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Murray Bauman was never someone normal. He pissed off people. He was fine with it. That was until he started to talk to Hopper again. He got let into the Upside Down. They entered a Russian base for goodness sake. And that’s why he needed to try. He would avenge Alexei.

Joyce Byers had a hard life. Her husband sucked. Her youngest son got possessed. And now the person she fell in love with died in a Russian base, death covered up.

Steve Harrington had sucky parents. He had a sucky love life too. But then he’d remember when Billy apologized, how they would get high at the quarry after school. And maybe he fell in love. But now, Billy’s body was missing after the fight.

They were going to avenge the people around them.

-
July 5th 1:27 A.M.

It all started when Steve went to check up on Nancy and Jonathan. They were in the ambulance, the kids already comforting one another. He decided that he needed to check up on his friends. Robin was whisked away by her parents but promised to meet up with him tomorrow.

Nancy and Jonathan were quietly talking amongst one another. All of them were so tired. But, Steve did what he could. The medics surrounded them, but he still showed a small smile, “How are you guys?”

Nancy’s eyes flickered to him. She replied, “This is beginning to be too normal.”

“It’s exhausting,” Jonathan agreed.

“But no broken bones?” Steve questioned.

“My back hurts, but they said it’s just a little bruised,” Jonathan replied.

“I’m all good,” Nancy said. “What about you?”

“The guys think I have a concussion again,” Steve admitted. The other two showed concern in their eyes. “Don’t worry,” Steve said quickly, “they just think some pain meds will clear it up.”

“So not as bad as last time,” Nancy said, eyes still worried, but not as much as before.

“Yeah.”

“Your face ain’t looking good,” Jonathan comments.

Steve chuckles, “Yeah. Every time my face gets it.”

“It’s because it’s so pretty.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Are you two flirting?” Nancy teased. Both of the boys flicker their eyes to Nancy before looking back to the other and starting to go into a kiss. They pull away last minute, all of them laughing. “You two are dorks.”

The laughter was short-lived as they saw a body bag being hauled out of the mall. Steve realizes, “Billy’s the only one that’s not melted.”

“So that’s Billy,” Nancy says hollowly. “He was a dickwad, but I think he sacrificed himself for El. I didn’t expect that of him.”

“I heard Will talking about how his life was hell,” Jonathan whispered. “He was a dick for a reason.”

“Like me?” Steve says.

“At least you came to terms with everything,” Nancy whispered. “Billy never got the chance at redemption. Plus you were an asshole, not a dickwad.”

After a few moments of silence and watching as the kids hugged one another in the distance, Jonathan perks up. He says, “My mom’s back.” They all look to see her walking out with Murray, both held in one another’s arms.

“Where’s Hop?” Steve asks.

“He isn’t there,” Nancy says, fear and dread in her voice.

“No,” Jonathan says sadly. “He, he should-” He gives up once he sees his mom’s face. It’s full of sorrow.

“But where’s his body?” Steve asked. “Shouldn’t they be bringing out his body?”

“He might not have a body anymore,” Nancy says softly.

“Can’t we go one year without death?” Steve asks them faintly, the area already spinning.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” she replies, voice bitter.

And before Steve knew it, he was falling down. He heard Jonathan and Nancy calling for help before it completely turned off.

-
July 16th 12:37 P.M.

Murray was fiddling around. He honestly didn’t know what to do. He was alone again. He was more paranoid. They were already halfway through July, but he couldn’t move on. Joyce was talking about moving, getting away from everything bad, and Murray couldn’t try to make her stay.

He eventually gave up, leaving. He trekked, eventually seeing civilization. He walked about, passing by seven-eleven thinking of Alexei. He shook his head, debating if he wanted to get a Slurpee or not.

He went inside. His eyes zoomed in on the machine. Someone was already there. He went up, finding the face familiar. “Harry!” He eventually says.

The teenager whips around in surprise, confusion on his face. “Rocket-scientist guy?”

“Murray Bauman,” he introduces himself. “You are?”

“Steve. Harrington,” the teen says. He set down his half-made Slurpee, reaching out his hand. They shake for a couple of seconds before letting go. Steve asks, “How are you, man?”

“Honestly sucky,” Murray says. “You?”

“Sucky,” Steve said. “Just like you, I guess.”

“Were you close to anyone that died?”

“I knew Hop,” Steve says, a little softer. “I knew Billy, but I didn’t know either of them as well as I want to now.” He then shifted to his drink, “Are you getting one too?”

“Yeah. Another guy, the one that died but gave us some of the information on the base, loved cherry Slurpees.”

“Oh.”

“It’s weird,” Murray says eventually. “His body was never reported, even in their records.”

"Neither was Billy,” Steve shook his head. “I mean, they said Hop and Billy died in the fire, but his body was never actually-”

“Found, as they say,” Murray finishes.

“Yeah. I’m probably just paranoid, but it makes me think they’re doing something,” Steve said, already doubting himself.

“If it helps, I’m paranoid too,” Murray says. “I asked Joyce if she found Jim’s body, and she says she just saw the laser explode next to him.”

Steve’s eyes flicker with something. He says, “You don’t think that he could be alive, do you?”

“I’m not sure,” the elder admits. “But it would be nice if he was.”

“Who would have taken him? The U.S. or Russia?” Steve asks.

Murray freezes as he grabs a plastic cup. He pulls it out of the slot, thinking. He replies, “The Russians. The calvary didn’t get there until later.”

“So if he was alive, he’d be in Russia’s hands? That’s really bad, right?”

“I’m sure he’s dead,” Murray shakes his head, pouring the frozen sugary cherry water in his cup. “I’m sure of it.”

“What if they aren’t,” Steve said. Murray looked at him. Both of them probably sounded crazy. “What if the people that they didn’t report bodies of are in Russian custody?”

Murray stops the flow of the frozen liquid. He sets it down, looking at the kid in the eyes. “You think the Russians took their dead bodies?”

“I’m saying they took their alive bodies.”

“I know Alexei died,” Murray says. “Billy was torn apart. Jim was blown up.”

“What if-”

“If they are alive, then we need to save them,” Murray says, both of them nodding their heads. “We need to get to Russia.”

“Uh, I think I can get us there.”

“What?”

“My parents are loaded. They travel all the time. They also ship stuff everywhere, including Russia.”

“You’re Steve Harrington, as in Harrington Covers?”

“Yeah,” Steve shrugs. “They’re sucky parents, but I get to spoil the kids rotten.”

“Meet me at Benny’s Burgers at 8 tonight. Alone,” Murray states. Steve gave a small nod, going back to filling up his own Slurpee.

Murray leaves, a large cherry Slurpee in hand.

Steve leaves a minute later, a large strawberry Slurpee in hand.

-
July 16th 4:13 P.M.

Dustin bikes over to Steve’s house. He already knew that his parents were gone on some business trip to France, so he was ready to toss pizza around and find comfort in food and sibling time.

But this time, Lucas, Max, El, Will, and Mike decided to tag along. He was surprised that El and Max were even coming out of their houses. Both of them lost someone. But, he wasn’t going to say no. Steve was awesome and gave giggles to everyone. It would be awesome.

They stack their bikes and skateboards on the side of the house before knocking on the door. Dustin looked on, excited to crash on the super comfy couches and the cool environment. When no one answers, Mike rolls his eyes and says, “Are you sure he’s home?”

“He’s always home. See,” Dustin gestures to the vehicle in the driveway, “he’s home.”

Mike sighs. There was still no movement inside. He pounds the door four times. Dustin squeaks about not doing that. But then they do hear movement. After a few more seconds the door opens. A pale Steve answers the door. He studies the kids, the kids looking scared for the elder. “Shitheads?”

“Whoa there, buddy,” Dustin says, already going inside. “Did you take your pain meds?” The rest of the group goes in. The door shuts, but they study Steve in concern. His face was healed, but apparently, he would still have after-effects from a concussion he got.

“Of course I took my meds,” Steve said. “It’s just really bad right now.”

“Okay,” Dustin says. He turns to his friends, “Quietly go sit down.” They huff but do as told. Dustin takes Steve’s hand and guides him to the living room. He sits Steve down next to Max. Steve looks at them like their aliens. Dustin puffs out air, “What’s the date?”

“Uh, July 16th.”

“What’s your full name?”

“No way. Not telling you shitbirds.”

“Fair,” Dustin nods. “What’s my favorite ice cream flavor?”

“Trick question,” Steve sticks out a finger, “you like all ice cream, especially banana boats.”

“Okay, got me there. What’s 5 plus 8?”

“13.”

“Good enough,” Dustin pats Steve’s shoulder. He sits down on his opposite side. “Why are you having a bad day?”

“I think I was outside too much.”

“Looked at the sun at all?”

“Maybe.”

“Steeeeve.”

“I know, but I wanted a Slurpee.”

“That’s odd,” Max pipes up. “Why did you want a Slurpee?”

“Robin came by yesterday talking about having a blue raspberry one, and it made me want one.”

“Robin’s over here a lot,” Max mused. She was just wanting something else to focus on. A new love life would do just the trick.

“Wait, you think the two of them are,” Dustin made his hands into two people talking, and then he smashed their mouths together.

“Robin’s the girl that worked at Scoops with Steve, right?” El asks Mike.

“Yeah,” Mike nodded. “She helped with the Russian code I think.”

“Yep, she’s a genius,” Dustin confirmed. “Although it was Steve that figured out the transmission was coming from the mall.”

“You did?” Lucas questioned the older teen.

“What? Oh, yeah, the music,” Steve said faintly.

“But are you and Robin a thing? I need to know and go tell Erica,” Dustin says, face in front of Steve.

“What? No. We’re besties. We’re going to be besties for life.”

“Besties like me and Max?” El questioned.

“Yeah.”

“Thank god,” Dustin sits back onto the couch, more relaxed. “You two bicker enough already.”

“We don’t bicker. She tells me what I’m doing wrong, and I attempt to do better.”

“Sad life, man. When’s the pizza coming?”

“I dunno. Have you ordered it?”

“No,” Dustin huffs, standing up. He asks the group, “the normal, right?” They all give their confirmation. Dustin heads to find a house phone. He orders the pizza and goes back to his spot.

Will is putting on a movie to watch. The screen lights up, making everyone start to look at it. They’re not even past the opening credits when knocks resound throughout the house. Steve struggles up. He looks a little better, so Dustin lets it be. Steve pays the pizza delivery man, and carries the boxes into the living room. They all dig in.

As the movie plays, they chat. Max says, “How do you know if you only like guys?”

That halts the whole room. The movie is put on mute. Mike looks shocked, while El looks around in curiosity. She asks, “I would like to know too.”

“I guess I would like to know if it’s bad to not like girls,” Will said.

Steve looks around the room. Oh boy. Robin should be the one doing this. But, they’re all looking to him. Dustin says, “Steve, do you know?”

“Not really,” Steve admits. “I like both.”

“What?” Mike whips his head to the older teen. “That’s a thing?”

“Anything can be a thing,” Steve scoffs. “It’s just in our times, most people are closeted.”

“You like both genders?” Dustin questions in awe.

“I mean, both are nice,” Steve shrugs. “But this isn’t about me. What’s up, shitheads?”

The kids gape, but El breaks the tension. She asks, “It’s okay to like any gender?”

“I guess so.”

“Gay marriage isn’t legal,” Lucas pipes up.

“And neither is me doing weed,” Steve shrugs. “Do I care? Not really.”

“What’s gay?” El asked.

“It used to mean happy, but now it means someone that likes the same gender.”

“I’m gay?” El questions. Mike looks to her in surprise.

“Dunno. It takes a lot of self-discovering.”

“How do you find out if you like a person in a special way, then?” Max asked, eyes staring into Steve’s.

“Guys, I don’t know. I had crushes on a lot of people, some of them went far. You’re still young. You have time to figure things out.”

“You can like both, though, right?” Mike asks.

“Or just one?” Will asks.

“Yeah, of course,” Steve replies. “But if it’s not a normal relationship, most people don’t come out. Hate crimes and all that shit.”

“Cool,” is all Lucas says.

“Why are you all so curious?” Steve asks.

“No reason,” they all say in unison.

“Friends don’t lie,” Steve scoffs with a grin. “When are you shitheads due home?”

“7,” they all say.

“Perfect. Time for you all to skedaddle. I’m sure your parents would want you home a little early.”

-
July 16th 7:58 P.M.

Murray arrives to Benny’s minutes before Steve does. He orders two chocolate milkshakes with matching burgers and fries. Steve appears, sitting down across from Murray in the booth.

Murray asked, “When’s the next shipment to Russia?”

“There’s going to be a cargo plane on July 29th from New York,” Steve says, dipping into his burger. “It’s taking off at 8 P.M.”

“That’s enough time to teach you common Russian,” Murray states. “One of your friends helped with the code, right? Ask her to help you too.”

“In two weeks?”

“It’s what you got. Basic Russian shouldn’t be too hard for you, especially if you helped at all with the code. Plus if you don’t know much it could help the Russians think you found the base on accident if you get caught.”

“That didn’t work too well last time, but alright,” Steve said. “How do we get back to America?”

“The U.S. Army will have to rescue us if we say we were taken captive. They love any reason to infiltrate Russia.”

“Okay,” Steve bobs his head. “I’m not good with a gun.”

“Hopefully we don’t need you to be good with a gun.”

“But-”

“I’ll show you a few things.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

-
July 22nd 10:22 A.M.

The two are out by Murray’s practicing their Russian while shooting targets. Steve already learned every curse word happily. Murray is now trying to teach him everything else.

“Have you asked Robin to talk to you in Russian?” Murray asks when they take a break from the gunpowder.

“She’s already doing it. She wants to become fluent in it by the end of the year,” Steve replied.

“Good. Maybe we should take her-”

“No way. She shouldn’t have to get involved in this anymore. Plus Russia is dangerous, right? We might not make it back home. I’m fine with that, I guess.”

“I know I’m a loner,” Murray said, “but why would you be fine with not coming back?”

“My parents don’t care about me,” Steve stated bluntly. “The kids, I’m pretty sure, are the only reason why I haven’t jumped off the quarry. I rather die protecting those kids than die just because.”

Murray paused, surprised that the kid next to him had thought of suicide before. He said, “We’re going to come back. If the others are alive, they’ll come back too.”

“When we’re back, want to all get Slurpees together?” Steve asked.

“That’d be nice.”

-
July 25th 5:28 P.M.

They’re confronted by Joyce. She sits on Steve’s couch, a frown on her face. Murray and Steve are sitting opposite of her, worried they were figured out. Joyce begins, “The kids, my kid especially, is concerned. The two of you are spending a lot of time together. Dustin says that Steve started yelling in another language and that Robin has been getting better at Russian.”

“And?” Murray asked.

“I want in.”

The males did not expect that.

“You do?” Steve questions.

“You’re doing something involving the Russians. I want in.”

“Okay,” Murray concedes. “We’ll tell you about our plan.”

“But,” Steve says, “You would have to leave Will and Jonathan with the chance of not coming back alive.”

Joyce stares at them. She’s a mom first, in everything she’s done, love comes second. She lets out a breath, “They’re both strong. I’ve babied Will, but he’s strong. Jonathan is focusing on his dreams. It’s time I focus on something for me.”

“Okay, then,” Murray said, “We drive to New York on the 28th.”

“Why New York?”

“My parents are sending a cargo plane to Russia on the 29th,” Steve answers.

“Russia,” Joyce said, “You think the Russians took them?”

“Billy, Hop, and Alexei’s bodies are missing, completely,” Steve said. “There’s no trace of them. I thought I saw someone carrying out Billy’s body that night, but it could have been empty or someone else could have been in it.”

“You’re saying that our boys could be in Russian territory, being experimented on or tortured?”

“Yes,” Murray answered, “and we’re going to save them.”

Joyce shifted up in her seat. She asked, “How many warm coats do I need to get?”

-
July 27th 1:52 P.M.

Joyce plopped down a bag on Steve’s dining room table. The rest of the table was full of easy traveling food, gloves, jackets, coats, hats, a couple weapons. Joyce said, “Do we know where the Russian base is? And by that I mean do we know what lab or prison they’re at?”

“I’ve been searching,” Murray said, “and I think I have it narrowed down to somewhere just outside of Moscow. It’s going to be snowy. A lot of mountains and a lot of freezing is going to happen.”

“So we’ll be otter pops,” Steve said.

“Yep. Pretty much.”

“Do we have heat packs ready?” Joyce asked.

“We got a small sack full,” Steve confirmed. “And lots of lighters and gasoline.”

“We can’t start fires to keep warm while we’re approaching the base, but we can sure light up whatever projects they have,” Murray said.

“So tomorrow it starts,” Joyce said, looking around at the others. “Tomorrow we start our journey to save them.”

“It’s almost a suicide mission,” Steve said softly.

“But if it works, then we’ll bring home the people we love.”

“It’ll be worth it,” Murray agreed.

-
July 28th 8:17 A.M.

Steve was expecting the adults to arrive any minute so they could drive to New York. But, he needed to leave something to Dustin. The other kids mattered to him, but Dustin would deserve something. He went upstairs, going through his closet before taking out a small cardboard box. He dusts it off before bringing it downstairs.

Steve places the box next to the fridge on the counter. He sets a smaller note just under the box. On the fridge he places a full piece of paper to it, a silver magnet holding it up. Once he sees that it’s all set up, he grabs a warm Eggo from the toaster. He grabs his duffle bag from the dining room table, the house cleaned to perfection.

He runs out the door, locking it quickly. He looks up to see Murray driving an old Volkswagen, Joyce in the passenger’s seat. Steve slides into the back, their duffle bags stacked on the bottom of the floor.

Murray drives away. Joyce sparks conversation, “How much room will we have during the flight?”

“A box of whatever my parents are shipping over is about 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. My parents don’t really care about money, so it might only be half full. For sure we can all sit down, though,” Steve said.

“What do your parents ship to Russia?” Murray asks.

“Probably clothes. I don’t really talk to them that much. They have a magazine too, right?”

“Yes,” Joyce glances back to Steve. “Do you know how famous Harrington Cover is?”

“Not really. I know they’re always busy, so I’m guessing they do well.”

“They’re up there with People and Time,” Murray said. “Do you get out much?”

“Not really.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing you don’t have a huge ego,” Joyce tries to make the car not so awkward.

“Yeah, now I babysit,” Steve says, a small smile on his face that the adults know is real.

“I think you’re a good babysitter,” Joyce says. “The kids haven’t died.”

-
July 28th 7:19 P.M.

Joyce sat in their shared hotel room. It had two beds. Murray and Steve were sharing while she got her own. Murray pulled out a deck of cards, and they were currently playing War. After they all won and lost a couple rounds, Murray said, “At this time tomorrow, we’ll be sneaking onto a plane.”

“Joy,” Murray said sarcastically.

-
July 29th 6:59 P.M.

The pilot and the co-pilot are boarding, checking for anything out of place. The cargo was already being loaded. Joyce, Murray, and Steve looked as the crew went on a break. They had been there for an hour, watching as machines and people ran around.

The crew celebrated, tossing their beer cans together. Joyce knew it was the perfect time to go. They ran across the pavement, watching as the crew was too enwrapped in their jokes and alcohol to notice them. They had to climb a ladder to get to the top of a large crank contraption. Once they were steadied, they piled in.

The trio looked around, finding a section where boxes were hollowed out. They set up there, now just waiting for take off.

-
July 29th 10:28 P.M.

They have taken off a while ago. They were all bored, but also anxiety-filled. They had been prepared for this, but now that they actually were acting it out, it was weird. Joyce was finally, truly realizing that she could die, and her two sons could be mother-less. Murray didn’t have that many regrets, but he still didn’t want to die by Russian hands. Steve was realizing how much he loved the kids and Robin. And Billy, but that’s beside the point. He could die. They all could die, but all he could think about was surviving so he could go home and play games with Dustin.

-
July 30th 12:42 A.M.

Murray had enough. He stood up. They had a lot of room, honestly. Half of the plane was empty, even. He gave in and went over to a box. Steve perked up from his drowsiness, Joyce was out. Steve stood up, following Murray to a box. Murray cracked one open after a few struggling minutes.

They slid the top off, revealing a shiny, sparkly dress. Murray sighed loudly, while Steve picked it up. Steve then said, “I bet Robin would like this.”

“Stealing clothes for your girl,” Murray said suggestively.

“Actually we’re just friends,” Steve chuckled, “and my crush is on a guy so.”

“Same,” Murray sighed, looking down to another dress in the box. “Do you think Joyce wants one?”

“I feel like she would rather have food stamps, honestly.”

“Something practical she could use.”

“Yeah. Maybe a new set of kitchen knives.”

They went through dresses for a couple more minutes, not having anything else to do. They were halfway through the bin when Murray hit something hard. He frowned, shoes maybe? He moved the rest of the clothing out of the way, finding a metal device. He yanked it out, looking at it.

Steve gasped. He took it, turning and raising the handle. Out came a group of green tubes. Murray was about to question how Steve knew to do that when Steve started to explain. He said, “This was in the Russian elevator. It, like, melts things. Metal, flooring, I don’t think it matters what it melts. The glass is super strong too, it takes a lot of pressure to crack.”

“Why would your parents be sending Russia dresses with green goo hidden underneath it?” Murray questioned.

“They would have to be working with the Russians, right?”

“Yeah. Your parents are working with the Russians.”

“Oh, boy.”

“Kid, I think your parents might know more about the whole Upside Down thing,” Murray said.

“I fear you’re right,” Steve said. He held up a green tube, looking at it in awe. “I fear my parents are helping open the Gate.”

-
July 30th 4:34 A.M.

Joyce and Murray looked at the green tubes. Steve was out, so now they could talk more seriously. Murray said, “While you were asleep we found out his parents are smuggling the Russians things such as this green liquid. It’s like acid, I believe.”

“His parents?” Joyce echoed. “Do you think they know about the other world?”

“My guess is that they know something about it. It could also be a job done by the crew, but my bet is that the Harrington’s know about the Mind Flayer.”

“So Steve would end up doing something with the Upside Down eventually.”

“Probably.”

It was silent for a few moments. Joyce spoke again, “His parents are never home.”

“He told me he's thought about jumping off the quarry before.”

“But-”

“My guess is that his parents have never cared about him. He’s depressed, I think. The kids help, it gives him a purpose. He wants to protect them. I think he’s going on this rescue mission because he knows the risks. If he dies for someone else, I think he’s okay with that.”

“Do you think I should ask him to see Dr. Owens? He helped Will for a little while.”

“I don’t know,” Murray shakes his head. “I think it’s called Child Neglect or Abuse. All I know is that the kid doesn’t deserve to die.”

“But if his parents know about the Upside Down, what do we do? Aren’t they what we’re fighting against?”

“I don’t know, Joyce. I don’t know.”

-
July 30th 6:39 A.M.

The trio is looking around. The plane landed 30 minutes ago, and they safely made it onto the ground. They’re bundled up in jackets, coats going over it. Their gloves are thick as they make their way past a warehouse. Murray pulls out a small device, a green dot on the screen pinging in his ear. He points to the right, and they start.

-
July 31st 8:23 A.M.

They’re climbing up a snowy peak. Last night they shivered, but now they aren’t. It wasn’t exactly a good sign. It was their bodies saving that small amount of energy. They turn around an edge, a gray rock wall covered in snow and ice surrounds them. Murray looks down to his device, the green dot a lot closer to them than it was last time.

-
August 1st 11:39 A.M.

Murray high-fives Steve as they’re practically on the green dot. Joyce looks at the two in confusion. Steve proceeds to high-five her while Murray sighs. He says, “We’re literally at their base.”

“Where is it?” Joyce questioned.

Murray turns a corner, snow surrounding them from all sides. The trees next to them are buried in it too. Murray pulls his companions up, pointing straight ahead. They look to see a fence with a large building inside, Russian soldiers and dogs making appearances around the perimeter.

“Holy shit,” Steve curses.

“We found it.”

-
August 1st 2:34 P.M.

The kids are at the Byers. Nancy and Jonathan are sitting with the kids, everyone full of worry. El is on edge, Mike trying to support her. Max is sitting next to Lucas with a blank look on her face. Will is looking around in confusion. Dustin is pacing, and Robin is questioning why she’s here.

Robin asks, “Dustin, why are you freaking out?”

“Because Steve is MIA. Completely gone. His car is in his driveway, but there’s nothing coming from his house. I looked into one of the windows, and the house is spotless,” Dustin rants. “Something’s wrong.”

“Mom’s gone too,” Will said. “It’s been 4 days.”

“Same with Steve,” Dustin nods. “Something is wrong. What if the government took them?”

“We signed the NDAs,” Nancy soothed. “They wouldn’t care about that.”

“I didn’t say American government,” Dustin throws his hands out. “What if not all of the Russians were caught? They would know Ms. Byers face because she went down there, right? And they know Steve’s because he captured him.”

“That would mean they would also have taken me and you, doofus,” Robin retorts. “With the drugs in his system, he talked about you. Dustin Henderson, badass.”

“What about Murray?” Jonathan asks. “He hates the government. He would know about these things.”

“The person Erica called a bald bastard?” Robin questioned.

“Yeah.”

“We need to go save them,” Dustin states.

“How do you know Steve didn’t go on a trip?” Lucas asked.

“Because he would have told me. He might have been acting weirdly the past couple weeks, but he always makes sure to leave something behind for me to find.”

“Have you been in his house to see if he left a note, then?” Nancy asked.

“Steve asked me not to break in anymore.”

“So you’ve done it before?” Mike questions.

“Of course I have, bros for life,” Dustin says as if it was obvious.

“I see why Steve likes you so much,” Robin mused.

“Then shouldn’t we go check on his house?” Max said. “Wouldn’t that be the obvious thing to do?”

“What about mom?” Will asks.

“Does she have a place where she would place things for you guys in secret?” Dustin asked.

“Only her car,” Jonathan shakes his head. “I’m sure she’s just grieving.”

“Only one way to find out,” Nancy stated. She got up, the others following.

Jonathan unlocks the car. Will goes in, searching the glove box. He pulls out two cigarette packs, and an envelope. He hands the envelope to Jonathan. Jonathan takes it, opening it up. He reads it, saying “Bank account information. It’s all of our savings.”

“Something’s going on,” Dustin says. “And Steve got wrapped up in it!”

“Okay, okay, we’ll go over to his house,” Nancy says. “Is everyone coming?”

“Yes!”

-
August 1st 2:54 P.M.

Murray took out a pair of wire cutters. He breaks through the fence. They already learned their rotation pattern. They had two minutes to make it inside. Once through they run. They try to be light, but know that they will have tracks no matter what. They step in older tracks and wheel spots, hoping it buys them time.

-
August 1st 3:18 P.M.

Dustin rattles with the front door, no luck. Nancy scooches him aside. She takes out a bobby pin from her hair. After about 10 seconds of jingling it around, the door unlocks. The kids cheer. They enter, finding it creepy how clean the house is.

They look around. It’s the first time that Max notices that there are no pictures. They look around, finding no life. But, they end up in the kitchen where El pointed out a message. Jonathan takes down the note from the fridge. He reads it out, “So, if you find this, that means we’re still gone. I know, I know, we probably should have told you guys our plan. We just want you guys to live happy. Basically, we’re going on a suicide mission. It’s stupid, but we’re also paranoid.”

“A suicide mission?” El questions.

“Chances of coming back alive are slim to none,” Max answers.

Jonathan continues, “We’re trying our best. We’ve been investigating the covered up deaths. Obviously, the people that were melted are gone for good, but everyone else might be alive. Me and Murray combined our ideas. Billy’s body was never reported. Neither was Hop’s or Alexei’s. We think the Russians took them. At first, it was just going to be me and Murray. We already got the base where they’re probably being held. But, Ms. Byers confronted us. She wanted in. If we’re not home by August 3rd, then something went wrong with the plan. But we all seem to be fine with it. Ms. Byers felt like her sons could make it in the world with how strong they’ve become, and Murray almost had nothing to lose. I, personally, feel ready to die for the people around me. If we come back, hopefully three others will be with us. If not, we’re sorry.”

“They think Hopper and Billy are alive?” Dustin says hysterically.

“In Russian custody,” Nancy confirms. “Jon, anything else?”

“It’s just signed by Steve,” Jonathan replies.

“What about this?” Will looks over to the box. He takes out the note, looks at it briefly before handing it to Dustin. Dustin looks at Will in confusion before looking down to see his name on it.

Dustin reads, “I’ve never really had a close family member before, so this is all new to me, so sorry if this sucks. I know your big 16 is coming up, so here’s a gift.” Dustin goes over to the box. He opens it up to take out a cap. He puts it on, his old one with Suzie. Dustin turns to the group, a fresh, crisp hat over his hair, and says, “We need to go over to Murray’s.”

The group agrees.

-
August 1st 3:23 P.M.

Joyce, Steve, and Murray pass through a hall. They change into uniforms. They slid on the hats, looking to one another to make sure it looks alright. They then pile out of the closet. They walk straight and nicely, hoping they pull this off like last time.

They go around a corner, soldiers passing them by. They make their way across two floors before being questions. Murray is in the front, Steve and Joyce behind him. Murray is asked a question by someone with a hat, “Вы те, кто покрывает тюрьму?”

“Да,” Murray answered. The general moves on down the hallway.

They turn around a bend, Joyce looking concerned. She asks quietly, “What was that about?”

“Apparently we’re covering for the prison guards,” Steve whispers.

“Correct,” Murray said. “That means there might not be experiments here, just torture.”

They move their way down into the colder parts of the building. They are greeted by another Russian guard. He gives them an eye. Murray steps up, “Мы покрываем этот сдвиг.”

The guard replies, “Доктор Ханнер приходит в обычное время.”

Murray nods, the door opening for them. The trio passes in.

They pass by cell doors. Joyce asks, “What was that?”

“He said a doctor is coming later,” Murray stated.

“That means the torturer,” Steve supplies. “The drugs feel nice, though.”

“That is not making me feel better,” Joyce murmurs.

-
August 1st 4:02 P.M.

They enter the building. Jonathan and Nancy know it the best. They search, finding nothing. They end up at the dining table, exhausted and wary. Dustin says, “So they went to Russia, and might not come back?”

“Basically, yeah,” Jonathan nods.

“This is a disaster. We don’t need more loss.”

“But if they do come back, then we won’t have any loss,” Lucas says.

“And if they don’t, then we’ve lost five people. Six if you include that one scientist that helped them before being declared a traitor.”

“What do we do now?” El asks the group.

“We can’t do anything, that’s the thing,” Nancy said.

“We wait,” Jonathan agrees.

“So we’re benched?” Dustin asked.

“Last time we were benched, we torched a tunnel,” Max stated. “It’s not going to be any different this time.”

“Okay,” Jonathan concedes, “What do you want to do?”

“We’re going to investigate their deaths for ourselves.”

-
August 1st 4:41 P.M.

“There,” Joyce points to the last few cells. They all go. They peek inside, seeing Hopper. Joyce literally gasps. Murray messes with the lock, opening it up. They go inside. Hopper flinches, not looking them in the eyes.

Joyce bends down. She moves Hopper’s face so he looks at her. Hopper looks shocked, “Joyce?”

“Hey, hey, we’re here. We’re going to get out.”

“No, no, this is a hallucination. It must be a new drug they’re testing.”

“It’s not,” Joyce says. “It’s not. We’re here, and we’re going to escape. We’re gonna go home.”

Murray grabs one side of Jim, while Joyce gets the other. Steve closes the cell, searching the next one. They peer inside, seeing Alexei chained up. Steve opens it up quickly, rushing in. Murray passes Hopper off to Steve, undoing the chain himself. Alexei shows a smile to Murray. They limp their way down the line.

-
August 1st 5:49 P.M.

“Okay,” Mike announces, “we found the reports that Murray stole. They account for everyone that was melted.”

“Including Heather,” Max added.

“Including Heather,” Mike gave a nod. “But nothing mentioned of Hop, Billy, or that Russian dude.”

“Their deaths were covered up,” Nancy said. “We could be paranoid.”

“Or they could have been onto something,” El said.

“But look here,” Jonathan points to a paragraph on the paper. “‘The Harrington’s were reported filing a complaint about the mall.’ Steve must have started his theory on this pretty early.”

“Steve didn’t know anything about the Russians,” Robin said. “He had no idea what was going on. Dustin was the one to find the transmission. The code repeated itself, the music from the Indiana Flyer playing in the background.”

“So what does that mean?” Will asked.

“It meant his parents knew something,” Nancy said. “His parents knew something about what was happening.”

“But his parents run a magazine,” Max said. “I should know. My mom has a subscription.”

“What if they do more than that?” Jonathan asked.

“We need to talk to them,” Nancy agreed.

“Where are they?” Lucas asked.

“France doing a press tour, I think.”

“Then we need to go back to their house and search their offices,” Mike said.

“Isn’t that an invasion of privacy?” Will asked.

“Won’t matter if Steve dies,” Dustin said, their decision final.

-
August 1st 6:13 P.M.

Alexei is walking mostly by himself now. Murray and Steve carry Hopper. They’re at the bottom rows of the prison. They haven’t found Billy yet. Steve feels dread in his gut. Joyce seems to be on the top of the world with Jim alive, and Murray seems to not give up.

They enter the last hallway. They look around, seeing there’s a weird spot at the end. They see Billy held down and knocked out in the last cell that has multiple locks. Joyce and Murray carry Hopper while he and Alexei work on the locks. Steve steps in, going forward. He tries to shake Billy, but he won’t wake. He has scars up and down his body, and that’s just what Steve can see from his bare arms and showing stomach. He starts to undo the chains when he hears footsteps from outside. Alexei peeks his head out. He sees real soldiers coming with a person in a white coat, mostly likely the doctor the guard from earlier was talking about.

Steve pushes Alexei through. Joyce and Murray start to run. Alexei trails after them. As soon as Steve sees that the others got away, exiting through the other entrance, he smiles and turns to the guns focused on him.

Steve puts his hands up. Two guns are pointed at him, the doctor smirking behind them. Steve pleas, “I’m not here to hurt you…?” Hopefully speaking english will get him somewhere.

The soldier on the right sighs before taking his gun, using the butt, and hitting Steve over the head. Steve falls against the wall, hitting his head again, and falls down, a small blood trail going down the wall.

-
August 1st 6:58 P.M.

“There’s nothing here,” Dustin groans, the office around him amuck. Lucas is sitting on the floor going through a pile of papers.

The two go down to the kitchen, where the girls have magazines piled everywhere. Nancy is looking at it in awe, while El sits there looking at the one in front of her. Jonathan approaches Nancy, confused at first before he looks at what Nancy’s looking at.

The boys rush over, Robin looking unamused at their antics. Mike asks, “What?”

Nancy shakes her head, “They use the magazines to reply. For July, green is the new trend. In June, melted lipstick is one of the worries of summer. Last year’s issues during fall is all about dog purses.”

“So they’re a promoter for the Upside Down?” Will questions.

“And look,” Nancy picks up the magazine in front of El. “It’s from ‘83. It’s talking about how the Eight Ball was replaced by the Eleventh Ball in pool.”

“So they know about El’s sister,” Max said.

“And everything else.”

“Doesn’t that mean Steve’s parents are the bad guys?” Dustin asks.

“Yes,” Jonathan answers. “And his parents knew about the human experimentation part.”

“But Steve probably doesn’t know this.”

“Yeah.”

-
August 1st 7:39 P.M.

Billy wakes up in a daze. He clenches his teeth. He had no idea how long he was out this time. How much time had passed. How many days he’d been held. He just didn’t know. He lifted his neck a smidge, leather pulling him down. He was able to wiggle a little, finding that he wasn’t alone. He looked over to see a familiar face. Dread filled him. Steve Harrington, the one face he’ll never forget, is lying passed out on a table next to him, head bleeding.

Billy cursed loudly. It caught the doctor’s attention. A general and a doctor looked down at him. The general smirked, “Hello, again. We want information about the male that came to save you. The one you just looked at.”

Billy spat in his face.

The general wiped it away, signaling the doctor. The doctor stepped forward. He took Billy’s hand, plyers in his hand. Billy shook, not wanting to get hurt, but not wanting to hurt the only person willing to save him either.

“Just give us a name,” the doctor grinned wickedly.

Billy sighed. A name couldn’t hurt, right? Just a name. Maybe, just maybe it won’t matter. It’s Russia, after all. They can’t hurt anyone in America. Billy feels the plyers tugging, so he bursts out, “It’s Steve!” The plyers stop. Billy lets out a shaky breath.

“Steve what?” The general questioned.

“Steve Harrington.”

The doctor snaps back right away. The general looks shocked, almost fearful. The general looks to the doctor, “Is he telling the truth?”

“The drugs are in his system,” he confirms.

The general gave a nod. He steps over to Steve. Billy looks, fearing that he would just kill Steve right then and there. The general touches the wound on Steve’s head. He then turns back to the doctor and orders, “Get the medic.”

Billy was at a loss as the doctor rushed out.

-
August 1st 7:29 P.M.

Daniel Harrington is in France, his wife Genevieve sitting across from him, wine glasses in both their hands. “Another successful shipment,” he toasts.

“Another half million in the bank,” she smiles back. They set their glasses down. She asks, “Do you think Steven is at home cleaning?”

“He got a job at the mall, correct? I’m sure he’s busy keeping everything perfect for us.”

“He really is the best housekeeper around. Always listens to you.”

“That’s what happens when you raise them to take orders,” Daniel confirms.

“When do you think he’ll be ready to start working with us?”

“Next year. Let him continue to live in bliss a little while longer.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t tell him about it when we return next month? I’m sure he’ll love a new job,” Genevieve replies.

“His new job would be supervising labs and making sure the experiments don’t escape,” Daniel scoffed. “The perfect guard, remember?”

“I always wanted him to model for my clothing line, though,” she tuts. “His jawline is something the people will crave.”

“He can do both,” Daniel decides. “The modeling can be a coverup for his real job.”

“Splendid!”

-
August 1st 7:37 P.M.

Billy sits there, feeling the drugs wearing off, and the aches returning. He looks over to see a now perfectly bandaged Steve laying limp on the table, restraints still on him, but loosened and not as many.

The general looks nervous, while the torturer is sweating. The general then decides, “This must be a test.”

“I agree. He got into our lowest level. If he went to the next room then our secret would be out. We need better security.”

-
August 1st 7:40 P.M.

Joyce is freaking out about leaving Steve and Billy behind. They’re hiding in a weird room. Murray and Hopper had to kill a demogorgon for god’s sake. They’re sitting in the dark. Murray is murmuring something to the radio that apparently is the U.S. calvary. Hopper is slowly warming up to them again. Alexei seems to be glued to Murray’s side.
She sits there, freaking out about how she might never see Will or Jonathan again. She’s freaking out about how a kid half her age decided to get caught so that they could somehow escape. She’s freaking out, her breath getting quicker.

Hopper notices. He chuckles low and quiet, “Joyce, we’ll be fine. Steve’s strong. He’s going to survive for those kids.”

Joyce looks to what she knows is Hopper. She feels warm, safe. Her breathing gets more steady, and she replies, “We’re going to survive so we can go home.”

A few minutes later Murray announces, “They received the call. They’re coming.”

-
August 1st 8:07 P.M.

The group is sitting in the clean living room. They all are reading through magazines, Harrington Cover’s specifically. Robin’s slouched on a couch, Dustin sitting on the floor beneath her. El and Max are sharing a magazine. Mike, Lucas, and Will are all trading constantly, while Nancy and Jonathan are picking though ones that look suspicious.

Will suddenly stands up, “This one!” The others whip around to him. He continues, “This one talks about how letting kids science experiment is a great pass time.”

“When is it from?” Nancy questions.

“Like, 1970.”

“So when they get new experiments in.”

“But why put it in a magazine?” Robin questions from the couch. “Is there a reason?”

“What if there are more labs out there?” Mike asks the group. “What if there are other groups like ours?”

“Or towns that had no one to protect them,” Jonathan agrees.

“But this magazine is worldwide. How many other labs could there be?” Max asked.

“What if the magazine isn’t for other labs, but for people that want the Mind Flayer to take over?” Dustin suggests. “We know some Russians want the Gate open, but what if there are others that don’t want to actually do the dirty work, but be more of a sponsor?”

“That would suggest that our government knows about it,” Will said. “Aren’t they the good guys in some sort of way?”

“What if the U.S. is one of the countries that don't want the Upside Down to be exposed to our world?” Nancy questions.

“It would also mean they know about the Harrington’s, though,” Robin said.

“This is crazy,” Dustin exhales.

“Steve’s parents are bad people,” El states.

“But Steve isn’t,” Dustin reminds, his cap staying on.

“Steve is good,” El confirms. “Soft heart.”

“How do we get rid of this?” Nancy mutters. “There are sponsors! We can’t stop them from opening the Gate.”

“We don’t have to,” El stated. “Kali can.”

-
August 1st 8:21 P.M.

Joyce and the others get out. They walk down the cleared out halls of the prison. They think everything is great until they see a general. They’re getting ready to fight when the general nods towards them. He says, “I thank you for coming. Follow me.” The general turns around, already walking.

They all glance to one another, but follow. Though, Hopper is ready to punch anyone in sight.

They’re lead to the base floor. They’re concerned until they see Billy strapped down, and Steve bandaged and awake. He’s sitting there, straight up and looking serious. The others sit down next to him on a bench. They all have confusion in their eyes, but they follow Steve’s roll.

The doctor returns. He undoes the restraints on Billy. Billy sits up, pain in every muscle movement. He flickers his eyes to Steve, questioning what is going on.

The doctor steps forward to be next to the general. The general looks like he’s waiting. Murray glances over to Steve. Steve starts, “When are we getting out of here?”

“Your flight leaves tomorrow, 8 A.M.”

“Are you going to bandage the cargo up?” Steve raised a brow.

The general steps back, fear traced in his eyes. He looks to the doctor. The doctor goes outside for a split second. A woman comes in. She starts to bandage up Billy, cleaning his wounds and giving him pain medication. Once completed, the general sends her away.

The general turns back to Steve. “All good. Would you like something to eat?”

“Sure,” Steve shrugs.

The general and the doctor leave. As soon as the door closes Steve slumps against the wall with a sigh.

Billy sits on the metal table. He asks bluntly, “What the hell, Harrington?”

“Oh, well, apparently my parents sponsor this whole thing. The Upside Down and all that. Apparently, I have some control over what they do,” Steve replies, hysterics tracing his voice.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Turns out they’re bad guys.”

“How did you get them to give us a plane?” Murray questions.

“I just asked, and they said anywhere you want to go. I said New York, they said okay.”

“They have sponsors?” Hopper questions.

“I guess building lasers to make a tear in our universe takes a lot of money,” Steve said, bitterness in his voice.

“I guess that explains the cargo,” Murray sighs.

“And why they freaked out when I leaked Harrington’s name,” Billy said.

“This means my parents support human experimentation, right?” Steve asks.

“Yep,” Murray confirms.

“Fuck, how do they get even worse?”

-
August 2nd 7:32 A.M.

Hopper, Murray, Alexei, Joyce, Steve, and Billy board a plane. A pilot greets them and shows them where the bathroom is, along with giving them snacks to eat. They’re up in the air when Murray looks out his window to see an American helicopter full of a SWAT team. He grins, “They’re going down.”

-
August 2nd 11:31 A.M.

Kali faced the others. El, Nancy, Max, and Mike looked at her. They stared at one another. And then Kali asked, “What’s up?”

“We learned something,” El said.

“And that is?”

“Harrington Cover is a secret message board for those that want the Gate open,” Nancy states.

“That big magazine?” Kali questions. “How did you figure that out?”

“Their son is our friend, big hair,” El says. “He’s in Russia trying to get some of our family back, but we discovered that his parents are sponsoring them.”

“Is this guy trustworthy?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Kali steps forward. “I’ll bite. What am I supposed to do with this information?”

“They know about you and me,” El says.

“Yeah.”

“They’re still experimenting.”

“That’s why I’m tracking them down. What do you want me to do with the info?”

“We want to give you a new place to look,” Nancy stated. “There are other sponsors, people that read the magazine, and they want to continue with all this shit.”

“Feisty,” Kali comments. “Okay,” she slumps a little, “I’ll look into it.”

“Other places might be opening Gates,” Max said.

“Yeah, I know.”

“You have more resources in that department. We live in a small town, we have to rely on you,” Nancy said.

“Good. We’ll do it right,” Kali said.

“Okay,” Nancy said quietly.

“See ya later, curls.”

-
August 2nd 5:12 P.M.

Murray drove, Hopper sat in the passenger’s seat. Alexei, Steve, Billy, and Joyce squished in the back seat. They were all on a little high after escaping a Russian prison. The radio was on, but nothing good really connected with them.

They passed through another state line, and Everybody Wants to Rule the World came on. They all had to sing along, “Help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure! Nothing ever lasts forever! Everybody wants to rule the world!” Although Alexei seemed confused.

-
August 2nd 6:25 P.M.

Dustin and Robin sit at the house. The group is dreading tomorrow, the deadline in which Steve set for them. Mike, El, Lucas, Will, and Max are sitting in the living room, focusing on a movie while Nancy and Jonathan seem to be looking for more clues. In the office, all of the magazines from since they started up were stored there. They had decades to comb through.

They were eventually going to go home. Jonathan and Will didn’t want to go back to the house, knowing that their mom might not come back. El was living with them, so it’s not like she would be going anywhere anytime soon. Max thought about heading home, scared Neil might get mad. Lucas thought about how Erica didn’t help on this adventure. Mike was just happy staying with El. Dustin was relying on Robin, who was relying on Dustin.

The group was about to pack up for the night when they heard an engine from outside. Dustin sprinted up opening the front door in glee and hope. Robin and the others also went out. They were met with the presence of a beat-up Volkswagen carrying 6 people. Alexei hopped out from the back, followed by Joyce, Billy, and Steve. Hopper came from out of the passenger’s side, and Murray locked up the car.

Even though Hopper ached, he smiled and went for a hug. El ran, the hug feeling like a million Eggo waffles.

Billy looked up, wary. Max seemed to be frozen in her place. Lucas nudged her a little. She looked at him with accustiation, but then walked forward to hug her step-brother. He hugged back.

Dustin nearly leaped into Steve’s arms.

Will and Jonathan hugged their mom.

And everything just felt good.

They headed inside. Dustin ordered pizza, Steve paid for it. They all laughed and talked like no tomorrow. Robin and Alexei spoke quietly in Russian, eyes darting to Billy and Steve every few sentences. Murray seemed to laugh along with their conversation.

It felt like tomorrow would be the start of a new era.

But then Nancy said, “Steve, we learned some things about your parents…”

“Oh, that they’re like super evil and that they are helping the Russians open the Gate? Yeah, learned about that,” Steve said.

“You did?”

“The Russians freaked out when they learned my name,” he explained.

“Called for the medic and everything,” Billy added.

“Why would they have found out your name?” Robin asked. “Did you get captured again?”

“Yeah,” Steve bobbed his head. “We found Hop and Alexei, and we just found Billy too, but then a couple soldiers learned that we weren’t who we said we were, and kind of attacked.”

“We got away,” Joyce says. “Steve decided to be a distraction.”

“Where did you go?” Steve questions.

“There was their weird room with a creature in it,” Hopper states.

“I helped kill it,” Murray says.

“That’s… a lot,” Jonathan says.

“What did you guys do?” Joyce questioned.

“We found the notes, and then we went to Murray’s, and then we tore up the office,” Mike said.

“We found out the magazine is like a secret code,” Max said.

“Creepy,” Steve mutters.

“Kali’s going to track down the bad guys,” El states.

“So does that mean we can relax?”

“Only for tonight,” Dustin says. “Tomorrow we are going to the pool.”

“I have a pool. It’s heated.”

“Then tomorrow we go to your pool.”

“Do I get any say in this?”

“No.”

“Shithead.”

-

The next day Murray and Alexei brought over trays of Slurpees. They all celebrated by the pool. Nancy and Steve didn't seem that much up for swimming, but that didn't stop anyone from trying to splash them. Especially Billy.