearly created to look like it was night time, similar to the other dioramas so far, Willow did not understand the significance of this date at all.

Becoming bored of the pizza parlour quickly, Willow picked Hush up from her shoulder and cradled his kitten form as they walked over to the final diorama, which seemed to be missing a lot. It was just a big, sandy desert. “This one has nothing in it. Maybe it’s not finished yet?”

“Friday, November 6th, 1987 - The Final Battle.” Reading it slowly as she wanted to have a try, Willow did her best to not get mad about the letters being difficult. “Final Battle huh? But there’s no one here fighting?”

“Perhaps this is our puzzle,” Hush suggested. “We must make a battle to move forward?”

Spotting another piece of paper on the table, this one was much smaller than the signs had been, and Willow found it left to the side where it was almost invisible beside the incredibly detailed rocky terrain. “Can you read this one for me please? It’s too small.”

Shifting back into his bird form so he could get closer, Hush obliged, reading the paper’s words aloud to the dyslexic child.

The Games We Play While the DM is Away: 

Our friends want to put on a play, but they're having trouble finding their places before the curtain call. Can you help them?

~~~~~

Upon closer inspection of the room, Mike determined several things about his surroundings. First of all, the photos on the wall were high school yearbook photos, as he recognised several adults he had grown up around; The Mothers of the Core Party, Bob Newby (may he rest in peace), and Jim Hopper, most predominantly. There were others he didn't know personally, and so he didn't spend much time looking at them all.

Also in the room was a blue tube locked to the wall with a bike chain, several identical binders that had different years printed on the sides, a wrist rocket with ammo that once belonged to none other than Lucas Sinclair locked in a glass box like a museum showpiece, and a book that didn't match literally anything in the room. Even Mike noticed he has a sepia tone to his skin now, but this book was as blue as the night sky, with blindingly white pages inside.

Blank pages. No matter how he flipped them, ran a finger over it or held it up to the light, Mike couldn't tell if there was a secret message inside.

“Perhaps the ‘Book Exchange’ sign would be of some use to you?” The voice tried to help Mike figure out the puzzle for the room, aiming for helpfulness now instead of introspection of the mind.

Rolling his eyes because he really didn't want the chirping in his ears to continue, Mike wandered over to it without a word. After pushing his fingertips against the wall briefly, he found a hidden handle and opened the chute, reminiscent of the one you would find at libraries. Closing it up again, Mike’s companion spoke again, cutting off Mike’s dry retort before it could be heard.

“This is a bit odd for a memory of yours, wouldn't you say? It's definitely not Hush’s or Willow's.” Speaking with polite curiosity, Mike couldn't help but feel a tingle down his spine as he listened.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, being careful of his glasses and realising that just ignoring someone was more tiring than answering them, Mike hoped that just being conversationally polite in the slightest degree wasn't going to cause major damage somehow. “It's from the ‘Class of ‘59 Yearbook’. My friends and I found one in the basement and we took a look once.”

“Only once? This is a lot of detail for only once.” Mike didn't care if that was supposed to be suspicion that he heard, or if his co-prisoner was impressed.

Rather, his mind got stuck on something else; a detail he had grown more accustomed to picking up after working in the Croydale Public Library. The blank book had been where the ‘Class of ‘59’ book should have been. So where was the real book?

~~~~~

A loud noise, something akin to ‘shhhnk’, sounded from inside one of the walls and scared the crap out of Willow. She had reacted so extremely that Hush had to support her before she staggered backwards into a display case of miniature terrain pieces. Once she had regained her breath, and both adventurers were certain they were not under attack, Willow crept closer to where the sound had come from.

Finding a metal handle jutting out from the wall with a wooden grip, Willow tugged on it as best she could, figuring out that it shifted both downwards and towards her. It didn't go too far, maybe a foot in total, and remained open when Willow let go of the bar. “Oh-” Not sure if she should be excited or upset, the druid pulled the midnight blue book from the chute, stepping back to look at it in the light. Flicking it open, she found detailed illustrations complete with annotations, resembling the incomplete diorama. “It's a guide book!”

Elsewhere in the room, investigating any potential changes that might have been hidden during the surprising noise from before, Hush found something of interest as well. It was a sepia tome on the bottom shelf, amongst a series of rulebooks and expansion pieces, both official and home-made. “There is a strange book over here. Maybe this is what the ‘Exchange’ part means?” Given there was a sign above the lever Willow pulled reading ‘Book Exchange’, Hush figured this wasn’t a wild guess.

“Oh, let me see?” Putting the pretty, picture-filled book down on top of the desert diorama platform, Willow joined Hush at the edge of the room, and crouched down. Seeing folders that read the names of people she had originally only known as heroes from Mike’s stories, Willow took her time appreciating each one. The black spine and pink lettering reading ‘Max’, the red binder with green lettering for ‘Lucas’; ‘Dustin’ written in gold lettering on a space-blue folder, ‘Will’ stuck to the dark forest green with warm orange letters, the strange sepia book that Hush had located, and finally ‘Mike’ on the last folder, plastered onto the DM’s super-secret, red-spined files-keeper with purple-toned blue characters.

Putting a hand on the sepia folder, Willow shot Hush a smile. “Let’s reunite the party, shall we?” Pulling the sepia book out from the shelf, Willow carefully shuffled Mike’s DND folder back to sit with the others, not minding that there was a gap on the shelf for now. “I think the book I got might have come from Mike. Maybe we need to give him this one?”

“That would complete the exchange. Let’s try it.” Wholeheartedly in agreement, Hush decided to chill in his shadow blob form, seemingly rolling along the floor without actually rotating at all. Willow decided not to focus too hard on it, because it just confused her brain, and instead she carefully dropped the book in her hands down into the slot. Knowing the book she received was safe on the table elsewhere, Willow pushed up on the wooden grip, hoping her strength was enough to get it moving. Eventually, the same “Shhhnk!” sound occurred, just like before.