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Same Night - Day One

Night - On the Road - Toddfather

Joyce was speeding the car down the road. Murray was in the passenger seat, on a radio. Natasha and Hopper were in the backseat.

Joyce looked at Murray. "Still nothing?"

"Nothing," Murray answered.

"Food court?" Hopper asked. "You sure they said food court?"

"I'm sorry, have my translation skills been letting you down?" Natasha asked. "Remember that I was born a Russian, Jim. I know what the hell they said."

"The Russians said that they found Nadia and Hailey with 'the other children'," Murray told them. "We don't know if it's all of your kids."

"Yes, we do," Joyce disagreed, driving faster.

Natasha and Hopper exchanged a look of worry and concern for each other and their kids.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Eleven and Niko were writing on the floor in agony due to their wounded legs, screaming, crying, while Nadia, Mike, Will and Hailey knelt next to them worriedly in horror. Steve, Ruby, Lucas, Max, Dustin, Nancy, Jonathan, Erica and Robin were standing or sitting around them, just as horrified and worried.

Hailey looked at the wounds, looking at whatever were moving inside of them. "What is that?"

"There's something in their wounds," Mike told them.

"You think?" Ruby asked.

Dustin looked like he could get sick. "Jesus Christ."

"Keep them talking," Jonathan told them. "Keep them awake, okay?"

Jonathan stood, running away to the Chinese food restaurant, leaping over the counter to get behind it, opening a drawer of knives, finding two of them, along with two wooden spoons and cloths. He walked over to the stove, turning it on to ignite a flame so that he could sterilize both of the knifes in the fire.

Will looked at Eleven and Niko worriedly. "Hey, hey, hey. Stay awake, stay awake."

Nadia took their hands. "El, Niko, it's gonna be okay. Let's get them on this side, on this side."

They moved them slightly to make it easier for them.

"You know, it's not actually that bad," Robin told them. "There was a... the goalie on my soccer team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg, and the bone came out of her knee, six inches or something. It was insane."

They all gave her a look.

"Robin?" Steve asked.

"Yeah?" Robin asked.

"You're not helping," Steve told her.

"I'm sorry," Robin apologized.

Jonathan ran back over with the supplies that he got. "Okay.All right, El, Niko, this is gonna hurt like hell, okay?"

Eleven sobbed. "Okay."

Niko could handle the pain a bit better than Eleven due to his Russian spy training, but was still in agony, nodding. "Yeah."

"Need you to stay real still," Jonathan told them, giving them the wooden spoons. "Here. You're gonna wanna bite down on these, okay?"

Dustin looked even more worried. "Jesus Christ."

Will and Mike took the spoons to put them in Niko and Eleven's mouths for them to bite down on.

Jonathan handed the other knife to Nadia. "Nadia, you..."

Nadia took the knife. "I know what to do."

Jonathan handed Nadia a pair of gloves, also pulling some on for himself. Nadia pulled on the gloves, as both Nadia and Jonathan prepared to cut into Eleven and Niko's legs.

Dustin looked sick. "Holy shit. Holy shit."

Mike nodded to them. "Do it."

After a moment of hesitation, Nadia and Jonathan started to cut into Niko and Eleven's legs, as everyone else watched in horror and worry, disgust and shock. Nancy held her head. Niko and Eleven were screaming muffled screams because of the spoons they were biting down on.

Hailey winced. "Oh, shit."

Nadia and Jonathan put down the knifes. Nadia, not hesitating more like anyone else would because of her training, closed her eyes and reached into Niko's leg, causing him to groan a scream of agony, wincing at her brother's pain, as Hailey and Will also winced.

Jonathan looked sick to his stomach, and not having much resolve as Nadia did, slowly reaching into Eleven's leg, causing her to scream, as everyone exclaimed again, and not knowing as much about what they had to do as Nadia, making it slower for Eleven and more painful.

"Jonathan!" Nancy told him.

"Stop talking," Jonathan told them.

Nadia found what was inside Niko's leg, pulling it out of his wound. It was a piece of the tentacle from the Mind Flayer, as it was screeching and moving around, trying to squirm out of Nadia's hand to attack her or bite her. Nadia threw it down to the floor before it could. Niko sat up in pain, releasing a blast of fire from his hands to burn the piece of tentacle that had been inside his leg before it could attack Nadia again, burning it completely to kill it.

Everyone was in shock, even more disturbed and worried for Eleven.

"Oh, my God," Lucas said.

Jonathan couldn't get to the piece that was inside Eleven's leg. "Goddamn it!"

Eleven struggled to sit up, crying. "No! Stop it!" Nancy reached out to stop Jonathan. Eleven spit out the spoon from her mouth, sobbing. "Stop! Stop!" She whimpered, knowing it was going to be even more painful, but knowing she could handle it better than Jonathan's work. "I can do it. I can do it."

Eleven held out her hand toward her leg, using her powers to pry the tentacle out of her leg, using most of her energy to do so because it was latched in so tight, wailing, screaming in pain, and her powers caused the wall of glass behind the group to shatter, making everyone duck, finally getting the creature out of her leg, still screaming, and using her power to throw it across the room, making it hit the floor.

The creature slithered away, and jumped up to attack someone who had just arrived, just as Natasha's shield appeared between her and the creature so it couldn't get to her. The creature fell to the floor, crying to attack again, but Natasha stomped on it to kill it. Hopper, Joyce and Murray walked closer from behind Natasha.

Erica, Robin, Jonathan, Dustin, Hailey, Steve, Eleven, Niko, Nadia, Ruby, Max, Lucas and Nancy all looked at Hopper, Natasha, Joyce and Murray in shock, all sharing a look of relief to finally all be reunited again.

∰

Worlds Colliding (Stranger Things)

∰

Everyone was talking, while Eleven and Niko were recovering. Hopper was holding Eleven, blotting her forehead with a cloth. Nadia and Natasha were holding Niko. Steve and Hailey were sitting together, as Steve was holding her arm protectively and in concern.

"The Mind Flayer, it built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, Nadia, Niko, Natasha and Ruby, to kill them and pave a way into our world," Mike explained. "He doesn't know that Hailey has powers yet. I don't think."

"But that thing, it almost did kill El, Niko and Ruby, and those tiny pieces already tried to go after Nadia and Natasha too, but those were easily destroyed," Nancy told them. "If the Mind Flayer knew that the Russians experimented on Hailey and gave her powers, I'm sure he'd try to kill her, too."

Natasha sighed worriedly. "Hailey, I'm so sorry this happened to you."

Hailey nodded sadly.

"How big is this thing?" Hopper asked.

"It's big," Ruby answered. "Thirty feet, at least."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed. He looked at Hopper. "It sorta destroyed your cabin. Sorry."

"Okay, so, just to be clear, this... this big fleshy spider thing that hurt El and Niko, and is trying to kill them, Nadia, Ruby and Natasha, and maybe now Hailey if it finds out she's one of them now, it's some kind of gigantic... weapon?" Steve asked.

 "Yes," Nancy answered.

"But instead of, like screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon... with melted people?" Nadia asked.

"Yes, exactly," Nancy answered.

Steve nodded nervously. "Yeah, okay. We--yeah, just making sure."

"Are we sure this thing is still out there, still alive?" Joyce asked.

"El, Niko and Ruby beat the shit out of it, but, yeah, it's still alive," Max answered.

"But if we close the gate again--" Will started.

"We cut the brain off from the body," Max finished.

"And kill it," Lucas agreed.

"Theoretically," Niko told them.

Murray ran closer. "Yoo-hoo!" He waved papers at them. "Yoo-hoo!" He put the papers onto the table in front of everyone, revealing it was blueprints. "Okay, this is what Alexei called 'the hub'. Now, the hub takes us to the vault room."

"Okay, where's the gate?" Hopper asked.

"Right here," Murray answered. "I don't know the scale on this, but I think it's fairly close to the vault room, maybe 50 feet or so."

"More like 500," Erica corrected. "What, you're just gonna waltz in there like it's commie Disneyland or something?"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Natasha asked.

"Erica Sinclair," Erica answered. "I'm guessing you're Natasha because of the shield thing." She pointed at Murray. "And who's this fool?"

"Murray Bauman," Murray answered.

"Listen, Mr. Bunman, I'm not trying to tell you how to do things, but we've been down in that shithole for more than 24 hours. And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die."

"I'm sorry, why is this four year old speaking to me?" Murray asked.

Erica looked at him sassily in annoyance. "Um, I'm ten, you bald bastard!"

"Erica!" Lucas chided.

"Just the facts," Erica told him.

"She's right," Hailey agreed. "Being experimented on for 20 hours and dying and coming back to life, you should take my word for it. Our word, since we've all had trouble breaking out of there."

Dustin nodded in agreement. "You're all gonna die, but you don't have to." He walked up to the blueprints. "Excuse me. Sorry, may I?"

Natasha gestured to him. "Please."

Dustin sat down to look at the blueprints. "Okay, see this room here? This is a storage facility. There's a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system. That will lead you to the base of the weapon. It's a bit of maze down there, but between me and Erica, we can show you the way."

"You can show us the way?" Niko repeated.

Dustin gestured to the psychics and the adults. "Don't worry, you guys can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit, and we'll just be your... navigators."

Erica nodded in agreement.

Hopper nodded sarcastically before shaking his head. "No." He shrugged. "Nope."

∰

Later

Everyone was planning on doing something.

Erica sighed. "Well, that settles it. He's gonna die. They're gonna die."

"Yep, most likely," Dustin agreed.

"You guys survived," Ruby told them.

"Barely," Nadia answered. "We could've really used you guys down there."

Mike nodded. "Could've used you guys up here, too."

Lucas hugged Dustin and Hailey. "Yeah, guys, we missed you." He poked the gem in Hailey's head. "Cool."

"Poke that again, you're not gonna like what happens," Hailey told him.

They all chuckled.

"But Lucas is right," Will told them. "Dustin, Hailey, we missed you, big time."

Niko nodded in agreement. "Big time."

Eleven and Max smiled slightly. "Yeah."

The party all shared a hug.

"We missed you guys, too," Hailey told them. "Big time."

"Please don't cry, nerds," Erica told them.

The party pulled away.

Lucas gave his sister a look. "Erica."

"Keep saying my name, see what happens," Erica replied.

Natasha walked closer, tossing a walkie talkie to Dustin. "Hey, heads up. You can navigate, just from someplace safe."

"It's not that simple," Nadia told them.

"The signal won't reach," Steve stated.

"Not with that," Nadia agreed.

"You need something with a high enough frequency band to relay with the Russians' radio tower," Dustin explained. "But for that to work, you need someone who has both seen their comms room and has access to a super powered handcrafted radio tower, one preferably already situated at the highest point in Hawkins. Oh, wait, that's me. If you want us to navigate, you got us. But we need a head start. And a car."

They all nodded.

"I'm going with Mama, Hopper and Joyce down to the base," Niko told them. "And with that Murray guy."

"Niko..." Will trailed off.

"I'll be fine, Will," Niko told him. "My spy training, they thought us how to fight even if you're gravely injured, so I can fight and use my power through the pain. And Mama and Hopper will be there. I'll have backup. What about you, Hailey? Wanna get some revenge on the Russians?"

Hailey looked between them nervously. "Um, I don't know if I can do that yet. I'm not in control, and there's this dark thing that takes over if..."

Steve took her hand, leading her away. "Hailey, come on."

Hopper sighed. "All right, if Niko, Hailey, Natasha and Joyce are going with me and Murray, then El, Ruby, Nadia, you three need to stay here with El, Mike, Will, Lucas, Max, Nancy and Jonathan, while Steve, Dustin, Robin and Erica head out to the radio thing."

"Cerebro," Max corrected.

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah, who cares? What it's called?"

"Hailey, you can come with us," Natasha told her. "We'll help you keep in control."

Hailey shook her head. "No. No, I could hurt someone."

"Hurting people is kind of the idea," Ruby told her.

Hailey sighed. "I could hurt one of you."

"It's part of you now, Hailey," Natasha told her. "You don't have to be afraid."

"And if something goes wrong, I'll be there with you," Niko told her.

"You can do this," Nadia told her reassuringly. "I know you can."

Steve walked toward Hailey worriedly, sighing in concern, so concerned about his sister that it was the main thing he was worried about, but knowing she could do this, and knowing that they all needed the help. "I know that I didn't like you learning how to fight and how you've been using it to fight off the bad guys, because I wanted to protect you. But you were always willing to do it anyway because it meant helping and saving the ones that you love. Hailey, I know that you're scared, and that you don't want to hurt anyone. But I know that you're not going to hurt us. If you hurt them, hurt the guys that did this to you, and stop them from killing us all... if you don't want to, you don't have to. I don't want you to if you feel like you can't. But I believe in you."

They were all impressed with Steve's speech, moved by the emotion behind it.

Hailey had tears in her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I don't know. After everything that I did to those guys, maybe I freaked some of you guys out."

"I think you freaked you out more than anything," Max told her. "We're not freaked out by you, Hailey."

Eleven shook her head in agreement. "You're still Hailey." Hailey chuckled a bit. "How did it feel?"

"Weird," Hailey answered. "I didn't hate it when I did it."

"Good," Nadia told her. "You shouldn't. Like Mama said, it's part of who you are now."

"Nadia..." Steve trailed off.

"It's the truth, Steve," Nadia told him.

"Hailey, you shouldn't have to feel ashamed for what happened because of what they did to you," Ruby told her. "And if you give the guys hell that did this to you, then I say go team."

"But I hated it after I realized what I did," Hailey told them. "I killed them."

"They tortured you and turned you into a weapon, and they were trying to kill Dustin, Erica, Steve and Robin to take you and Nadia," Mike replied.

"This wasn't your fault, Hailey," Will told her.

"Don't ever be ashamed of defending yourself or saving the ones that you love," Natasha told her.

Hailey looked down, not knowing how to explain. "When it was happening, it wasn't completely me. It was like I'm inside of something that has control over me. It was like what I was feeling when I died. The pain, the anger, the fear, the nothingness... the blackness. It was like someone, something else had control over me, over this... power."

Dustin was so worried about her, looking in pain to see her in so much pain, embracing her. "Oh, Hailey..."

Hailey returned the embrace, tears in her eyes. "Dustin..."

Everyone looked at them in sympathy.

Once they pulled away, Steve embraced his sister. "Hey. At least you, Natasha, Nadia, Niko, El and Ruby have something in common now. And maybe they can help you with control."

Eleven nodded in agreement. "I wanna help."

"Me too," Ruby agreed. "And you know that Natasha, Niko and Nadia will."

"Hell, yeah," Niko agreed.

They chuckled.

Joyce stroked Hailey's arm soothingly. "Maybe this other person or thing, and this power, doesn't have to control you."

"We all believe in you, Hailey," Nancy told her. "You just gotta believe in yourself."

Jonathan nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

"Okay?" Max asked.

Hailey took a few deep breaths, nodding in agreement, causing the others to cheer lightly.

Lucas did a winning gesture. "All right."

Ruby sighed. "All right. Let's get to work."

Hailey embraced Steve and Dustin one more time since they were about to leave. Nadia embraced them as well. Nadia and Ruby both gave Robin a hug.

Dustin took Hailey by the hands. "You're gonna be okay. You don't have to feel guilty for taking those guys out."

"Yeah, well, I do," Hailey told him. "Even if I shouldn't. I wanted to make them pay, and..."

"Well, you can make them pay, and you can do it without losing yourself," Dustin told her. "I know Natasha, Niko and Hopper are not gonna let you go too dark with Dark Hailey."

"You don't know that, Dustin," Hailey told him.

"Maybe not," Dustin agreed. "But I believe in you."

They smiled emotionally with tears in their eyes. Hailey leaned closer to kiss him passionately, much to Dustin's surprise, but he returned the kiss in kind.

Hailey pulled away, sighing. "You better go. I like the idea of you being out of here and somewhere safe."

"You're gonna be okay," Dustin assured.

Hailey nodded. They smiled sadly.

Steve and Nadia were watching them in concern.

"You really think she's gonna be okay?" Steve asked.

Nadia nodded. "Mama, Niko and Hopper will make sure of it. Joyce, too. Hailey's always been strong, Steve. Even before I started teaching her. Now she's a warrior."

"And she's died, come back to life with new powers and an alter ego that likes to kill the people that did this to her," Steve pointed out.

Nadia shrugged. "True, but it could be worse."

"How can it be worse?" Steve asked.

"She died, Steve," Nadia told him. "She could have stayed dead. But she didn't. That's one of the good things. And the other is that she's still Hailey, even though she has this other side to her now. An alter ego, if you will. But at least the dark side of her only lashes out at the ones that did this to her. And not the ones that she loves."

Steve nodded in agreement, sighing. "Yeah. Guess you're right. How are we gonna deal with this, after?"

"We'll teach her everything she needs to know about control and how to control this dark half of her," Nadia answered. "I don't know how yet, but we will. Look, you need to go with Dustin, Robin and Erica, and Niko, Hailey, Mama, Hopper, Joyce and Murray gotta head to the base soon. I'll stay with Ruby, El, Mike, Will, Lucas, Max, Nancy and Jonathan. And hopefully we'll all get through it together. And we all make it out okay."

Steve looked at her, nodding, biting his lip nervously. "Yeah, hopefully. I don't know what I'd do if we didn't."

"Yeah, me neither," Nadia agreed. "I spent so long being used to not feeling anything except through empathy, and now... I feel a hell of a lot more than I ever thought I would."

"Including for me?" Steve asked, referencing their conversation where they admitted they liked each other in the previous chapter.

Nadia chuckled, nodding. "Yes, Steve, including for you."

Steve chuckled. "See you when this is over, Nadia." Nadia nodded in agreement. Steve turned to walk away. Nadia looked down, looking a little disappointed, though she didn't seem to know why. Steve paused in walking, hesitating, shaking his head, turning back. "You know, any of us could die tonight, so I might not see you when this is over. So if I'm gonna do this, this might be the only time I can. Something that I've wanted to do for a while."

Steve walked closer to Nadia. Nadia seemed to know what he meant, meeting Steve halfway in a passionate kiss, both putting their hands to each other's cheeks as they kissed passionately.

Hopper and Natasha exchanged an amused look since they had been talking about Nadia and Steve before, while Hopper rolled his eyes since he had said that Nadia was the good one out of her, Niko and El since she wasn't in a relationship that stressed the parents out. Natasha chuckled, happy for both Niko and Nadia with Will and Steve.

Ruby and Robin smirked, exchanging a look, high fiving.

"Fucking finally," Ruby sighed.

Robin laughed. "Right?"

The kids saw Steve and Nadia kissing, cheering, causing them to pull away and roll their eyes but laugh at the same time.

Mike put his hands up to his mouth to cheer through them louder. "Whoo!"

Will chuckled. "Yeah."

Lucas laughed. "About damn time."

"No shit," Dustin agreed, grinning.

"Papa Nadia and Mama Steve finally together, huh?" Max asked. "Oh, Hailey, that reminds me. You started to call Ruby the crazy aunt for us kids, and she really lived up to the name 'Crazy Aunt Ruby' when she was losing control and fighting Flayed!Billy to protect us kids. You should've seen it."

Hailey chuckled. "I bet. Good job, Ruby. And about time for Steve and Nadia."

Nancy and Jonathan were chuckling as well.

"That's enough," Jonathan told them. "Embarrassing your parents."

"Very funny," Steve told him sarcastically.

Nadia looked at Nancy, looking a little nervous by her friend's reaction. "Nancy..."

Nancy smiled and nodded encouragingly to both of them. "It's okay, Nadia. I'm happy for both of you."

Nadia and Nancy both shared and embrace. Steve and Jonathan chuckled.

Everyone was relieved to have a light hearted moment in the midst of all the bad, but knowing they all had to return serious for the rest of the night.

∰

Outside

(Song:) Goldrush - Yello

Steve pushed the doors open, walking outside, seeing the Toddfather, smiling. "Oh, man, now this..." Dustin, Robin and Erica followed. "This is what I'm talking about."

Robin read the license plate skeptically. "Toddfather?"

"Oh, screw Todd," Steve told them. "Steve's her daddy now."

Steve hopped into the driver's seat.

"Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" Robin asked.

"Did he just call himself daddy?" Erica asked.

Robin got into the passenger seat. Erica and Dustin got into the back.

"All right, where we going?" Steve asked.

"Weathertop," Dustin answered.

"Weather-what?" Steve asked.

"Just drive," Dustin told him.

"Okay, Jesus," Steve complained.

Robin sighed. Steve drove them away.

∰

Inside

Murray was showing keys to Jonathan and Nancy. "Bottom lock, second to top lock, third to top lock, top lock."

Joyce was with Will. "Listen to me. I need to end this, but I will be back before you know it, okay?"

"I don't know, Mom," Will admitted.

"No, listen," Joyce told him. "You're gonna be safe there. It--it's far away from all of this. You just stick close to your brother and--and do whatever he says. No matter what, okay?"

"I'm not worried about me, Mom," Will told her. "I'm worried about you and Niko. And Natasha, Hailey and Hopper."

Joyce smiled reassuringly. "Oh, honey, we're gonna be fine."

They embraced.

Will groaned in pain from the tight hug. "Okay, Mom. Okay, Mom. That's enough."

"We're gonna be fine," Joyce told him.

"Mom, I can't breathe," Will told her.

Finally, when they pulled away, Joyce walked away.

Niko walked over to Will, limping slightly on his leg. "She's right, you know."

"About what?" Will asked.

"About me, Mama, Hailey and Hopper, and your mom, being fine," Niko told him. "Just like you're gonna be fine with Ruby, El, Mike, Lucas, Max, Nancy and Jonathan. And Steve, Dustin, Robin and Erica are gonna be okay, too."

Will and Niko embraced tightly for a moment.

"I don't want to leave you here," Will admitted. "Any of you guys."

Niko chuckled sadly. "Well, don't think of it as leaving us. Think of it as going someplace safe so that we don't have to lose you."

They pulled away.

"Then promise me that I'm not gonna lose you," Will told him. "That we're not gonna lose any of you guys."

Niko nodded. "I promise."

Even though putting up a strong front, Will and Niko both had tears in their eyes, kissing passionately for the goodbye.

Eleven and Hopper were sitting together.

"My battery's low," Eleven told him. "So are Niko, Nadia, Natasha, Ruby and Hailey's. But they will recharge."

Hopper nodded. "I know it will, kid. I know."

"We can fight," Eleven told him.

Hopper smiled a little. "Better than any of us. But right now, I need you safe. This thing is after you, it's after Natasha, Niko, Nadia and Ruby, and it could go after Hailey if it finds out about her powers now. Natasha's okay to fight. And Niko's going to be able to help Hailey with control down there, even if he can't fight that well. And Nadia and Ruby are gonna be with you and the others to keep you safe. Do you understand?" He stroked back a piece of her hair. "Hey. I need you to understand."

Eleven nodded in agreement. "Okay."

Niko walked over to Natasha and Nadia, limping slightly.

"You sure you're even okay to walk?" Nadia asked in concern.

"Nadia, you and I both know that we both can power through the pain of the worst agony for the good fight," Niko told her.

"It's still dangerous, Nikolai," Natasha told him. "I don't want you fighting if you don't have to. Use a weapon, your powers. But be careful. And make sure that Hailey can stay in control."

Niko nodded in agreement. "I will. I'll be okay, Mama. I'll be with you and Hailey and Hopper."

"Nadia?" Natasha asked in concern. "What about you? After what the Russians did to you, to Hailey, Steve..."

"I'm fine, Mama," Nadia answered. "I mean, a bit beat up and tortured, for me and Steve, and Hailey was tortured and experimented on, died and came back to life with a power, but... Grigori. He was there."

Niko and Natasha looked at her in concern.

Natasha swallowed angrily, nodding. "What did he do?"

"He taunted me about how you and I always fell for the weak men, like Papa and Steve," Nadia answered. "And he taunted me about how Papa is dead because of him. And he was ruthlessly starting the experiments on Hailey, to create another one of you, and he made me and Steve watch on a screen, for one of the experiments, and we couldn't do anything to stop it."

Natasha, Niko and Nadia all were very angry.

"Tell me that you kicked his ass at least once, Nadia," Niko told her. "For our family, for Hailey, for Steve at least."

"Hell yeah," Nadia answered.

"I'm gonna kill him," Natasha told them. "Whatever it takes, I'm going to kill him tonight."

"Mama, you've got to be careful," Nadia told her.

"I know," Natasha agreed. "And I will be. We all will be, won't we?"

Nadia and Niko nodded. "Yes, Mama."

Natasha sighed, taking them both by the hands. "Nadia. Niko. I can't tell you how much I've wanted both of you to be happy. And now, with Steve and Will, and all your friends, you are. You both deserve to be happy. I'm not going to let Grigori or any of the others take that away from us."

"You deserve to be happy too, Mama," Niko told her. "What about your date with Hopper?"

"I had to miss it," Natasha answered. "And he's been getting on my nerves ever since because we've been bickering nonstop about what's the right thing to do, about Grigori, about everything."

"Well, like Niko said, you deserve to be happy too, Mama," Nadia told her. "If I can let my walls down, finally with Steve, you can let down your walls with Hopper. I just hope that when we all make it out of this, we all can be happy again."

Niko nodded in agreement. "Me too."

Natasha managed a small smile. "Me three. Come here, you two."

Natasha, Niko and Nadia embraced.

The others walked closer.

"We should probably go," Mike told them.

Before she had to leave, Eleven embraced Hopper tightly. Hopper chuckled, returning the embrace. Eleven went over to embrace Hailey, Niko and Natasha as well all in turn.

When Mike and Max walked over to help Eleven walk away, Max and Hailey also shared and embrace, before Max and Mike started to lead Eleven away toward Ruby, Will, Lucas, Jonathan and Nancy.

"Mike," Hopper called. Mike turned back. "Be careful. Nadia, Ruby, you take care of them."

"We will," Ruby told them.

Nadia walked over to help Eleven, as the two embraced as well. Nadia, Ruby, Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Nancy and Jonathan started to walk away.

Hailey, Niko, Natasha, Hopper and Joyce watched them go, sighing heavily.

∰

Back Hallway

Joyce, Murray, Hailey, Niko, Natasha and Hopper were walking down the hallway.

"It's a two man operation," Hopper told them. "Two."

"Yeah, well, change of plans," Natasha told him.

"Change of plans?" Hopper repeated.

Joyce gestured to Murray. "Will you explain it to him?"

"We have two options here, Jim," Murray told him. "We can turn the machine off, or we can explode it."

"Oh, yeah?" Niko asked. "Says who?"

"Says the man who built it," Murray answered.

"Yeah, and we wanna explode it," Joyce told them.

"Or else our heroic efforts will be for naught," Murray told them. "This is not a two man operation, Jim."

"Okay, so while Murray, Joyce and I are doing the stuff with the Key, then what, Natasha?" Hopper asked. "You, Hailey and Niko are taking out Russian guards left and right?"

"Damn right," Natasha answered.

"What about Niko's leg?" Hopper asked. "Nadia could have easily come down here, too."

"Nadia's handling the big stuff up top with Ruby and the others," Hailey told him. "Niko can handle himself, and I'm... not entirely sure what I can do, or what I'm capable of, but we've all seen that it's pretty dark and dangerous and deadly, so... me on your side is your best bet."

∰

Outside

Mike and Nadia were helping Eleven out to Nancy's car, followed by Nancy, Jonathan, Will and Lucas. Ruby and Max walked toward Ruby's motorcycle.

"El, you're bleeding," Nadia told her in concern.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Eleven said.

Nadia got them to the car. "Here. Okay." She opened the back of the car for Eleven. "Lay down."

Nancy got into the driver's seat. Jonathan sat in the passenger seat. Will, Lucas and Mike got into the backseats. Nadia got into the back with Eleven, helping her with her leg.

Nancy tried and failed to start the car.

"What's wrong?" Jonathan asked.

Nancy shook her head in confusion. "I don't... I don't know."

Ruby was trying and failing to start her motorcycle, with both her and Max on it. "You can't be fucking serious. Come on!"

"What's wrong with your bike?" Max asked.

Ruby scoffed. "Nothing should be wrong with it."

In the car, Lucas looked up at Nancy. "Didn't your mom just buy this car?"

"Yes," Nancy answered. "I'm sure it's fine."

"Did you leave the lights on?" Will asked.

"No," Nancy answered.

"Do we have gas?" Lucas asked.

"Yes!" Nancy answered.

Nadia looked out through the back window toward Ruby and Max on the motorcycle. "Guys? Ruby can't start her bike, either."

"What?" Eleven asked, confused as to why neither of the vehicles were working.

Nancy tried to start the car again.

Jonathan reached out to stop her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just stop, stop! Pop the hood."

Nancy popped the hood as Jonathan got out of the car to go look at the engine.

Ruby got off of her bike in annoyance, walking over to look over the bike. "This can't be fucking happening."

"Is anything wrong with it?" Max asked.

Nancy got out of the car, walking toward Jonathan.

"What the fuck?" Ruby asked.

Jonathan looked over to them from checking on the car. "What?"

"My spark plugs are gone," Ruby answered.

"So is the car's ignition cable," Jonathan told them.

They heard a car engine roaring.

Max took off the helmet, looking behind Ruby worriedly. "Guys."

Nancy, Jonathan and Ruby turned around, seeing Billy's car in the parking lot.

Ruby and Max both swallowed nervously from seeing Billy in the car, the windshield still cracked from the car accident. Billy was looking at them blankly, his face set in numb, though tears were evident on his cheeks, once again showing he was aware of everything the Mind Flayer was making him do and that he hated every moment of it.

Will, Lucas, Mike, Nadia and Eleven saw this from inside the car.

Nadia hurriedly got out of the back of the car. "Back in the mall!" The kids started to get out of the car. "Back in the mall!"

Nadia and Mike helped Eleven out of the car.

"Go, go, go, go!" Nancy told them.

"Be careful!" Mike told them.

"Go, go!" Nadia ordered.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Jonathan told them.

They all ran back inside.

Billy watched them from his car, still revving the engine.

∰

Inside - Russian Elevator

Natasha, Hopper, Joyce, Murray, Hailey and Niko were taking the elevator down.

"So then I yank those cables like I'm pulling weeds," Murray explained.

"And that'll set off the alarm," Hopper told them.

"According to Alexei, may his soul rest in peace," Murray answered. "Which should give you guys an opening to retrieve the keys from the vault."

"And then we just follow the map to the observation room, turn the key," Joyce told them.

Niko smirked. "Kaboom. We blow this sucker sky high."

"Yeah," Hailey agreed. "And then once the rift is closed, we escape back through the vents."

Murray nodded. "Right under their commie noses."

"Then we're home free," Joyce told them.

"Mm..." Hopper trailed off.

Natasha sighed. "Oh, God, just because it wasn't your plan doesn't mean it was a bad plan."

"I didn't say it was a bad plan," Hopper told her.

"You made a noise," Natasha told him.

"I did not make a noise," Hopper denied.

"You did too," Natasha told him.

"Children!" Murray said. "Children! It is a good plan. A solid B, which is laudable, given the situation and time constraints. Dare I say, if it all goes right... they'll never even know we were here."

The elevator came to a stop in the Russian base, and the door opened, revealing Russians on the other side, aiming guns at them and shouting in Russian.

Niko looked at Murray in annoyance. "Say that again."

As the Russian guards tried to shoot at them, Natasha raised her arms and put up a shield in front of herself, Hailey, Niko, Murray, Hopper and Joyce to protect themselves, throwing her shield out to hit the Russians, making them all flip through the air and land on the ground badly, making them drop their guns. The Russians started to get up.

Niko, not able to fight well given his leg, was mostly using knives in this fight, throwing a knife into Russian 1's shoulder, making him fall. Russian 2 tried to punch Niko. Niko ducked, slitting Russian 2 in the neck deeply, pushing him aside, leaning back into the wall to take pressure off of his injured leg so that he could kick Russian 3 with his good leg, taking out another knife to throw into his chest, watching him fall, shooting out bursts of fire into Russians 4 and 5 to burn them and make them fall. Niko had his arms crossed, blazing with fire, as he shot at a couple of Russians, uncrossing his arms and sending them flying into the wall before falling and burning.

Russian 6 tried to shoot Hailey. Hailey pivoted back to make the shot miss and hit the wall behind her. As the shots continued, Hailey somersaulted over the floor to avoid being shot, jumping up to take cover behind a wall. 

Natasha put her shield back up, nose bleeding a little, to make sure that the shots from the Russians couldn't reach them.

Hailey ran to attack Russian 6 with a yell, kicking him, punching and elbowing him in a blur of motion. As Russian 6 tried to shoot her, Hailey grabbed his gun, spinning him around to make him shoot at the other Russians, making him hit and kill some of them, taking his gun and hitting him in the head hard enough to knock him out, spinning the gun around to hit Russian 7 in the head to knock him down, stomping on his chest viciously, making him cough and gurgle up blood. She turned to Russian 8, grabbing him to flip him to the ground, turning to see Russian 9 behind her, ducking a punch from him, spinning to kick his legs out from underneath him, standing, kicking them both down, hitting them both in the head with the gun hard.

Russian 10 ran to attack Natasha. Natasha caught him by the shoulders, spinning him around, flipping him to the ground, making him hit his head. Russian 11 ran closer, but Natasha kicked him down. Russian 11 jumped up to tackle Natasha to the floor, but Natasha rolled free from the restraint, up to her feet, facing off with Russian 11, blocking each move he tried to make, punching him in the face, spinning to slam him into Russian 12. Russian 11 and 12 both tried to punch Natasha. Natasha ducked both times, punching both of them, flipping them both down and knocking them out, running toward Russian 13 to kick him through a doorway of glass, making that shatter and him fall unconscious.

Any of the Russians that were getting back up, Niko, Hailey and Natasha prepared to deal with, but Hopper stepped out of the elevator with a machine gun, firing at the rest of the Russians and killing them all. Niko, Hailey, Natasha, Joyce and Murray all looked at Hopper.

"Jim, Natasha, this is crazy," Murray told them.

"Oh, my God," Joyce said.

"I... this..." Murray trailed off.

Hopper knelt down to grab one of the Russians' hats.

"What are you doing?" Hailey asked.

Hopper put the hat on his head. "I'm improvising."

Natasha smirked. "Right."

Niko sighed. "All right, let's go. Hailey, you didn't use your powers."

"I'm aware of that, Niko," Hailey replied. "I don't wanna use them until I absolutely have to, because I don't want to hurt anyone of you, so... You're right. Let's go."

∰

On the Road - Toddfather

(Song:) Higher & Higher - Jackie Wilson

Steve was driving. Robin was in the passenger seat. Dustin and Erica were in the backseat.

"Jesus, how far is this place, man?" Steve asked.

"Relax, we're almost there," Dustin answered.

"Your friend Suzie's the one that finally got you to ask Hailey out for real?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, when I thought that I didn't have the guts to, Suzie's the one that convinced me that I could do it," Dustin answered. "That Hailey would say yes. Of course, I was supposed to sing a song to Hailey when I asked her to be my girlfriend, but that got ruined because Mike, El, Niko, Will, Lucas and Max were listening, and I so did not wanna do that in front of them."

"Hey, hey, hey, I don't wanna hear you talking about serenading my sister," Steve told him. "Believe me, Hailey would kill you if you sang her a song in front of all your friends."

"Yeah, I know, Steve, thanks," Dustin told him. 

"Why would you go through all this just to get Hailey for a girlfriend?" Erica asked.

"Because, even though no one's scientifically perfect, Hailey's about as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be," Dustin answered.

Steve rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "A year ago, I told you not to fall in love with Hailey because you two were too young for that shit, Dustin."

"Yeah, well, that was a year ago," Dustin replied. "And we went through a lot more shit now on top of everything else we've all already been through. And it took you and Nadia like two years to even admit you liked/loved each other, or to kiss, so... Left. Turn left."

"There's not a road here," Steve told him.

"Turn left now!" Dustin told him.

Steve made a sharp left into the field. "Jesus! Hold on!" As they started to drive up the hill, Erica screamed. "Whoa! Henderson, where are we going?"

"Up!" Dustin answered.

"Oh, Jesus!" Steve said.

"We're not gonna make it!" Robin told them.

"Yes, we are," Steve disagreed. "Come on, baby. Come on, baby!" The was straining to get them the rest of the way up the hill. "Come on. Come on, come on."

"Guess the Toddfather has its limitations," Robin pointed out.

They all sighed, knowing they would have to walk the rest of the way. Steve stopped the car.

(Song Ends)

∰

Outside

Erica, Robin, Dustin and Steve got out of the car, walking up the rest of the way of the hill, which wasn't far.

Nadia's voice was on Cerebro. "Rest of Scoops Troop, minus Hailey, do you copy?  Scoops Troop, do you copy?"

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Nancy, Jonathan, Nadia, Ruby, Mike, Eleven, Lucas, Max and Will were sitting, standing or pacing in the food court.

Ruby looked at Nadia as she paced with the radio in her hand, confused. "Scoops Troop?"

"It's a name that Hailey and Dustin came up for our group," Nadia answered. "Me, Steve, Hailey, Dustin, Robin and Erica."

Ruby nodded in understanding, amused. "Ah."

Nadia spoke into the radio. "We're trapped in the mall and in need of emergency transportation." Lucas was sitting down, practicing aiming his slingshot/wrist rocket. "Scoops Troop, do you copy? Billy has found us. He has disabled Nancy's car and Ruby's bike, and we are trapped in the mall." Nancy was kneeling next to one of the dead Russians that Hailey had killed, taking his gun. "Repeat. Billy has disabled Nancy's car and Ruby's motorcycle and we are trapped in the mall."

Max and Ruby looked at Nancy.

"You're gonna kill him, aren't you?" Max asked.

"This is just a precaution, okay?" Nancy asked.

"And not just against Billy," Will told them. "If he knows we're here, so does the Mind Flayer."

Mike took the radio from Nadia. "Let me try. Scoops Troop. We repeat, Nancy's car is disabled, Ruby's bike won't work, we are in need of emergency transportation. Do you copy? Scoops Troop, do you copy?"

Nancy looked at the car that Nadia had flung with her whip. "No chance that thing'll drive, right?"

"We don't need it to drive," Jonathan told them. "We just need the ignition cable. Ruby and Max might not be able to use the motorcycle anymore, but they can squeeze into the car with us."

"Yeah, that should be comfortable," Ruby told them sarcastically.

They all sighed.

∰

Later

Everyone was trying to push the car upright so they could get the ignition cable, but couldn't do it.

"Stand back," Nadia told them. "I got this."

"Of course you do," Lucas agreed.

Ruby, Nancy, Jonathan, Max, Mike, Eleven, Lucas and Will backed away.

Nadia formed two psychic energy whips that glowed purple, flinging them around the car, pulling down with ease to set the car back up right, making it land with a loud crash.

∰

Russian Base - Passageway

Wearing Russian guard uniforms as disguises, Joyce, Hopper and Murray were in the front of a cart, driving down the passageway. Niko, Hailey and Natasha were in hiding in the back of the cart with the gate around them to keep them safe from being spotted. Seeing a Russian guard, Murray pulled over.

The Russian guard walked up to them, speaking in Russian. "Can I help?"

Murray carried on with the conversation in Russian. "Picking up."

"Do I know you?" the Russian guard asked.

"New arrivals," Murray told him. "Landed last night."

The Russian guard, suspicious, spoke in code. "Say goodbye to sunlight."

"Who needs sunlight when we have one another, comrade?" Murray asked.

The Russian guard chuckled. "Indeed, comrade."

"And a bottle of Stolichnaya," Murray added.

They both laughed. The Russian guard hit a button to open the blocked passage in front of them, allowing them through. Once Murray drove them through, the doors closed again, leaving the group in privacy.

Murray, Hopper and Joyce got out from the front of the cart, going to the back to open the doors, revealing Natasha, Niko and Hailey inside.

"Why are you talking so much?" Niko asked.

"He was nice," Murray answered.

"He was nice?" Hailey repeated skeptically.

"He was a nice guard," Murray answered.

"Yeah, I mean, we should probably invite him over after all this is done," Natasha told them sarcastically.

Joyce went along with Natasha's joke, just as sarcastic. "Yeah, I can bake him a nice casserole."

Hopper continued the joke. "Get a six pack, share some laughs. You know, have a drink."

They walked into the room where Dustin and Erica had discovered the grates to the ventilation system, big enough for Murray to go through.

Murray groaned, taking off his hat. "Ugh. Anyone wanna trade jobs?"

Hailey and Niko both said, "Not it."

"I wanna kick some Russian ass," Hailey told them.

"Me too," Niko agreed.

Natasha and Hopper smirked, looking proud and amused. Joyce chuckled.

They heard Dustin's voice from Hailey's radio. "Hailey, do you copy?" He was with Steve, Robin and Erica on the hilltop. "Hailey, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop--minus you and Nadia. Do you copy?"

"Yes, I copy," Hailey answered.

Steve, Dustin, Robin and Erica laughed in relief.

"Good to hear your voice, Hailey," Dustin told her.

"Dustin, we literally saw each other not that long ago," Hailey told him.

"Yeah, well, consider me more worried than usual after what happened to you," Dustin replied.

Steve pushed Dustin lightly. "My job to worry about Hailey, dipshit. My sister."

"Both of you shut up, please?" Hailey asked. "You know I can handle myself, now more than ever, Steve. Now handing you over to Bald Eagle."

Hailey handed the radio to Murray, who gave her a look before taking the radio.

"Call sign?" Dustin asked.

Murray scoffed. "Bald Eagle."

"Repeat," Dustin told him.

Murray was trying not to lose his patience. "Bald Eagle. This is Bald Eagle!"

Hailey and Niko smirked. Joyce, Natasha and Hopper exchanged an amused look.

"Copy that," Dustin told him. "Thank you, Bald Eagle. What's your 20?"

"We reached the vent," Murray answered. "I'll contact you when I need you. Until then, silence."

"Roger that, Bald Eagle," Dustin told him. "This is Scoops Troop, going radio silent. 10-10 over."

Murray glanced up at Hailey and Niko. "I hate children."

Hailey smirked sarcastically. Niko rolled his eyes.

Murray went down through the vent.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

After Nadia had put the car right side up, Nancy and Jonathan went to get the ignition cable from the engine, but the hood wouldn't open.

"How do we get it open?" Nancy asked.

"Uh, there should be a latch," Jonathan answered. "Check under the wheel." Nancy went to check. "You see it?"

"I don't know," Nancy admitted. "Hold on."

Max saw that Eleven was digging through the trash. "What's she doing?"

Mike turned to follow Max's gaze, before the two exchanged a look.

Eleven found a New Coke can, walking over to put it down on a counter, trying to crush it with her power like she had done before easily while in Hawkins Lab, but she couldn't seem to do it now, though the can did move a little bit.

Mike, Nadia and Max walked closer.

"El?" Nadia asked. "Are you okay?"

Eleven just looked at them.

By the car, Nancy and Jonathan got the hood open.

"Do you see it?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Jonathan admitted. "It should be right here. Distributor, distributor..."

Will sensed the oncoming threat, putting a hand to the back of his neck.

They all heard distant rumbling, stomping.

Max turned around to look up through the skylight ceiling. "Nadia. Mike."

Nadia and Mike turned around to look up. They saw the Mind Flayer getting closer.

Jonathan pulled the ignition cable out of the car. "Got it."

"Nancy!" Mike screamed.

Mike, Max and Nadia grabbed Eleven to help her run away.

"Come on!" Nadia told them.

They ran toward Nancy, Jonathan, Will, Lucas and Ruby.

The Mind Flayer crashed through the glass ceiling, landing in the middle of the food court, shrieking.

Everyone ran away from it.

∰

Russian Base

Grigori and three other Russians stepped off the elevator, seeing the dead bodies of the Russians that the group fought earlier, three of them without their uniforms since Hopper, Murray and Joyce had taken them.

A Russian walked up to Grigori, speaking in Russian. "We just found them like this."

Grigori sighed, seeing evidence of the fight, seeing burn marks in the floor. "Natasha, Niko, Hailey and the Americans."

∰

Passageway

(Song:) The Russian Nightingales - The Red Army Choir

Natasha and Hopper, split up from Joyce, Niko and Hailey, were scoping out the place from hidden places.

Hopper was muttering anxiously. "It's taking too long."

"It's fine," Natasha told him.

"No, it's not," Hopper told her. "It is not. Our kids, Ruby, they could've died back there. El and Niko almost did. And now Nadia's up there with El and Ruby and the others. And Hailey could be in just as much danger as them and you."

"Well, Nadia and Ruby are getting El and the others to Murray's," Natasha told him. "Joyce is with Hailey and Niko as they scope out the other hallway. That thing won't find them, not before we kill it."

Hopper turned to look at her. "Hey. This isn't the way this is supposed to work, all right? You're supposed to say, 'Yes, Joyce and I told you so. That's why we needed to go back to the kids'."

Natasha nodded. "Oh, yeah, and then you say something like..." She imitated Hopper. "'Yeah, well, it's really hard to listen when you two make everything sound like it's the end of the goddamn world'."

Hopper realized she was right, sighing heavily. "You know... I think, despite everything... I mean, despite the arguing, I think we make a pretty good team."

Natasha smirked. "Yeah. Russians, creatures from the Upside Down, they don't hold a candle to us, do they?" Hopper smirked. They both sighed, sitting down in hiding while they were waiting for their cue. "We made it this far, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Hopper answered. "We did. We did."

Natasha gazed off for a moment, sighing, finally explaining how Grigori was behind the reason why Valkov died. "Valkov had just reached the Russian base back in the motherland. Looking for me, Nadia and Niko to save us from the program, to free us from the brainwashing. Grigori was the one that caught him, and signaled to everyone in the base that he was there to save us. Valkov barely had enough time to get to me, get through to me, even though it was nearly impossible, and to get us out of the base, all while we were dodging death like we are right now. And so when the Russians caught us outside, with Grigori leading the charge... and mocking Valkov even though he had grown up and trained with both of us since we were just starting out, practically children... Valkov was left fighting the army on his own while he told me to get Nadia and Niko to safety."

Hopper was stunned by the confession, looking incredibly guilty for giving Natasha such a hard time over Grigori. "Natasha..."

"And then Valkov fell from the cliff and landed in the water, and from a height like that, he broke every bone in his body," Natasha finished. "The last thing I remember from that day is seeing his blood in the water."

Hopper closed his eyes, sighing heavily. "Nat, I am so sorry."

"You see why I wanted to murder Grigori so badly now, Jim?" Natasha asked. "Why I nearly lost myself to that anger and revenge? For Valkov, for taking my husband from me, for taking Nadia and Niko's father from them, for doing this to my family. And then for taking Nadia recently, torturing her, and doing everything he did to Hailey to turn her into an experiment like me."

Hopper sighed, shaking his head. "I get it. I can't believe these dicks turned her into a weapon. She's just a kid."

"It's what they do to kids like that," Natasha told him. "From birth or Hailey's age. Creating the perfect weapons. They did the same thing to me they did to Hailey, but I guess they got more of what they wanted from Hailey than they got with me. I hate that they turned her into a weapon, too, Jim. Once you see the world the way that I did, the way that Hailey does now... you can't unsee it. Not ever."

Hopper sighed. "Hailey... what happened to her. Not just the power, but the personality change the kids were talking about. What do you think that means?"

"I think that when the experiments were taken too far, Hailey was killed, even if for a moment, and in that moment, the experiments, the power, it was awakening another persona inside of her," Natasha answered. "One that was dark, twisted and evil, born out of the anger and the fear that Hailey was feeling when they did those things to her. And so when she came back, and when she's using her powers or if she loses control..."

"That's the Hailey that takes over," Hopper finished. "The bad one."

"Yeah," Natasha answered. She was thinking about what she, Nadia and Niko had been talking about, about how Natasha deserved to be happy too, and what Murray said about her and Hopper. She knew that she was finally fully ready to move forward. "And if we do make it out of here, we--we deserve to celebrate, right?"

"Yeah," Hopper answered. "I mean... yes. Absolutely."

Natasha looked at him. "I hear Enzo's is pretty good." Hopper looked at her. "What do you say, Friday, eight o'clock?"

Hopper looked stunned that Natasha was asking him out. "Uh, El likes to watch Miami Vice on Fridays. It--it starts at 10:00, so I--I can't be out late on a Friday."

Natasha nodded in understanding. "Okay, well, how about 7:00, then?"

"7:00?" Hopper repeated. "Enzo's, Friday, I meet you there?"

Natasha smirked. "No, you pick me up."

Hopper nodded in surprise. "Picking you up, 7:00 PM. Friday."

"Yeah, it's a date," Natasha answered.

Natasha and Hopper looked at each other caringly for a moment, smiling, before looking away.

Hopper took a deep breath, looking back at Natasha. "Just for clarification, just because I--I mean, just... if... when you say 'date', just so that we're crystal clear, so there's no confusion--"

"Yeah, Hop?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah?" Hopper asked.

"Stop talking or I'm gonna change my mind," Natasha told him.

"Yeah," Hopper agreed.

They both smiled.

(Song Ends)

∰

Hallway

Niko and Hailey were scoping out the place, staying in hiding, while Hailey was helping Niko when he needed it because of his leg.

"I'm just saying, that was some goodbye kiss you gave Dustin," Niko told her.

Hailey tilted her head back. "Oh, my God, stop."

"What?" Niko asked. "I'm just saying, it didn't look like the first kiss."

"You're impossible," Hailey told him. "But no, it wasn't."

"So you not only got experimented on, died and came back to life, got an evil alter ego and superpowers, but you also got your first kiss with Dustin," Niko told her. "Wow, you got around. Damn girl."

Hailey couldn't help a smirk. "Bite me, Niko. What about you?"

"What about me?" Niko asked.

"Well, not only did you fight the Mind Flayer, fix Ruby, and got bitten, something changed between you and Will," Hailey told him.

"You noticed that?" Niko asked.

Hailey nodded. "I noticed that."

Niko smiled. "We might... or might not have taken things to the next level."

"Wait," Hailey told him. "You guys have time to do that between all of this? Damn boy."

Niko blushed. "Whoa, whoa, calm your ass down. I mean, we said 'I love you' to each other."

Hailey smiled. "What? Congratulations. Will finally did it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Niko asked. "Just so you know, I said it first."

"Really?" Hailey asked.

"Well, by accident," Niko answered.

Hailey nodded. "That makes more sense."

Niko smiled. "But either way, yes, we told each other 'I love you' in a very epic way."

"I bet," Hailey said, becoming more worried about the fight coming soon.

"Hailey, we're gonna have to talk about you not using your powers sometime," Niko told her.

"We just did," Hailey replied. "Can we go back to happy things, please?"

Niko sighed. "Hail."

"Niko," Hailey replied. "I'm fine. I just don't want to use my powers anymore than I have to, so that when I lose control--not if, when--I won't hurt you, Natasha, Hopper or Joyce."

"It's apart of you now, though, just like Mama and Nadia said," Niko told her. "And I know that you can learn how to control it."

Hailey looked at him in surprise. "You really think I can learn how to control it? My powers, the bad Hailey?"

"Given time, yes," Niko answered.

"I don't even know if I can accept these new powers, Niko," Hailey admitted. "Let alone control them and this darker half of me. I can feel her inside me, wanting to murder everyone that had part in doing this to me. I can't stop feeling the darkness that I felt when I drifted away."

Niko took her hand. "Hailey. It's okay. Not everyone can get over losing someone to death, let alone feeling what death was like yourself. But I know that you can do it, eventually."

"You really think so?" Hailey asked.

"Of course I do," Niko answered. "You're Hailey freaking Harrington, as Mike, Will, Dustin and Lucas used to say before we became part of the party." Hailey chuckled. "You wanted to be powerful and be able to defend yourself and save others, and you were able to learn how to do that, due to me, Mama and Nadia, and learn how to use your body as a weapon to achieve that goal, even though you were so young, and you were a normal kid. And I know that you can do the same thing now, as a psychic like me, Mama, Nadia, El and Ruby, given time. You can learn how to control this darker side and your power, and you'll be able to do everything you've always wanted to do. Be everything you've always wanted to be. Strong, powerful, fearless, able to do more than defend yourself and save others now. You'll be able to do anything." They both smiled, until they heard oncoming guards. Russian guards ran into the hallway on either side of them, running closer to fight. Hailey and Niko both took out a sword from their sheaths to defend themselves without using their powers, or in Niko's case, without fighting too much because of his wounded leg. "You got the left, I got the right."

"Think you can handle it?" Hailey asked.

"Oh, you get powers and now you can baby me?" Niko teased.

"Don't make us do this," a Russian told them.

Niko took a knife to throw into the Russian 1's head, killing him, shrugging. "Okay."

Hailey smirked. "Oh, please."

"Let's see what your alter ego thinks of this," Niko told her.

"You ready?" Hailey asked.

"I was born ready," Niko answered.

Niko and Hailey smirked.

Niko was fighting off Russians with his sword, turning to slash into three of them, spinning on his unwounded leg to do so.

Hailey took a sword, slashing into a couple Russians, viciously. Three Russians ran toward Hailey from behind. Hailey sensed them, doing a back bend twist to slash them all in the chest in one go. Russian 2 ran toward her. Hailey did a back flip over him to land behind him, spinning to face him, stabbing him in the back.

Hailey ran toward a Russian 3 to kick him down, stabbing him in the head. Russian 4 ran closer, trying to punch. Hailey ducked, spinning to kick and punch him, flipping him to the floor, stomping on his head to knock him out, turning around. She punched Russian 5 in the face, kicking him in the head, rolling over the floor to grapple him to the ground, kicking him in the head to knock him out. Russian 6 grabbed Hailey by the hair, pulling her head back.

Niko shot fire into the Russian to make him let go of Hailey, watching as he burned.

Hailey turned to look at Niko. "I had him."

"You're welcome," Niko replied.

Niko and Hailey stood back to back, swords up, to fight against their enemies together. Hailey spun to slash into a couple very deeply. Niko was very clean and cut, throwing knives and slashing his sword without having to fight much, but still taking down many Russians.

Hailey got hit in the back of the head, falling to her knees. She looked up, glaring, breathing heavily, as the gem in her head and her eyes started to glow red, the sclera of her eyes turning black, and the astral energy aura tendrils starting to seep out of Hailey. She stood, turning to face the Russians, who looked terrified to see her like this. Hailey held her arms out, as the aura of astral energy tendrils moved around her like they were alive, and attacking, grabbing, impaling, throwing and killing the Russians around them.

Natasha, Hopper and Joyce heard the commotion, running closer.

"Hailey?" Natasha asked.

Hailey was not in control, looking completely like Dark Hailey.

"Okay, bring it back in," Hopper told her. "Hailey?"

Hailey's astral energy tendrils continued around, on a path toward Niko, Natasha, Hopper and Joyce, making them duck. Natasha used her shield to protect them from the astral energy.

"Hailey, please," Joyce told her.

Hailey was fighting for control, pulling the astral energy tendrils back into herself.  Exhausted from using that much energy to use her new power and to control her darker side, Hailey fell to her knees, her nose bleeding.

Niko stepped forward to check on her. "Hailey!"

Hailey stood. "Get back." After another moment, the astral energy aura tendrils faded back into Hailey, her eyes returned to normal, and the gem stopped glowing. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Hopper asked.

Hailey didn't answer that part, looking at them in concern. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Natasha answered. "We're okay. We're fine."

Hailey gave Niko a look. "You were saying?"

"You just... need more practice," Niko told her. "That's all."

"It's okay," Joyce assured. "Just let's keep going."

∰

Air Ducts

Murray was crawling through the air ducts with his flashlight and radio, coming to an intersection of three paths, realizing he needed help finding out which path to take, radioing in to Dustin. "Scoops Troop, this is... Bald Eagle. I've reached another junction."

"This is what?" Dustin asked.

"The fourth junction," Erica answered.

"All right, so if memory serves, this is right after the 'My Little Pony' thesis," Dustin told her.

Erica nodded in agreement. "We went left, so he has to go right."

"Right," Dustin agreed. "Fly right, Bald Eagle. Fly right."

Murray rolled his eyes. "Roger that, flying right. You little shit."

Murray turned into the right tunnel.

∰

Field - Hilltop

Dustin, Erica and Robin were sitting down, while Steve was standing, pacing.

"What's the 'My Little Pony' thesis?" Robin asked.

Erica shook her head. "Don't get him started."

"Get him started?" Robin repeated. "Just tell me."

Steve was looking out in the distance. "Hey, guys?"

The others stood, walking closer, seeing the Mind Flayer in the distance at the mall, all four running back to the Cerebro.

Dustin picked up the mic for the Cerebro. "Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Do you copy? Over!"

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Nadia, Ruby, Mike, Eleven and Max were in hiding on one side of the food court, behind a counter. Nancy, Jonathan, Lucas and Will were in hiding on the other side, behind the car.

They heard Dustin's voice through their radios. "Griswold Family, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop. Do you--" The Mind Flayer found one of the radios on the floor, picking it up, roaring into the radio so that the Scoops Troop could hear him, before throwing the radio into the wall, letting it fall, almost broken. "Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop. Please confirm your safety! Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop! Please confirm your safety! Are you en route to Bald Eagle's nest? Someone, please just answer. Is anyone there? Just answer! Anyone, please."

The Mind Flayer was close to finding where Nadia, Ruby, Max, Mike and Eleven were hiding, opening up its face, roaring, causing all of them to tense up.

∰

Field - Hilltop

Dustin was still pleading for someone to answer. "Do you copy?!"

Steve stood, running to the car.

"Where are you going?" Erica asked.

"To get them the hell outta there," Steve answered. "Stay here, contact the others!"

Robin followed Steve. "Shit."

"Wait, Robin!" Dustin told her, tossing a radio to her. "Stay in touch."

Robin caught it. "Got it."

Steve and Robin ran to the car.

Dustin spoke into his radio handset for Cerebro. "Bald Eagle, this is Scoops Troop. What's your 20?"

Murray was crawling through the vents. "I told you, radio silence."

"Yeah, but we have a problem," Dustin told him.

In the hallway of the base, in hiding, Hailey, Niko, Hopper, Natasha and Joyce could hear through their radio.

Hailey grabbed the radio. "What kind of problem?"

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

The Mind Flayer nearly found Nadia, Ruby, Max, Mike and Eleven, before moving on, stomping through the food court. Hiding behind the car, Will, Jonathan, Nancy and Lucas were shaking in fear. Nancy was using the car rear view mirror to keep an eye on the Mind Flayer in the reflection.

Mike peaked over the counter at the Mind Flayer, before hiding again, looking at Nadia, Ruby, Max and Eleven, whispering. "It's turned away. If we go up the stairs now, we'll make it."

Max shook her head. "No way, not with El's leg."

"We have to try," Mike told them.

Nadia pointed to the section of the mall where her fighting class used to be. "There's another way to get out. Through my class."

Ruby peered over at the Mind Flayer, sighing, nodding. "Okay. Now."

Nadia, Ruby, Max, Mike and Eleven stood, running to Nadia's class, where a bunch of weights, punching bugs, fighting dummies were set up, etc. Eleven tripped over one of the fighting dummies, causing the Mind Flayer to look toward the class and stomp closer, but Nadia, Ruby, Max, Mike and Eleven were hiding. A tentacle started to seek inside the darkened, empty room, grabbing one of the fighting dummies while thinking it was one of them, pulling it out to roar in its face, only to realize it was a dummy, tossing it back into the store, making it hit the wall, and fall to the floor in front of where Nadia, Ruby, Max, Mike and Eleven were hiding now.

∰

Russian Base - Key Room

Murray got to the room, gasping for air in relief. "Bald Eagle has landed. Repeat. Bald Eagle has landed."

Murray took out the yellow paper to know what to do. Hopper, Natasha, Hailey, Niko and Joyce were in hiding.

Hopper took the radio to speak to Murray impatiently. "Come on, how much longer?"

"I don't know," Murray said. "I've never done this before!" He turned toward power boxes. "Okay. Okay, okay! Get ready, fighters, you're almost up to bat."

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Will, Jonathan, Nancy and Lucas were still hiding behind the car. Jonathan peaked over the top of the car, toward where the Mind Flayer was using another tentacle to search through Nadia's old fighting class. It reached the place where Nadia, Ruby, Max, Mike and Eleven had been hiding, only to find that they weren't there now, hiding behind weights across the room.

∰

Russian Base - Key Room

Murray disabled the power to the gateway machine, causing the Russians to go into a frenzy to find out what was wrong.

∰

Hallway

In hiding, Natasha, Hopper, Hailey, Niko and Joyce heard the alarm start to go off, running in through a doorway.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Will, Jonathan, Nancy and Lucas were still hiding.

Jonathan ducked before the Mind Flayer could see him. "Oh, shit."

Lucas grabbed his slingshot/wrist rocket.

"What are you doing?" Nancy whispered.

"Don't worry," Lucas told her.

In Nadia's old fighting class, the tentacle from the Mind Flayer got close to finding Nadia, Ruby, Max, Eleven and Mike.

Lucas stood, turning to aim his slingshot at the Mind Flayer, but then changed direction, firing a rock at a balloon, making it pop, getting its attention, before ducking down to hide behind the car again.

The Mind Flayer left Nadia's class to go after the sound of the balloon popping, Lucas' plan to lure the creature away from both groups working.

"Go!" Jonathan whispered. "Go, go, go, go, go, go!"

Will, Jonathan, Nancy and Lucas stood, running for the closet exit.

In her old fighting class, Nadia looked at Ruby, Max, Eleven and Mike. "Let's go."

They stood, running for the exit behind Nadia's class.

∰

Russian Base - Hallway

Through another door and another hallway, Natasha, Hopper, Hailey, Niko and Joyce watched as Russians ran past, away from the observation room with the portal drill keeping the gate open.

"Let's go," Hopper told them.

They made their way down the hallway, up a flight of stairs, up to the door to the another room.

A soldier walked out of the room, seeing them, about to call for backup. Natasha conjured her shield with a single hand, only big enough to push into the soldier, throw him up against the wall, making him hit his head and knocking him out, letting him fall.

Niko smirked, impressed. "Nice one, Mama."

"Seriously, Natasha," Hailey told her.

They chuckled, walking into a red room with a safe at the end, walking toward it, which had the key they needed inside.

"Okay, give me the code," Natasha told them.

Joyce looked at the number on a piece of paper she had. "Okay. 662608004."

After typing in the number, Natasha tried to open the safe but couldn't do it. "Uh, again?"

Joyce repeated the number. "662608004."

It still didn't work.

Niko pointed to the safe. "Can't I just burn the door off?"

"Uh, yeah, if you want to warp it and everything inside," Hailey answered with honest sarcasm.

Hopper backed away, speaking through the radio. "Murray? Your goddamn code is wrong."

"What?" Murray asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we're sure," Hopper answered.

"Well, I--I suppose it could be wrong," Murray agreed.

"How could it be wrong?" Hopper asked.

"The code is a number, a famous number," Murray explained. "Planck's constant. I--I thought I knew it."

∰

Field - Hilltop

Erica and Dustin could hear the conversation through Cerebro.

"Planck's constant," Dustin repeated.

"You know it?" Erica asked.

"Not by heart," Dustin answered. "You?"

"I'm not a nerd, nerd," Erica told him.

They heard Murray's voice. "He told me it was Planck's constant, which I know. Why would I need him to give me a number I already know?"

Dustin realized who could help, changing the station on Cerebro.

"What are you doing?" Erica asked.

Dustin searched for the right station.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Outside

Jonathan, Will, Nancy and Lucas bolted outside toward Nancy's car.

"Go, go, go!" Jonathan urged. Jonathan and Nancy reached the hood of the car, which was still open, so that Jonathan could put the ignition cable in. Billy was still in his car across the parking lot, revving his engine in warning. "Shit."

Will and Lucas got into the car in the backseats.

Nancy looked at Jonathan. "Get the car started. Go!"

Jonathan closed the hood of the car and ran toward the driver's seat.

Nancy walked around the car, cocking her gun, standing in front of the car, aiming the gun at Billy in his car.

Jonathan got into the car, closing the door, trying to start the car. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Come on."

Billy threw his car into drive, speeding, with tires screeching, straight for Nancy, Jonathan, Will and Lucas at their car.

Will and Lucas were terrified.

"Come on," Will urged.

"We gotta go!" Lucas told them.

Nancy fired her gun at Billy in his car twice, narrowly missing his head both times.

Jonathan continued to try and start the car. "Come on!"

Nancy continued to fire at Billy's car, but missed, as she couldn't see clearly where to aim with the headlights blinding her as the car got dangerously close to hitting her, and the boys in the car behind her.

Billy was so close to hitting them, making Nancy duck for cover in fear with a scream.

Just in time to save them, Steve sped his car right into the passenger side of Billy's, making both cars crash and spin around with glass breaking, tires squealing, and metal denting in a loud, chaotic display, until both cars came to a stop. Steve was breathing heavily behind the wheel.

Billy had hit his head in the crash, knocked out in his car, as his engine went up in flames.

Nancy stood, breathing heavily as she looked between the two cars in shock.

Steve looked at Robin in his passenger seat. "Are you okay?"

Robin was completely terrified, but putting on a brave face. "Ask me tomorrow?" Hearing the Mind Flayer monster, Robin and Steve looked up in shock, gasping, standing, looking up on top of the mall building to see the Mind Flayer monster climbing onto the roof. "Holy shit."

Nancy got into the passenger seat of her car.

Jonathan got the car to start finally, driving up to the Toddfather, honking the horn loudly.

"Get in!" Nancy called.

Robin and Steve jumped out of the Toddfather, running to get into the back of the car, closing the door, facing each other.

Steve and Lucas both said, "Go, go, go!"

Jonathan sped them off.

The Mind Flayer, thinking that one of the psionics were in that car, chased the car away from the mall.

∰

Salt Lake City, Utah

Suzie's House - Her Room

Suzie was sitting in her room, reading a book.

She heard Dustin's voice on her radio. "Suzie, do you copy? Suzie, do you copy? Suzie, do you copy?"

Suzie ran over to the radio, sitting down, speaking through a mic. "This is Suzie. I copy. Dustin? Where have you been?"

"I--I've been really busy," Dustin answered. "Uh, trying to save the world from Russians and monsters."

Suzie chuckled. "Of course you have."

Erica looked at Dustin in annoyance. "Get the goddamn number already!"

"Who was that?" Suzie asked.

Dustin stammered, not knowing how to answer. "It was... uh, I don't know, actually. I think it was just some interference." Erica closed her eyes, shaking her head. "So why don't we, uh, change frequency to 14.158?"

Suzie nodded. "Copy that, shifting frequency. Standby."

∰

Russian Base - Red Room

Natasha, Hopper, Joyce, Hailey and Niko were waiting for the Planck's constant.

They heard Suzie's voice on the radio. "Dustin, you copy?"

They heard Dustin's voice. "I copy, Suzie."

Hailey and Niko exchanged a look of  surprise. "Suzie."

∰

Field - Hilltop

Erica and Dustin were sitting next to Cerebro.

Dustin spoke to Suzie, knowing that everyone in their group could hear through their radios. "Okay, so, listen, do you know Planck's constant?"

"Do you know the earth orbits the sun?" Suzie replied.

Dustin snickered. "Okay, so I know it starts with two sixes, and then a... w-what is it?"

"Okay, let me just be clear on this," Suzie told him. "I haven't heard from you in a week, and now you want a mathematical equation that you should know so you can... save the world? You haven't even told me if you actually asked Hailey to be your girlfriend and out on a second date."

"Yes, yes, I did," Dustin answered. "Things have just been very hectic, you know, so... things aren't good for us, since we're both stressed trying to save the world, and Hailey went through a lot within the last few days, so..."

"Well, did you sing her the song?" Suzie asked.

In the base, Hailey frowned in confusion, taking the radio from Hopper, who wasn't surprised that she did. "What song?"

Suzie smiled. "Is that her? Hailey?"

"Yeah," Hailey answered. "What the hell are you talking about? What song?"

"Oh, you have to sing it to her now, Dustin," Suzie told him. "You said that it was one of Hailey's favorite songs."

Dustin looked so nervous, like he knew there would be consequences to this since everyone could hear. "Not right now."

"Yes, now," Suzie told him.

"Suzie, this is urgent," Dustin told her.

Suzie sighed. "Yes, yes, you're saving the world, I heard you the first time, but Ged is also saving Earthsea and he's about to confront the shadow, so this is Suzie, signing off."

Suzie turned away from her desk.

"Wait, wait, wait," Dustin told them. "Okay."  Suzie turned back, smiling. "Okay, okay." Dustin knew there would be hell to pay from their friends teasing after this, sighing. "Shit. Hailey, sorry in advance, because we're gonna get hell for this. But it is one of your favorites, so..."  Dustin started to sing, causing Erica to look at him weirdly. "Turn around / Look at what you see..." In the Russian base, Hailey looked shocked and kind of embarrassed knowing that all of their friends and family were listening. "In her face." Nancy's car on the road, Jonathan was speeding the car down the road. Nancy was in the passenger seat. Lucas and Will were in the backseat. Steve and Robin were in the back, and the Mind Flayer was visibly chasing them through the back window of the car. They were all stunned to hear Dustin singing. "The mirror of your dreams."

Steve shook his head, closing his eyes. "If we all make it out of this alive, Hailey is so gonna kill Dustin."

Lucas and Will nodded in agreement, causing Robin to smile.

Suzie and Dustin harmonized, as Suzie was backup for Dustin.

Dustin sang the song. "Make believe I'm everywhere." He was getting more into it, smiling. "Given in the light." Suzie stood, dancing a bit to the song. "Written on the pages is / The answer to a never ending story." Suzie raised her arm. They vocalized. In the mall, Nadia, Ruby, Max, Eleven and Mike were shown listening, all exchanging a weirdly amused look, smirking. A split screen showed Dustin singing, and Hailey reacting in the Russian base's red room, as Natasha, Niko, Hopper and Joyce looked at Hailey. "Reach the stars / Fly a fantasy."  Natasha and Joyce found this cute, while Niko was smirking in amusement, and Hopper had no idea how to react. Further embarrassed, Hailey closed her eyes, hiding a blush by leaning her head against the wall. "Dream a dream." Elsewhere in the base, Murray was shown listening to the song, bewildered. "And what you see will be." In Nancy's car, Jonathan, Nancy, Will, Lucas, Steve and Robin were shown listening, none of them knowing how to react, but Will and Lucas were amused, and Lucas looked like he was already planning to use it against Dustin and Hailey. "Rhymes that keep their secrets will." Suzie was shown dancing in her room. "Unfold behind the clouds." On the hilltop, Erica was looking at Dustin, disturbed. "And there upon a rainbow is." In the red room, Hailey turned her back to the wall, leaning against it. Even though she looked embarrassed and mortified, she found it a little touching and sweet, that provided a little light to her suddenly very dark life. "The answer to a never ending story." Dustin and Suzie vocalized. Dustin smiled. "Story."

Once Dustin finished, Suzie kept her promise and gave the number. "Planck's constant is 6.62607004."

Natasha hurriedly put the numbers into the safe unlock pad, which worked this time, and they opened the safe. Hopper grabbed the suitcase inside, closing the safe.

Dustin spoke to Suzie. "You just saved the world. Thanks, Suzie. And Hailey, I know we're gonna get a lot of hell for this, and I'm sorry, but you kinda needed it, so..."

"Okay, Dustin, we'll just--we'll talk about it later," Hailey told him.

"Okay, but, Hail--" Dustin started.

Erica turned off Cerebro. "She said later. Don't put me through more torture."

∰

Starcourt Mall - Outside

Billy was stumbling out of his still burning, on fire car, falling to the ground, coughing, closing the car door behind him. He painfully pushed himself up, walking away from the car. When he heard a buzzer from the gate nearby, he turned to look, seeding Nadia, Ruby, Max and Mike helping the still injured Eleven out of the gate, before they saw Billy there.

"Shit!" Mike said.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!" Nadia told them.

They ran back in through the gate.

Ruby turned to close the gate behind them through an electronic lock, locking eyes with Billy through the bars before taking off after the others to go back inside.

∰

On the Road - Nancy's Car

Jonathan was speeding the car down the road. Nancy was in the passenger seat. Lucas and Will were in the backseat. Steve and Robin were in the back, looking out of the back windshield to see the Mind Flayer chasing them down the road.

Since the Mind Flayer had a connection to Billy, it knew that he saw Eleven, Ruby and Nadia at the mall, turning around to go back.

"It's turning around," Steve told them.

"What?" Nancy asked.

"It's turning around!" Steve answered.

"Maybe we wore it out?" Lucas asked hopefully.

Jonathan shook his head. "I don't think so. Hold on."

Jonathan did a quick U turn, knowing that their friends were in trouble, driving back to the mall.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Outside

Just as the gate was about to close, Billy stopped it, pulling it back open, groaning, walking toward the mall.

∰

Inside - Hallway

Nadia, Ruby, Eleven, Max and Mike were making their way back down the hallway toward Nadia's old fighting class again.

∰

Russian Base - Underground

Hopper, Natasha, Niko, Hailey and Joyce arrived to stop the key that was keeping the gate open.

Hopper looked at the scientists. "Hey, everybody out. Everybody out!"

Hopper fired his machine gun, causing the scientists to run out.

Hopper, Natasha, Niko, Hailey and Joyce walked toward the glass that separated them from the key, looking at how it was keeping the gate open in shock.

"Hey," Niko said. "You guys ready to end this?"

They nodded.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Nadia, Ruby, Max, Eleven and Mike made it back to the food court.

They heard a door, sighing worriedly.

Max went out to see Billy stalking closer, scared but trying to get through to him. "Billy. Billy, you don't have to do this. Billy. Your name's Billy, Billy Hargrove. You live on 4819 Cherry Lane. Billy, please. I'm Max, I'm your--"

Billy had hesitation, but was forced to try to strike Max.

Ruby caught his arm, twisting it behind his back, pushing Billy against the wall. "Billy, come on. Don't make me do this."

 Nadia looked at Ruby and Billy, knowing they had to fight. "Max. Mike. Get El someplace safe."

"Nadia--" Eleven, Max and Mike started. "Ruby--"

"Do it," Nadia told them.

Max and Mike started to help Eleven out of the fighting class.

Billy was forced to fight Ruby again, trying to punch her. Ruby blocked the move with her arm, spinning to kick Billy. Billy caught her leg, flipping Ruby through the air, making her fall. Ruby rolled over the floor up to her feet, standing, turning to face Billy, picking up a staff that she had taken from Nadia's fighting class on the way back in, using it to keep Billy back, hitting him in the head, making him fall. Billy tried to punch her. Ruby used the staff to block the move, backing away. Billy tried to kick her. Ruby raised her leg to block the move. Billy tried to punch her. Ruby ducked, spinning to kick him in the face, making him fall, breathing heavily, kneeling down behind Billy, putting her hands on her head to try and use her sanity power to get through to Billy, but Billy flipped her to the ground, making her roll away and drop the staff.

Nadia conjured her glowing purple psychic energy whip, flinging it toward Billy to restrain him. Billy raised his arm, causing the whip to wrap around his arm, and used his super strength to keep hold of the whip, though it was burning him, searing his skin, making him groan in agony. Even though it was burning him, Billy was using the psychic energy whip to pull Nadia toward him. Nadia had her feet sliding over the floor as she leaned back, struggling to pull the whip free. Billy managed to pull Nadia to him, but Nadia headbutted him in the face to make him let go, pushing Billy back across the floor, making him flip backward. Billy stood, running closer. Nadia tried to kick him. Billy raised an arm to block the move, punching Nadia in the face. Nadia kicked him in the chest, making him fall.

Billy stood, seeing Ruby and Nadia on either side of him, as they were all breathing heavily. He ran toward Ruby. Ruby grabbed his shoulders, holding him back, trying to use her sanity power. Billy tried to punch her. Ruby pivoted back, punching him in the face, spinning to backhand punch him in the face. Billy tried to punch her. Ruby ducked, kicking Billy back, trying to punch him. Billy caught her arm, twisting it behind her back, the same arm that he had been forced to hurt and nearly break before, making her groan in pain. Ruby elbowed him in the face, making him let go, kicking him toward Nadia.

Nadia wrapped her whip around Billy's throat, making it burn him again deeply. Billy tried to pull free. Nadia used the whip to spin Billy around, turning around to throw him into the wall. Billy stood, ready to fight. Nadia spun the whip around her head, flinging it around Billy's wrists to tie them together, using the whip to pull him closer, making him lift up in the air, and when he got to her, Nadia spun around to kick him in the face and making him fall. Billy stood, punching Nadia in the face. Nadia punched Billy in the chest, spinning to kick him in the head, jumping up to punch him extra hard in the face. Billy backhand punched Nadia in the face, making her turn away, advancing, trying several more moves, that Nadia backed away from, ducked, dodged and blocked, uppercutting him in the jaw hard, sending him reeling back. Billy came back forward with a headbutt to Nadia's face. Nadia glared, punching Billy extra hard in the face, making him fall to the floor next to the door of her old fighting class. Billy stood up, grabbing a weight from in the fighting class, throwing it at Nadia and Ruby, knocking them both down.

∰

Russian Base - Underground

Hopper, Natasha, Hailey, Niko and Joyce were setting things up to make the key blow up and close the gate.

Hopper spoke through the radio. "Murray, you all set down there?"

"All set, but I've got some company which I'd love you to obliterate," Murray answered.

"Will do," Natasha told him. "Hang tight."

Hopper and Joyce put the two keys into the machine.

"On three," Hailey told them.

Joyce nodded in agreement. "On three."

"One..." Niko trailed off. "Two--"

Before they could, Grigori and more Russian soldiers ran in to fight.

Natasha sensed that Grigori was behind her, turning around to catch his arm before he could hit her.

Another Russian turned to slam Hopper against the glass wall, while another knocked Joyce out.

Niko, Hailey, Natasha and Hopper pushed the Russian soldiers, including Grigori, out of the glass so they could fight freely out in the open, on the balcony near the key light ray.

Hopper pushed a Russian to the ground, punching him repeatedly. The Russian pushed him off, and they exchanged hits and blows.

Hailey threw a knife into a Russian, turning to stab two Russians with blades on either side of her, taking them out, spinning her blades around in either hand as she stood and turned to face another. As more Russians ran closer, Hailey used her blades to slash through them all in various ways, ducking and dodging each move they tried to make.

Niko slammed a hand to the ground, which was blazing with fire, releasing an explosion of fire that burned and killed some of the Russians surrounding them.

Grigori tried to shoot Natasha. Natasha used her shield to protect herself, using it to slam into Grigori, making him fall. Grigori somersaulted back into a standing position, picking up a knife, throwing it at Natasha. Natasha used the shield to deflect the knife. Grigori tried to stab Natasha with the knife twice when she let the shield down, though Natasha backed away enough to make him miss or raised her arm to block the move, punching Grigori in the face, spinning to kick him in the head. Grigori pushed Natasha into the wall.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Ruby had hit her head when Billy had thrown the weight at Ruby and Nadia to knock them down, looking around, her vision swimming.

Nadia used her whip to fling the weight off to the side. Billy grabbed Nadia by the throat before she could get up, pulling her up from the floor, and throwing her across the food court into the water fountain, making her hit hard and fall to the floor. Nadia's whip faded, and she held her head in pain.

Billy looked down at Ruby at his feet, kneeling down next to her. Ruby tried to get up.

Billy put her shoulders back on the floor, placing his hands on the floor on either side of her, leaning close to whisper in her ear. "Don't be afraid. It'll be over soon. Just try and stay very still."

The Mind Flayer slithered in through the broken ceiling. Ruby saw it through blurry vision, until she could push Billy off of her and get up.

Nadia stood, seeing the Mind Flayer, and quickly came back to her senses. She conjured two of her glowing purple psychic energy whips to latch around limbs of the Mind Flayer. It tried to fling her around, but Nadia stood strong, feet digging into the ground. Ruby ran over to help Nadia hold the whips to pull on the limbs of the Mind Flayer so hard they severed two of the tentacles, making it roar in agony.

Nancy, Jonathan, Will, Lucas, Steve and Robin arrived on the second story above them, seeing them fight off the Mind Flayer, standing with Max, Mike and Eleven.

Ruby glared at the Mind Flayer, rubbing her hands together, clapping them together, making them glow with golden light, firing the light beams into his body, making it screech in agony.

Nadia used her whip to grab the car from nearby, spinning around, using the whip to throw the car into the Mind Flayer, making him stumble back.

Ruby held out both of her hands, which glowed with golden light, shooting the energy beams at the Mind Flayer to incinerate and melt off more pieces of it, making it screech and roar in pain.

Nadia used the whip to grab a fallen, steady and sturdy beam, yelling in effort that it took to spin around and fling the beam up at the Mind Flayer, hitting him hard, hitting the gas line behind him, causing an explosion that burned him from behind and making him yell in agony. She used her glowing purple psychic energy sword to hack away at the tentacles that came for her, slashing through them with ease, making pieces fall and screech. The Mind Flayer flung the car toward her, but Nadia used the psychic energy sword to cut the car in half, as both pieces flew past her to the ground with no harm.

Max, Mike, Will and Lucas were all stunned, saying, "Demo slayer."

Steve was stunned. "I'm in love with Wonder Woman."

Nancy, Jonathan, Max, Mike, Eleven, Will, Lucas and Robin all looked at Steve. Soon, knowing that Nadia and Ruby needed help, they started igniting their fireworks, launching them at the Mind Flayer, burning it and distracting it.

"Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!" Lucas told him, throwing another firework.

Jonathan threw another firework.

Nancy threw another firework.

Steve raised a firework. "Hey, asshole! Over here!"

Steve threw the firework.

Nadia and Ruby both looked up at their friends in relief.

∰

Russian Base - Underground

Natasha, Hopper, Hailey and Niko were all still fighting off the Russians, including Grigori.

Hopper elbowed another Russian in the face, slamming him against the wall, trying to punch him. The Russian raised an arm to block the move, punching Hopper in the face, throwing him down the balcony, making him hit his head on the railing as he landed further down on the balcony. The Russian walked closer to kick Hopper closer to the key ray, until they were right next to it. Hopper raised his fists, gesturing for the Russian to bring it on.

Natasha and Grigori were fighting in a blur of movements, getting closer to the light ray key as well. Natasha ran closer, flipping Grigori to the balcony floor, twisting his arm. Grigori stood, breaking free, trying to flip Natasha to the balcony floor. Natasha landed on her feet, punching Grigori in the face, grabbing him, turning around, throwing him into the balcony railing, making him flip over it. Grigori caught onto the railing to pull himself back up.

As more Russians ran closer, Niko held his hands out, trying to shoot streams of fire out of his hands to burn the Russians closer, but his fire power was fading, until he couldn't use it anymore, much to Niko's confusion as he got weaker, lightheaded, very worried, his nose bleeding heavily. A Russian tried to shoot Niko, but the gun jammed. Niko smirked, punching the Russian hard in the face, flipping him over the balcony railing to send him falling to the ground below.

Hailey tackled another Russian to the balcony floor, but was far away from the light ray key. The Russian kicked Hailey off of him, standing, trying to punch her. Hailey ducked, kicking him in the chest, spinning to kick him in the head. The Russian pushed Hailey back. Hailey kicked along the wall over the railing, landing on the other side, punching the Russian in the face. The Russian tried to punch her. Hailey ducked, sliding past her over the floor, back over the railing to safety, spinning to kick the Russian's legs out from underneath him, making him fall. She stood, backing away. The Russian stood, running closer, trying to punch Hailey. Hailey ducked, jumping up, wrapping her legs around his neck, flipping him to the floor, landing in a crouch next to him, standing, backing away. Another Russian popped up to hit Hailey in the face.

When Hailey got hit in the face, she got even more angry. The gem in her head, along with her eyes glowed red, and the sclera of her eyes turned black, as the astral energy aura tendrils appeared around her. She held out her arms, tilting her head back, as the energy tendrils became solid, and launched out to stab and strangle the Russians running toward her, until they were dead. Dark Hailey tilted her head, seeming to be pleased by the sight of the death of the people that did this to her, while Hailey herself was trying not to feel satisfaction. She used a tendril to grab a Russian, sliding him over the floor with a lot of strength, making his neck snap against the wall.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

The group was still harming the Mind Flayer with fireworks, since Ruby and Nadia had been using much of their power to fight off the Mind Flayer, and both were very weakened now. With each firework, each searing heat to the Mind Flayer, Billy could feel the pain, and was overheating because of it.

One of the pieces of the Mind Flayer that Nadia had caught up was slithering up behind her, launching onto her back to bite her in the shoulder before she could stop it, making her scream in pain.

Steve leaned over the railing slightly in worry to try and help her, but not knowing how. "Nadia!"

Nadia ripped the piece of the Mind Flayer off of her shoulder, throwing it away from her.

Ruby threw her hand forward toward the Mind Flayer, shooting a psychic golden light beam straight ahead, melting it more and incinerating it more, burning more away. A tentacle launched for Ruby. Ruby ducked to the ground, sliding underneath, holding up her hands above her, shooting psychic golden light beams out of her hands right up to the tentacle above as she slid underneath it, as the golden light burned it away within seconds.

Billy fell to his knees, overheating even more. Ruby was left winded and breathing heavily on the floor, trying to push herself up.

∰

Russian Base - Underground

The Russian fighting Hopper hit him in the face and throat. They both tried to push each other off the balcony to the ground below to kill each other, but both could not push the other off. Hopper punched the Russian in the face, turning to throw him off the balcony.

Grigori ran closer to Natasha. Natasha punched him in the face. Grigori tried to punch her. Natasha ducked, sliding past hi mover the floor, spinning to kick his legs out from underneath him, making him fall. They both jumped up. Grigori still had his knife, trying to stab Natasha. Natasha raised her hands to block the move, pushing his hands away. Grigori tried to stab her. Natasha caught his wrist, twisting the knife out of his hands, kicking him in the stomach, flipping him to the balcony floor, throwing the knife into Grigori's stomach, making him groan a scream of pain.

Dark!Hailey, still in full power form, her nose bleeding ran toward another Russian, kicking him into the wall, making him fall, using her astral energy tendrils to throw him into the portal drill light ray to kill him brutally. Another Russian ran toward her, trying to punch her. Hailey ducked, kicking his legs out from underneath him, making him fall, kicking him off the balcony to the floor below.

Since Niko could no longer use his powers, Niko was left with his knives and swords, throwing a knife into each Russian that came for him, through their head if they didn't duck, or their hearts. He would run others through with a sword. He punched another in the face, pushing him over the railing. Another tried to punch Niko. Niko ducked, punching him in the face, grabbing his arm, twisting it around, flipping him over the railing.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

The Mind Flayer sent a tentacle to push Ruby back to the ground. Billy pulled her to him, being forced to straddle her to the floor and keep her shoulders down to keep her still, while fireworks were still going off on the Mind Flayer, and Nadia was recovering from the bite in her shoulder, in agony but not being able to process it now.

∰

Russian Base - Underground

Joyce, having just woken up, was pushing herself up, groggily, seeing the fighting going on out on the balcony. Natasha and Hopper, fighting with Grigori and another Russian, were so close to the light ray. Hailey and Niko were closer to the glass where Joyce was behind.

Dark!Hailey, still in full power form, smirked, releasing a scream as she thrust her arms out, making the astral energy tendrils wrap around all of the Russians except for Grigori, and dangle them from the floor. She allowed the Russians to be dropped from such a height that bones were breaking, injuries bad enough to kill them.

Natasha had Grigori on the ground, beating into his chest repeatedly. Grigori kicked Natasha off, almost pushing her into the light ray that could kill her. Natasha used her shield to protect herself from becoming too close, pushing herself back toward safety.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

The fireworks were still going off.

"We're almost out!" Will told them.

"I know!" Lucas told him.

Steve spoke into the radio. "Hailey! We're out of time!"

Dark!Hailey heard the radio, and she was brought back to herself from hearing the urgency in Steve's voice. She returned to complete normal as she turned to look at Joyce. "Hurry! Close it now!"

Niko held out his hand to stop them. "Wait! Mama and Hopper."

Joyce had to use a device to lengthen her stretch of arm so that she could hit both keys at the same time, not yet hitting them. "Come on!"

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

The fireworks were still going off, hurting and overheating both the Mind Flayer and Billy. Billy was still straddling Ruby down, pinning her, both of them close to crying because of the situation they were put in, never really having felt vulnerable before until now.

In one last desperate move to save him, Ruby grabbed Billy's head, using her sanity power to try and get through the craziness, the flayed-ness, to the real Billy, her nose bleeding even more now since she was trying so hard before he could try to stop her. "Remember what we said. About passions. We were young. Naïve kids. Had hopes and dreams. I drew and painted and took pictures. And you liked to surf. Before we were so damaged. Before everything go so fucked up." They both started to cry as Ruby was really getting through to him this time. "You showed me your memory, with your mom. What you told me before. Seven feet. You were happy. We were happy... before all this. Please, Billy."

Ruby rested her hand on Billy's cheek as they looked each other in the eyes. Billy closed his eyes in pain, despair. 

∰

Russian Base - Underground

Grigori was trying to push Natasha back into the light ray. Natasha broke free, slamming his head on one of the razor like fan blades of the machine, making him scream and turn away. Grigori turned back, trying to punch her.

Natasha caught his arm, breaking his shoulder, making him scream again, hitting him in the side, pulling out a knife, stabbing him in the stomach, throwing him to the ground.

Grigori coughed, chuckling weakly in amusement. "So this how it ends, my love."

"You know even after all this time, I still wonder why you did it," Natasha told him. "You were my family. We loved you, me and Valkov. And you threw it away for people who don't care about you. Who only used me."

Grigori scoffed. "You used me! I loved you and you left, went along and had those children with the man I used to call a brother. You destroyed me."

Natasha scoffed, shaking her head. "You betrayed first when you started to go bad, corrupt. Part of me will always feel bad because I knew you were going bad, and I couldn't help you, and for that I'm sorry. But you're a monster. And now I hate you."

"Don't do this," Grigori told her.

Natasha grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him up, stabbing him again. "That is for Alexei." She stabbed him again. "For betraying us." She stabbed him again. "For taking my husband from me." She stabbed him again. "For making my children grow up without a father." She stabbed him for a final time. "And now the last thing you are ever going to see is me smiling down at you as you die."

"Go to hell," Grigori sneered.

Natasha scoffed, tilting her head. "Save me a spot."

Natasha spun to kick Grigori, turning to throw Grigori into the light ray key, watching as it ripped him apart and burned him out of existence.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Nancy, Jonathan, Mike, Eleven, Lucas, Max, Will, Steve and Robin were firing the last fireworks they had at the Mind Flayer.

"We're out!" Will told them.

"Damn it!" Mike said.

(Song:) Dirge - S U R V I V E

The Mind Flayer made its way over to Ruby and Billy as they turned their heads to look at him. Billy got up away from Ruby, standing to face the Mind Flayer.

The Mind Flayer roared challengingly at Billy for disobeying him and standing up to him.

Nadia was getting up, her arm and shoulder throbbing from the bite of the Mind Flayer tentacle, but making her way over in determination and anger.

The Mind Flayer roared, launching a tentacle straight toward Ruby, who raised her arms instinctively to fight it off.

Billy reached out to catch the tentacle before it could get to Ruby, holding it at bay. "No!"

Everyone watched in shock and amazement as Billy was able to fight the Mind Flayer off to save Ruby and the others.

Billy was yelling as he held off the tentacle, like a challenge to the monster itself saying 'you can kill me by you won't have my soul'.

Ruby pushed herself up, thrusting her hands out toward the Mind Flayer, which glowed with golden light as she shot the energy beams at his tentacle to burn it away, fighting off the others as it tried to get to Billy. "No!"

The Mind Flayer took advantage of the fact that Ruby was more focused on saving Billy, getting his tentacle to attach to her chest without impaling her so he could do to her what he did the first time, to make her out of control so she couldn't fight it.

In slow motion for the rest of the scene, Ruby screamed as she started to glow completely with golden light. Billy and the Mind Flayer, so close to Ruby, were being burned and blinded by the light, screaming or roaring in pain.

Nadia flung her glowing purple psychic energy whip around Billy to pull him away from Ruby, wrapping her whip around him, which burned Billy a great deal more, as was the light coming from Ruby, which was just enough combined to burn the Mind Flayer part out of him.

Everyone was watching in complete shock, taking cover before Ruby's power exploded out of her, knowing it could have killed them too.

Ruby was on her knees, her arms held on either side of her, her head tilted back as she screamed as the light beam burst out of her body, shooting a super sized one right at the Mind Flayer, sending it flying back and stumbling weakly, burning into the Mind Flayer and making it roar in agony as it flailed, incinerating away piece by piece, her nose bleeding heavily.

∰

Field - Hilltop

Dustin, in slow motion, was shouting through the radio. "Close it now! Close it!"

∰

Russian Base - Underground

Also a slow motion scene, Joyce was trying to flip both the keys, looking out to Hailey, Niko, Hopper and Natasha as they were just finishing the rest of the Russians off.

Natasha and Hopper were still too close to the light ray key.

Hailey and Niko knew that if Joyce flipped it, that Natasha and Hopper could die, in denial, but both were completely spent that they couldn't use their powers. Hailey for the time being until she recharged, and Niko, time would only tell.

Hopper and Natasha knew, nodding for Joyce to go ahead, tears in their eyes.

Natasha was building up one of her biggest and strongest shields yet in hopes of it being enough to protect her and Hopper from death, since they knew that they needed to turn the keys now.

Joyce had tears in her eyes. 

Niko and Hailey started to cry, not being able to look, turning away while crying.

Joyce closed her eyes before turning the keys, and causing the light ray key to explode epically, though Natasha and Hopper weren't seen right next to it as they had just been.

With the key destroyed, the gate sealed back up.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

With the gate closed, the Mind Flayer started to flail around wildly, screeching in agony, falling dead.

Jonathan, Nancy, Steve, Robin, Lucas, Max, Will, Mike and Eleven all looked down over the railings, before they ran down to come to the first floor.

Ruby was no longer glowing with light, looking weak and lightheaded, dizzy and faint, her nose bleeding badly. She swayed for a moment before falling weakly on her side, in exhaustion, claw marks in her chest from the Mind Flayer's tentacle attaching itself to her chest, bleeding profusely, but not fatally.

Nadia let the psychic energy whip fade, releasing Billy, who was really burned from both the psychic energy, and Ruby's light, and the fireworks effecting him through the Mind Flayer, enough to where they had burned it out of him, but his skin was badly burned. Billy swayed for a moment before falling weakly on his side, exhausted and nearly dead from all the burns and everything that happened.

∰

Russian Base - Underground

Joyce, Hailey and Niko all turned to look at the destruction to find nothing but burned charcoal. Hailey and Niko were crying, holding each other in despair to comfort the other. Joyce watched them sadly in guilt, looking down, crying at the loss of two of her closest friends.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Food Court

Billy stumbled toward where Ruby laid on the floor recovering from what the Mind Flayer did to her, falling to his knees next to her. "Ruby?"

Ruby pushed herself up to her knees weakly. "Billy?"

Despite everything, they embraced each other, crying softly.

Max ran over to them, slowing to a stop. "Billy? Ruby?"

They both turned to look at her.

Billy looked between the two, swallowing heavily in guilt, apologizing not just for the deeds of the Flayed, but for the way he treated Max in the past before Ruby had started to help him with sanity. "I'm sorry."

Max walked closer to kneel next to Billy and Ruby and embrace the two. "You're okay. You're both okay."

∰

Russian Base - Underground

Joyce walked out to go get Hailey and Niko, all three crying.

Niko was also very angry, screaming out in despair. "No! Mama!"

Hailey cried harder at this reaction, putting her hand to Niko's shoulder. At first Niko resisted, but let Hailey pull him into an embrace as they cried and comforted each other.

Murray ran up to them. "Jim and Natasha? Where are Jim and Natasha?"

They continued to cry, leading Murray to realize. They turned to see more Russians running in, but knowing that none of them had the strength to fight off more, Murray, Joyce, Hailey and Niko started to run, with Joyce and Hailey helping Niko.

∰

Field - Hilltop

Dustin and Erica looked up at the sky, seeing a flock of helicopters flying toward the mall.

∰

Starcourt Mall - Outside

The helicopters landed outside the mall. All the people inside got out, revealing that it was Dr. Sam Owens and his team, arriving way too late.

∰

Inside - Russian Base - Entryway

Murray, Joyce and Hailey were helping Niko down the way. Hailey and Niko were still despaired.

"Are you okay?" Murray asked.

The soldiers burst in. "Hands up!"

"Don't shoot!" Murray told them. "American! We're Americans! Americans!"

He didn't bother to say that Niko wasn't one to keep his cover.

Owens and his team looked through the entire base but saw nothing, no one, since all the Russians were either gone or dead, no trace of Natasha or Hopper, and the gate was sealing closed with only a crack left in it.

∰

Outside

Outside, the fire trucks had arrived and people were clearing out the mall.

Joyce was looking around for both her sons, finding Will and Jonathan. Will saw their mother, running over to Joyce to embrace her. Jonathan walked over to embrace them as well.

Hailey was looking around for Steve, calling out for her brother. "Steve? Steve!"

Steve turned at the sound of her voice, turning to go to her. "Hailey?"

Hailey and Steve walked over to each other instantly, and Hailey started to cry again. Steve didn't know why, but instantly embraced her, not needing an explanation after everything she had already been through, but soon finding out the reason was so much more than about her.

Niko was looking around for Nadia and Eleven. "Nadia! Eleven! El? Nadia?"

Niko found Nadia and Eleven, walking over to them.

Nadia and Eleven walked closer to him in relief. "Niko."

Nadia had gotten her shoulder taken care of as well, and had a bandage over it. "Where's Mama?" 

"Where's Hop?" Eleven asked.

Niko started to cry again, shaking his head, causing Nadia and Eleven to realize, and both of them were in denial at first, but as the silent news set in, they started to cry, shaking their heads. Nadia, Niko and Eleven all embraced, crying, comforting each other.

(Song Ends)

∰

Three Months Later

News Broadcast

Man: (on broadcast) "Welcome to Hawkins, Indiana. A wonderful place to grow up, to raise your family, to walk your dog. But then, on July 4th, everything changed. A terrible tragedy struck this small town. But this was not this small town's first brush with tragedy." Pictures of Hopper, Natasha, Bob, Barb all popped up. "Mysterious deaths, government cover ups. A bizarre chemical leak. Is it all linked? All a vast conspiracy? The fault of a disgraced, corrupt mayor." A video of Larry getting arrested popped up. "Or is something more going on in the heartland?" A video of the "Welcome to Hawkins" sign with red spray paint "Hell" over Hawkins popped up. "Can a town itself be cursed? Some believe a rise in Satanism is to blame. To find out, tune in tonight at 8:00 PM, for 'Horror in the Heartland' on 'Cutting Edge'."

∰

Billy and Max's House - Billy's Room

Billy, still healing from the burns and wounds from three months before given that some of them were scarring, and some from psionic abilities, was recovering, starting to work out to build back up his strength.

Ruby walked in.  "What are you doing?"

Billy chuckled, scoffing softly. "Figures you'd walk in just in time to give me a lecture."

Ruby walked closer. "You're supposed to be recovering."

"It's been three months," Billy told her. "I'm recovered."

Ruby tilted her head. "Billy."

"Ruby," Billy replied. "I'm fine." He sat down. "Still kinda amazes me that you care so much after everything I did."

Ruby shook her head, walking closer, looking Billy in the eyes. "Don't." Billy looked at her, still feeling guilty and angry at what happened. "I know that you still feel guilty for everything. Don't do that."

"I remember everything, Ruby," Billy told her. "The Mind Flayer, what he made me do. I remember it all. The things that I did to you, to Max, to the others..."

Ruby reached out to take his hands. "It wasn't you. And it wasn't because of you. I know that. I believe that. You should too. I saw how scared you were. How much you hated to do what you were forced to do by that monster. You tried to fight it."

"Yeah, but it wasn't good enough," Billy replied.

Ruby sat down with him, facing him. "A lot of people tried to fight him, Billy. We all tried. And we put up a hell of a fight. But he wasn't inside of us like he was with you and Will. Both of you fought him, and both of you had to do things that he made you do, but we got you both free. That's all that matters."

"Really believe that?" Billy asked.

"Yeah," Ruby answered. "You fought him hard when he first got to you. That first night he got to me and you, when he possessed you, you didn't hurt me when he wanted you to. You took me back to my motel and left because you were trying not to hurt me. And the next day, you told me to stay away from you because you wanted to protect me."

"Yeah, and then I had to fight you and nearly kill you," Billy replied. "He literally beat the fight out of me."

"But you had enough fight in you for me to reach you with my power, and bring you back," Ruby countered. 

Billy chuckled dryly without humor. "Yeah. You save me by pulling me back, I stop the beast from killing you, and then you stop it from killing me, and then you and Nadia both burned it out of me."

"Exactly," Ruby agreed. "None of the Flayed can be held responsible for what they did because of the Mind Flayer. They didn't have a choice, and neither did you. But that's over now, okay?"

Billy reached out to take her hand, looking it over as if remembering the way it used to glow. "And you? After he bit you and caused you to lose control again, you lost your powers. Like Nadia, Niko and Eleven. And with Natasha gone, ironically, the only one left with powers is the one that got them three months ago. Hailey's lucky he didn't know about her powers or she would've been a target too, especially with her dark side."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "And Hailey doesn't have a 'finding' power like Nadia, Niko, El and I do... or did before we lost our powers. Otherwise we would be able to find Natasha with that power if Hailey had one."

Billy chuckled. "Yeah, your 'finding' power was getting into other people's heads basically."

Ruby smirked. "Kinda, yeah. And I spent my whole life not knowing that I had these powers, until last year. And then when I found out about them, I was scared that I could've hurt someone, until I realized that part of my power, was the sanity and madness power. And that I could make the craziness in my own head, and for someone like you, better and more happy. In fact, that power is the reason why I was able to get through to you and save you."

Billy shook his head. "I don't know, Ruby. With or without the sanity power, pretty sure you would've gotten through to me with what you said." They both managed small smiles. "What about now, now that your powers are gone?"

"If you had asked me when I was losing control, then I would've said good riddance because I couldn't control explosions of light coming out of my body," Ruby told him. "But if I was still in control... I miss them. I do. Mostly the sanity power so that I can help me and you again."

"Well, luckily, neither of us are having too much of a problem with the craziness now that the monster is gone and since you used that power on us a lot," Billy pointed out. "So much that I don't think craziness will be a problem for a while."

"And hopefully I get my powers back, and soon, so that in case it does get to be a problem again, I can fix it," Ruby told him.

Billy nodded in understanding, sighing heavily, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Ruby. The reason you lost your powers--"

"Is not because of you, so stop that," Ruby told him. They both managed small chuckles. "Even if you don't believe that you deserve my forgiveness, you already have it, because I know that what happened is not because of you. You just need to believe that." Billy nodded in understanding, sighing heavily, chuckling lightly. Ruby smiled a small smile, taking a deep breath. "I just got pissed and... probably the saddest I've ever been when we knew that he had you. And I was also the angriest, and we've both been plenty angry." Billy scoffed in agreement. "And I wasn't going to stop till we got you back. And sure as hell wasn't gonna let him kill you."

Billy managed a smirk that turned into a little smile. "Well, thank you. And I did try to protect you. Him going after you again after you got through to me, that was the angriest I got. Though seeing you and Nadia go head to head with him, and El and Niko. That was badass."

"You held him off with nothing but physical strength," Ruby pointed out. "That was badass, too." They smirked. "Speaking of, Niko and Nadia are going to be leaving soon. They don't believe Natasha is really dead, and they want to stay in hiding in case any more Russians come for them. And the Byers and El are moving. I promised I'd go over and help."

Billy nodded. "Go ahead. Pretty sure I'm not gonna be much help, and not sure if I'm welcome into your little group. Be way too weird right now."

They laughed lightly.

Ruby held his hand, running a finger over his skin. "Nadia and Niko are giving me their house. Since I don't have a place to stay, and since the cops are no longer looking for me since we got a cover story that Nadia said to the cops for me. I can stay in their house. And you and Max, you can come over with me. So that you can finally get away from your dick of a dad."

Billy nodded, looking away, scoffing. "Might have to a take you up on that. Not only did you save me from the monster that tried to get me to kill you, you're saving me from my dick of a dad."

"You saved me too," Ruby replied. "Never thought either of us could actually be feeling so much or so openly, did you?"

"No, I did not," Billy answered. "But it's a good feeling now. With you, I mean."

Ruby smiled a bit. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Never thought that two former psychos could find love. I'm not good with feelings or expressing them, but I think that much... that feeling... is obvious. Even for us."

Billy nodded in agreement. "Hell, yeah."

Billy and Ruby smiled and laughed lightly. They looked at each other for a moment that was filled with intense longing and relief, heated love. Billy put a hand to her cheek, kissing her passionately, intensely and heatedly. Ruby returned the kiss in kind, holding him close. They pulled away, looking at each other, smirking slight smiles.

∰

Family Video - Outside

Steve and Robin got out of Steve's car as they walked up to the video store, which was nearby the arcade.

Robin was looking at Robin's application. "You put your mom down as a reference?"

Steve shrugged. "Yeah. Why not? She's, like, super well-respected."

Steve opened the door.

Robin walked in. "You're such a dingus."

Steve walked in.

∰

Inside

Steve and Robin were talking to Keith for a job.

"Uh, just so we're clear, we weren't fired, you know," Robin told him. "The mall burned down and, like, killed a bunch of people."

"Thanks for sharing," Keith told them. "Didn't know." He snapped his fingers, pointing at Robin. "Three favorite movies. Go."

Robin had to think. "Uh, The Apartment, Hidden Fortress, Children of Paradise."

Keith pointed at Steve, snapping his fingers. "You, go."

"Favorite movies?" Steve asked.

"Did I stutter?" Keith asked.

"Uh, Animal House for sure," Steve answered. "Um..."

Steve looked away.

Keith snapped his fingers at him, pointing to his eyes. "Eyes on me, Harrington."

Steve looked up. "Uh, yeah, Star Wars."

"A New Hope?" Keith asked.

"A new what-now?" Steve asked.

"Which Star Wars?" Keith asked.

"The one with the teddy bears, duh," Steve replied, squealing like an Ewok. Robin sighed, hanging her head. "No? Uh, oh, the one that just came out. The movie that just came out. The one with the DeLorean and Alex P. Keaton, and he's trying to bang his mom. The time..." Keith looked disgusted. "Yeah, those are my top three. Classics."

Keith pointed at Robin. "You start Monday." He pointed at Steve. "You start never."

Steve looked away.

Robin looked at Steve. "Will you just, um, will you give us a minute?"

"Why?" Steve asked.

"Steve," Robin said. Steve walked away. "All right, you have to understand, Keith, I know his taste is a bit pedestrian, but the dingus has other qualities."

"He's a douchebag of the highest order, Robin," Keith told her.

"He was a bit of a prick to us in high school, I'll grant you that," Robin agreed. "But he remains... a total chick magnet."

"Yeah, okay, and this is relevant to me how?" Keith asked.

Robin gave him a look. "Uh, Earth to Keith. The ladies will come in just to see him. They'll come in in droves. Droves, Keith. We sold so much ice cream, they had to get a second shipment in from Michigan. Goddamn Michigan, Keith. And these ladies... these ladies are hot. They're so very hot. And there are too many of them for little Steve. He needs assistance. Not just for that, but because his parents cut him off, and he's taking care of his sister Hailey by himself. You know Hailey." Keith nodded. "They need your assistance, Keith."

Keith snacked on some chips. "What's in it for you? You got a thing for him or something?"

Steve knocked into a cardboard cut out of a woman in a bikini, knocking it over. "Goddamn it. This is--" He set it up. "Hmm."

"We're just, um, we're just friends," Robin answered. "He's actually the un-official boyfriend of one of my best friends."

Steve recognized the woman cut out. "Oh, Fast Times. Fast Times. Ever heard of it? Top three for me, Keith."

Robin laughed.

∰

Reed House - Outside

Hailey and Dustin walked up to the Reed House.

Dustin looked at Hailey. "You ready to say goodbye?"

Hailey shook her head. "Not at all. Steve's already here. He wanted to be here for Nadia. And I wanted to come to say goodbye too."

Dustin sighed sadly. "Yeah. I get it, Hailey. Nadia and Niko were your best friends before you and Niko became part of the party. And Nadia became friends with the rest of us too. I know it's hard, seeing them leave."

Hailey sighed sadly. "Yeah, it is. But I know that they have to go. I know that they're looking for Natasha and Hopper, and they need to stay on the move in case any other Russians from the homeland come to search for them. I hope that they're right, and I hope that Natasha and Hopper aren't really dead. It would make things so much better for all of us."

Dustin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it would. I know you were close with Natasha, too."

Hailey nodded sadly. "Yeah. And I don't want to say goodbye to Nadia and Niko, Dustin. I really don't. But I know we have to."

Dustin turned to face Hailey. "Think of it this way. At least, even when El, Nadia, Niko and Ruby lost their powers because of the bites from the Mind Flayer, for the last three months, they were able to help you learn how to control your powers."

Hailey scoffed softly. "Yeah, I'm the one that just got powers, and then El, Nadia, Niko and Ruby lost their powers because of the Mind Flayer, and Natasha is either missing or dead, so now I'm the only one with powers around here, and I can barely control the dark half of me."

Dustin reached out to take Hailey's hands in his. "Yeah, but I believe that you can completely control it one day. Even is El, Will, Jonathan and Joyce are moving, and even if Nadia and Niko are leaving to stay on the low in case any other Russians come, and to look for Natasha and Hopper, Ruby's still gonna be here to help you. And I can help you too, and Steve, and Mike, Max, Lucas..."

Hailey managed a small smile, twining their fingers together. "You do help, Dustin. You and Steve, you help me more than anyone else outside of Nadia, Niko, El and Ruby. Even Mike, Lucas and Max, even though they keep taunting us about the you sang to me, they help too."

Dustin nodded. "Yeah, well, that's because Lucas and Max are dicks." Hailey laughed. Dustin smiled at the fact he got her to laugh. "Well, don't worry. We won't stop being okay, Hailey. Things are gonna get better."

Hailey looked at him curiously for a moment, taking a deep breath. "About the day you sang... I never talked about what it made me feel. I mean, besides embarrassment because I knew that Mike, Lucas and Max were gonna taunt us so bad." Dustin smiled. "It was a very dark night for me, Dustin. One of the darkest, if not the darkest. For all of us, even. But when you sang... even though I knew the taunting that would follow... I couldn't help but be relieved that some of the lightness was still there. And I totally would've killed you for the taunting alone that followed..." They laughed. "But in honesty, even in all the darkness, it made me feel like we could get back to some kind of happiness and light again."

Dustin nodded reassuringly. "And we will, Hailey. I promise. And I'm glad that you felt that way. I wanna make sure that you do feel that way. I wanna be there for you. Because I love you."

Hailey smiled, not surprised, but content and happy for the first time in a while, nodding. "I love you, too, Dustin."

Hailey and Dustin looked at each other for a moment, happy despite all they had been through, kissing slowly and passionately.

∰

Inside - Nadia's Room

Nadia and Steve were packing up Nadia's room and the rest of the house with Niko and Ruby's help.

Steve turned to look at Nadia, sighing. "You're really going."

Nadia nodded. "Yeah. Niko and I don't believe that they're really gone, Steve. Mama and Hopper."

Steve nodded knowingly. "You don't want to believe that they're gone, and I get it. And I know that you and Niko have to lay low in case any other Russians come looking for you, so you have to go."

Nadia sighed sadly. "I'm just sad to go. I mean... Hawkins was the first place that ever really felt like home. And I never thought that I would find a place that would feel like home. Friends that are more like family. Even a party full of kids running around calling us their parents." They chuckled. "I don't want to lose this. Or you, Steve."

Steve nodded in understanding, walking closer. "Well, you don't have to. I know that you gotta go, Nadia. And I know that without your powers, and Niko, El and Ruby being without their powers too, it's hard for all of you. Especially since all four of you have finding powers, and now you can't use them. And Hailey has powers but not a finding people/thing power or we would've found out for sure by now if they were really gone. But whatever happens out there, with you and Niko, searching answers for Natasha and Hopper... just know that you'll always have a family here."

Nadia looked at Steve, impressed, touched, smiling. "You really did change from that total asshole."

"And you really did change from the ice cold bitch loner that didn't feel anything despite the fact she's an empath," Steve replied.

They chuckled.

Nadia sighed deeply. "And even though El, Niko, Ruby and I didn't have powers while trying to help Hailey how to control her powers for the last three months..."

Steve nodded knowingly. "You still didn't your best. And you've all done great, considering. And I know that you have to go. I'm just sad to see you go."

"Yeah," Nadia whispered sadly.

Steve moved his head to keep her gaze with his. "But you're not gonna lose me, either."

They managed small smiles, looking at each other sadly, knowing that she had to leave soon. Steve started to walk toward the door.

Nadia hesitated for only a second, turning after him. "Steve?"

Steve turned back. "Yeah?"

Nadia took a deep breath. "That day, when we were fighting for our lives..."

Steve smirked. "Which time?"

Nadia smirked, chuckling. "Right. No kidding. I meant in the mall, when I was fighting the Mind Flayer, and Mike, Max, Lucas and Will called me the Demo slayer again. And El and Nancy and Jonathan and Robin were with you guys. And they might have said something about what you said."

Steve looked very nervous, trying to pretend he didn't remember what he said because he didn't know what Nadia would say. "Right. Um, yeah. Uh, could you refresh my memory, because I don't..."

Nadia raised her eyebrows skeptically, knowingly, giving Steve an amused look. "'I'm in love with Wonder Woman'."

Steve nodded, even more nervous. "Oh, that. Yeah, now I remember. Um... it's okay. You don't have to say anything. I mean, you're about to leave, and I know that you aren't really the most open. Nadia, I'm--"

Nadia silenced Steve with a kiss passionately, much to his surprise, as they kissed for a moment longer, as Steve reached up to touch her cheek and Nadia wrapped her arms around his neck. Finally, they pulled away.

Nadia chuckled, shaking her head. "I didn't think it was possible... but I love you too."

Steve and Nadia chuckled sadly, looking at each other with some happiness even given the darkness in their lives, continuing to kiss passionately.

∰

Niko's Room

Niko was looking around his closet, which was mostly empty, looking for anything he might have missed or needed for the journey.

Will walked in, clearly affected by seeing the now pretty much empty room. "Wow."

Niko turned to look at him. "Yeah, feels weird to me too."

"You should see my house," Will told him. "This is really happening, huh?"

Niko sighed, nodding, walking closer. "Still can't believe it."

They sat on the bed.

"So..." Will trailed off.

"I hate this," Niko admitted.

"I know," Will sighed. "Me too."

Niko shook his head, his voice breaking. "Every single place in this house or this town reminds me of her. It's just... so hard."

Will put his arms around Niko, letting Niko lay his head on his shoulder. "You can't lose hope. Natasha is like the textbook definition of a survivor. She has to be out there."

Niko chuckled at that, crying a little, looking up at him. "God, I'm gonna miss your hopefulness."

"God, don't say things like that," Will told him, tears in his eyes. "It's gonna make this so much harder."

"I hope you don't just go around and fall in love with some new boy in your school who doesn't turn out to be a psionic super spy who set things on fire with his mind," Niko told him.

"What would I like about him, then?" Will asked. "Plus, doubt anyone else would do an exorcism on me."

Niko managed a smirk. "Good answer. And you're right. I did that, and yet you still question the first time I told you I love you. It was kinda obvious."

Will tilted his head, since Jonathan had said the same thing. "Oh, come on. Not you too. No, it doesn't mean that."

"Yeah, it does," Niko told him.

"Shut up," Will told him. They exchanged a look, laughing a little. "And I hope you don't just fall in love with some cute spy boy who tries to seduce you."

Niko nodded. "I'll tell him my heart belongs to the most beautiful boy in the world."

"And then you'll kill him," Will stated, knowing Niko too well.

Niko smiled as how well Will knew him. "And then I'll kill him."

Will took his hands with his. "You know, I command you to visit me, okay? Not a choice, okay?"

"Good, because I want to," Niko told him. "I got something for you."

"Another ring?" Will asked. "I'm starting to think you wanna ask me something."

Niko scoffed a laugh at that. "Keep dreaming. We both know you'll ask me first."

Will chuckled. "I would, yeah."

Niko took out a watch. "It's a spy watch. I got it from one of Mama's contacts." He wrapped it around Will's wrists. "It's a communicator. You push this button one time, and it'll let mine..." He showed Will his own watch. "Know you wanna talk to me, and the other one is for emergencies, so push it and I would come save you, okay?"

Will nodded, as both were getting more emotional, knowing that they both had to leave soon. "Okay. You're gonna get so tired of me, I promise."

Niko smiled with tears in his eyes. "Not possible."

"Niko," Nadia called.

"Almost done," Niko called back.

Will and Niko exchanged a look, sighing sadly, tears in their eyes.

"So..." Will trailed off.

"I don't know how to say goodbye to you," Niko confessed, tears falling.

Will's tears fell. "Me neither. Let's not make it a goodbye, then, okay? We're going back for each other, right?"

"Right," Niko answered. "Always."

"Always," Will agreed. They took each other by the hands. "This isn't worst than the time I went missing in the Upside Down."

"Or got possessed," Niko added.

"And you came back for me and you saved me," Will told him.

Niko nodded. "I'll always save you."

Will smiled sadly through the tears. "I love you, Nikolai."

Niko returned the smile through his own tears. "I love you, too, William."

They looked at each other, leaning in to kiss passionately, sweetly and sadly. 

∰

Living Room

Hailey, Dustin and Ruby were helping move stuff.

"How's Billy doing?" Hailey asked.

"Healing from both of us nearly dying three months ago, repeatedly," Ruby answered. "Don't worry. He's recovering. And even though I lost my powers and can't use my sanity power to help either of us... we're not doing as bad as we were before. And Billy and Max are starting an actual relationship that is good since they understand and respect each other now. And things are kinda better, even given everything."

Dustin smiled. "That's good."

Nadia, Steve, Niko and Will walked downstairs.

"That is good," Nadia agreed. "Happy for you, Ruby. I didn't know if we could save Billy, but we did, and I'm glad that we did."

"Yeah, us too," Niko agreed.

Ruby looked up at Nadia and Niko in shock. "I can't believe you two are practically giving me this house to live in when you go."

Nadia and Niko smiled, while Hailey, Dustin, Steve and Will chuckled.

"Well, that's because you don't have another place to stay, permanently yet anyway, and the cops aren't looking for you anymore," Niko told her. "We covered up with what happened in your motel room, the restaurant and the pools, and the mall. They think it's all from the people who started the fire at the mall that killed everyone, including the arson themselves."

"And they believed that?" Will asked skeptically.

"Powell and Callahan are idiots who would believe practically anything we told them," Nadia told them.

They all laughed.

Hailey walked over to Nadia and Niko. "I'm really gonna miss you two."

Nadia and Niko smiled sadly at Hailey as the three shared an embrace.

"We're gonna miss you too, Hailey," Niko told her.

"Don't worry," Nadia told her. "You're gonna be okay."

"Yeah, Ruby's gonna stay here and help you with your powers even if she can't use hers right now," Niko agreed.

"And you have Steve, Dustin and everyone else to help you keep control, even if El, Niko, Will, Jonathan, Joyce and I might not be here," Nadia told her. "El and the Byers might be moving, and Nikolai and I might be leaving to find Mama and Hopper, and to make sure more Russians don't find us and put all of you in danger again... but you're going to be just fine, Hailey."

Hailey took a shaky breath, nodding. "If you say so."

"We know so," Niko answered. "You're still Hailey freaking Harrington."

They all chuckled.

Ruby put an arm around Hailey reassuringly. "You're badass without powers so you don't have to rely on them, but the more you practice, the more that they can't control you, and neither can Dark Hailey."

Hailey nodded, a little reassured.

Dustin looked at Hailey pointedly. "I told you."

Hailey smirked. "Shut up, Dustin."

They chuckled again.

Steve patted Niko and Will on the shoulders. "We're gonna miss you guys."

"I'll even miss you, Steve," Niko told him.

Hailey embraced Will. "Gonna miss you too, Will."

Will returned the embrace. "I'll miss you too, Hailey. This house is practically all packed up. We need to go finish packing up mine."

"Yep," Niko agreed sadly. "Let's go."

They all looked at each other sadly, moving the remaining things out of the house so they could go over to the Byers house.

∰

Byers House -Outside

Jonathan and Nancy were moving a bed out of the house.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down," Jonathan told her.

"Sorry," Nancy apologized. "Sorry. Still got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jonathan answered.

They moved the bed into a U-haul truck. There was a for sale sign in the front yard.

∰

Inside - Living Room

The party, Steve, Nadia and even Ruby were helping the Byers back up.

Lucas and Max were sitting in the living room, across the room from Dustin and Hailey, singing to tease them. "Turn around / Look at what you see..." Hailey and Dustin were both really annoyed. "In her face / The mirror of your dreams / Rhymes that keep their secrets / Will unfold behind the clouds."

"Wait, did we get that verse right?" Max asked. "It's 'unfold behind the clouds'?"

"Yeah," Dustin answered. "But you're butchering it, so could you please stop?"

"So then join in, Dustin," Lucas told him mockingly, blowing an air kiss. "If not for Hailey."

"Yeah, come on, Dustin, why don't you join us?" Max asked. "Hey, Hailey, you can join in, too."

"You guys are so funny, you should be on Carson," Hailey told them sarcastically.

"Can't we just hear a rendition with both of you?" Max asked.

"No," Hailey answered.

Max tilted her head back pleadingly. "Please? Just one verse?"

"No," Hailey answered. "No way. I suck at singing. And before you guys bring out Dark Hailey, you wanna stop?"

Lucas and Max exchanged a look, as if asking each other if they wanted to stop, but deciding that they wanted to keep at it, starting to sing again. "Turn around." Lucas danced around, snapping his fingers, pointing at Dustin and Hailey with finger guns. "Look at what you see." Dustin and Hailey flipped them off. Max and Lucas started clapping. "In her face." Hailey waved her middle finger around in all directions. "The mirror of your dreams."

"Shut up, you guys," Hailey told them.

Lucas and Max continued. "Rhymes that keep their secrets."

"Stop!" Dustin complained. "You guys, please, shut up."

∰

Hallway

Niko was helping with more boxes, seeing that Will was putting his D&D books into a donation box. "Whoa. Whoa, that's the donation box."

"I know," Will told him. "I'll just use Mike's when we come back. I mean, if we still wanna play."

"Yeah," Niko agreed. "But what if you want to join another party?"

Will shook his head. "Not possible."

They both chuckled.

∰

Jonathan's Room

Jonathan and Nancy walked into Jonathan's room, standing in the doorway as they looked at the bare room.

Nancy crossed her arms. "Is that... everything?"

"I guess so," Jonathan answered, walking into the empty room, placing his hands on his hips as he looked around. "17 years of my life, packed up in one day."

Nancy walked up behind Jonathan, wrapping her arms around him. "What if I just... don't let you go?"

Jonathan managed a small smile, turning to face her. "I think the new owners might kick us out."

Nancy held Jonathan's hands in hers. "You could stay in our basement."

"Your dad would love that," Jonathan said sarcastically, but softly to where the sarcasm was barely noticeable.

Nancy twined her fingers through his. "We could hide you in a tent, like El."

They were both emotional, hating to have to say goodbye. Nancy was almost crying.

Jonathan leaned his head against hers. "Hey. It's gonna be okay." He raised their hands, still twined. "As a wise man once said... we've got shared trauma."

Jonathan was tracing the scar on Nancy's hand, which matched his own.

"So what's a little more, right?" Nancy asked.

Jonathan chuckled softly, kissing her hand. "What's a little more."

Jonathan cupped Nancy's cheek, as they kissed tenderly and passionately, wrapping each other in an embrace, holding on tightly.

∰

Another Room

Eleven had been staying here after Hopper and Natasha had disappeared. She was packing her things, seeing a teddy bear on the top shelf of her closet, which she couldn't reach. She tried to reach, but gave up, backing away, hesitantly reaching out a hand, trying to use her powers to bring the bear down, but unable to use her powers.

Mike walked in. "They'll come back. I know they will."

Mike grabbed the bear for Eleven, handing it to her.

"Thanks," Eleven told him.

"You packed your walkie, right?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Eleven answered.

"Because you know that I'm gonna steal Cerebro from Dustin and call you so much, you're gonna have to turn it off, right?" Mike asked.

They both chuckled.

"Did you talk to your mom?" Eleven asked. "About Thanksgiving?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got the okay. I'll be there. And then I was thinking maybe you could come up here for Christmas. And Will, too. Hopefully Niko and Nadia too. You can come before or after Christmas, or whatever Mrs. Byers wants, but I was thinking Christmas Day could be super fun, because we'd all have cool new presents to play with and, uh... sorry, that made me sound like a 7 year old."

Eleven shrugged. "I like presents too."

Mike smiled. "Yeah, cool. Yeah. I like--I like presents, too."

Eleven nodded. "Cool." She walked past Mike, before turning to face him. "Mike?"

Mike turned to face her. "Yeah?"

Eleven sighed. "Remember that day, at the cabin, you were talking to Max, Ruby, Will, Jonathan, Nancy and Lucas?"

"I don't think I follow," Mike admitted.

"You talked about your--your feelings, your heart," Eleven clarified.

Mike realized what she meant. "Oh. Oh, yeah, that. Man, that was so long ago. Um... that was really heat of the moment stuff, and we were arguing, and... I don't really remember... what did I say, exactly?"

"Mike..." Eleven trailed off, walking closer, cupping his cheek. "I love you too."

Mike smiled in relief. They kissed sweetly, before Eleven turned around, walking out of the room.

∰

Living Room

Nadia and Niko had come to talk to Eleven and help the Byers and Eleven pack up to move, and to say goodbye of their own. Nadia was holding a letter.

Eleven walked in. "Hi, Nadia. Hi, Niko."

"Hey, El," they said sadly.

"I know you want to leave with the Byers, and that's okay," Niko assured. "We want you to be happy, to be with a happy family. We came to say goodbye, and give you this, since we're leaving, too. To see if Mama and Hopper are really gone."

Nadia held up a letter.

"What is that?" Eleven asked.

"One of the things at the station that belonged to Mama and Hopper," Nadia answered. "Callahan and Powell gave us their things. This looks like a letter. It's written in Mama's handwriting, but it's worded like it's from Hopper. She mentioned that she was trying to help him write a speech for you and Mike."

"Speech?" Eleven repeated.

Niko nodded. "Yeah, you know, heart to heart. He never talked to you, did he?"

Eleven shook her head. "Can I read?" Nadia nodded, handing the letter to Eleven. Nadia and Niko both turned to leave. Eleven reached out to stop them. "Do you want to read?" They turned back. "If Natasha helped Hop write it..."

(Song:) Deep - Peter Sandberg

Nadia and Niko nodded. They sat down with Eleven on the couch, so they could read.

Hopper: (voice over) "There's something I've been wanting to talk to you both about. I know this is a difficult conversation, but I care about you both very much."

∰

Flashback

Day - Police Station - Hopper's Office

Natasha was helping Hopper write the speech.

Hopper was trying to memorize what to say, putting a cigarette in his mouth. "And I know that you care about each other very much." Natasha took the cigarette out of Hopper's mouth, putting it on the desk. Hopper was so used to that he didn't even complain or give Natasha a look anymore. Hopper peaked at the letter. "And that's why it's important that we set these boundaries moving forward, so we can build an environment... where we all feel... comfortable... trusted... and open... to sharing our feelings."

Natasha put the letter down, hiding it from his view. "No peaking."

"Natasha," Hopper complained.

"Hop," Natasha replied. "You got this."

"This doesn't even sound like me, Nat, it sounds like you, because these are basically your words," Hopper told her.

"All right, then, tell me what you feel about the situation, about El, about it all, and I'll help you put it into the words that are right from you," Natasha told him. "We can do this, Jim."

Hopper nodded in agreement, before going into explanation to explain everything to Natasha, so that Natasha could write it in the letter, using Hopper's speech, in more easily understood sentences and words to help him with the letter.

Hopper: (voice over) "Feelings."

∰

Now

Day - Byers House - Outside

Nadia, Niko, Eleven, Will and Jonathan were all saying goodbye to Hailey, Ruby, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, Steve and Nancy.

Crying, Will embraced Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Hailey and Max in turn. 

Nadia, Nancy and Jonathan shared an embrace.

Hailey, Max and Eleven embraced each other tightly.

Hopper: (voice over) "For so long, I'd forgotten what those even were."

Niko embraced Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Hailey and Max in turn as well.

Nadia and Ruby embraced.

Hopper: (voice over) "I've been stuck in one place, in a cave, you might say. A deep, dark cave."

Eleven embraced Dustin and Lucas, before she, Nadia and Niko shared an embrace.

Joyce was standing by her U-haul, watching everyone say goodbye.

Hopper: (voice over) "And then, I left some Eggos out in the woods, and you came into my life and..."

Hailey, Nadia and Niko embraced tightly.

Niko and Will gave Ruby a hug, surprising her but she returned the hug.

Hopper: (voice over) "For the first time in a long time..."

Steve/Nadia, Mike/Eleven, Will/Niko and Nancy/Jonathan were sharing tearful embraces and kisses goodbye.

Hopper: (voice over) "I started to feel things again. I started to feel happy."

The entire party all gave Nadia and Steve a hug since they called them the parents, surprising them, but Nadia and Steve returned the embraces, all sad to have to part ways.

Joyce and Eleven were in the Byers moving truck, with Joyce's car attached at the end. Jonathan and Will were in Jonathan's car. Nadia and Niko got into their U-haul, with Nadia's car attached at the end. They all started to drive away as Nancy, Mike, Steve, Hailey/Dustin (in each other's arms), Ruby, Max/Lucas (in each other's arms) watched them go.

Hopper: (voice over) "But lately, I guess I've been feeling... distant from you. Like you're... you're pulling away from me or something."

∰

Hopper's Cabin

There was a slow pan to show the destroyed cabin from the fight with the Mind Flayer.

Hopper: (voice over) "I miss playing board games every night, making triple decker Eggo extravaganzas at sunrise, watching westerns together before we doze off."

∰

On the Road

In the Byers's U-Haul, Joyce was driving. Eleven was in the passenger seat, looking out the window, crying.

Hopper: (voice over) "But I know you're getting older. Growing."

∰

Byers House - Outside

Steve, Hailey and Dustin got into Steve's car, driving away. Nancy got into her car, driving away. Ruby got onto her motorcycle, driving away. Max and Lucas got onto their bikes, riding away. Mike got onto his bike, hesitating before he left, looking back at the house, before riding away.

Hopper: (voice over) "Changing. And I guess, if I'm being really honest, that's what scares me."

∰

On the Road

In Jonathan's car, Jonathan was driving, looking at Will sadly in the passenger seat, who was looking out of the window and crying.

Hopper: (voice over) "I don't want things to change."

∰

Wheeler House - Kitchen

Mike walked into his kitchen, toward Karen. Seeing that Mike was upset at Nadia, Niko, Will, Jonathan and Eleven having to leave, Karen walked over to embrace him.

Hopper: (voice over) "So, I think maybe that's why I came in here, to try to maybe... stop that change. To turn back the clock. To make things go back to how they were."

∰

On the Road

In Nadia and Niko's U-Haul, Nadia was driving. Niko was in the passenger seat. They were both so upset at not knowing if their mother was alive or not, and leaving their friends to go look for them, having to stay low to protect them and themselves. They looked at each other sadly. Nadia reached out to take Niko's hands. When Niko couldn't hear Nadia's thoughts, and when Nadia couldn't feel Niko's feelings, they were even more upset because they knew that they didn't have their powers to help them on top of everything.

Hopper: (voice over) "But I know that's naive. It's just... not how life works."

The Byers's U-Haul, Jonathan's car, and Nadia and Niko's U-Haul were driving out of Hawkins, going their separate ways. Niko and Will, in their two vehicles, turned back to try and see each other as they were parting ways, crying, as Nadia and Jonathan looked at them sadly in sympathy.

Hopper: (voice over) "It's moving. Always moving, whether you like it or not."

∰

Former Reed House / Ruby's House - Living Room

Ruby walked toward Billy, as they were both recovering from what happened three months before. They looked at each other sadly but contently since they were still alive and now together, and in some ways, better than before, even with losing so much.

Hopper: (voice over) "And, yeah, sometimes it's painful. Sometime's it's sad."

Max walked over to Ruby and Billy. They all smiled small smiles, chuckling, as Ruby and Max embraced, and Max reached out to take Billy's hand.

∰

Sinclair House - Hallway

Lucas had brought a box of donations from the Byers and the Reeds to Erica.

Hopper: (voice over) "And sometimes... it's surprising. Happy."

Erica started to go through the box, seeing Will's D&D books, picking one up.

Hopper: (voice over) "So you know what? Keep on growing up, kid. Don't let me stop you."

∰

Flashback

Day - Police Station - Hopper's Office

Natasha read the rest of the letter that she and Hopper had written. "Make mistakes, learn from them, and when life hurts you, because it will..."

∰

Now

Day - Byers House - Living Room

Back to before everyone left, Eleven, Nadia and Niko were still reading the letter, crying because they saw and recognized the words that came from both Hopper and Natasha.

Natasha: (voice over) "Remember the hurt. The hurt is good. It means you're out of that cave."

∰

Flashback

Day - Police Station - Hopper's Office

Hopper nodded. "That's good, that's good." He pointed at Natasha, leaning closer to look at the letter. "But add this part. 'But, please, if you don't mind, for the sake of your poor old dad...'"

Natasha wrote the words.

∰

Now

Day - Byers House - Living Room

Eleven, Nadia and Niko were reading the letter, crying.

Hopper: (voice over) "Keep the door open three inches." 

(Song Ends)

(Song:) Heroes - Peter Gabriel

Eleven, Nadia and Niko couldn't help but laugh, before crying again. Nadia looked between Eleven and Niko as they looked at each other sadly, wrapping her arms around either of them. Eleven and Niko returned the embrace.

∰

Flashback

Day - Police Station - Hopper's Office

Natasha put the pen down once they finished the letter. Hopper and Natasha looked at each other and smiled.

∰

Now

Day - Byers House - Living Room

Joyce went to talk to Eleven, Nadia and Niko after they read the letter and were embracing, looking at them sadly. "Are you okay?"

They nodded, wiping their tears away.

"Yeah," Nadia answered.

"Time to go?" Eleven asked.

Joyce nodded sadly. "Yeah."

Niko sighed heavily. "We'll be out in a minute."

Joyce nodded, leaving to give them a moment. "Okay."

Eleven, Nadia and Niko took a moment to pull themselves together, looking at each other sadly, standing. Eleven folded the letter and held it close, putting it in her pocket.

∰

Outside

Everyone walked outside, to where all the goodbyes and the embraces would happen, before everyone left.

∰

Inside

Joyce paused in front of the door, turning to look at her empty, old house, having to say goodbye, looking near tears, turning around, walking out of the house, closing the door behind her.

∰

Flash Forward

Kamchatka, Russia

Night - Russian Prison - Hallway

Two guards were walking through the corridor toward a prison cell.

Guard 1 shook his head at Guard 2 when he stopped at a cell, speaking in Russian. "No, no, not the American."

Guard 2 went to the next cell, unlocking it, opening it.

The Russia prisoner backed away in fear, speaking in Russian. "No, I'm begging you. No, don't!" As the prisoner continued to plead and beg for them not to do this, the two guards grabbed the prisoner, dragging him out of his cell, down the corridor, throwing him into a cage chamber, running out, closing and locking the door. The prisoner tried to get out. "Don't leave me in here! Let me out. I'm innocent. I'm innocent! I'm begging you, please!"

The guards used a wheel handle to open a door in the cage chamber.

A Demogorgon made his way out of his cage, into the cage chamber, smelling his dinner in the form of the prisoner in front of him, stalking closer, standing up, opening his face and jaw up wide, lunging forward to feed on the prisoner, as he screamed for mercy and his life, but would not be able to escape his fate.