Galaxies Apart (Marvel X Stranger Things) ON HOLD

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Dakota's POV

My legs went out from under me as Vecna returned me to the real world and Steve caught me before I hit the ground.

"Hey, hey, you're okay, Dakota you're safe now." He said softly, holding me in his arms as I was gasping for breath and trembling in fear.

"Dakota! Are you okay?" I heard Wanda yell. "Steve, is she okay?"

I let out a strangled sob and clung onto Steve, afraid he'd leave me alone and Vecna would get me again.

"We're going to die, we're all going to die!"

-

I looked down at the ground, refusing to meet anyone's eye as they all stared at me, waiting for me to continue telling them what Vecna had showed me.

"He showed me things that haven't happened yet. The most awful things..." I whispered and Wanda squeezed my hand. "There was a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. And this... this giant creature with a gaping mouth. And this creature wasn't alone. There were so many monsters, an army. And they were coming into Hawkins, into our neighborhoods, our homes."

I looked up and locked eyes with Steve. An image of his dead body flashed through my mind and I quickly looked away.

"And...that's it."

I could feel Wanda's gaze on me, she knew I was lying, but I wasn't about to tell the group that I saw their deaths, now was I?

"Is that all?" Wanda pried.

"H-He showed me four gates." I said, remembering something else. "They were spreading across Hawkins, and these gates, they looked like the one outside of Eddie's trailer but they didn't stop growing. And this wasn't the Upside Down Hawkins, this was our Hawkins."

I looked around the group and they were all staring at the ground, a sorrow, and worried expression on their faces.

"Four chimes..." Max spoke up and we all turned to look at her. "It always chimes four times."

"What does?" Wanda asked.

"Vecna's clock." She said. "Four times exactly."

I nodded. "I heard them too."

Max shook her head in disbelief. "He's been telling us his plan this whole time."

"Four kills equals four gates..." I chuckled and everyone stared at me weirdly. "That bastard."

"He's only one kill away." Dustin said and everyone started freaking out.

"Try the Byers again, try them again." Steve told Max and she headed over to the phone.

"Anything?" Lucas asked and she shook her head.

"No, it rang four times, then went to a busy signal."

"Maybe you punched it wrong, try again." Nancy told her.

"I didn't punch it in wrong."

"Well, then-"

"I think she knows how to use a phone." I snapped, cutting Nancy off.

"I'm just saying she could've punched it in wrong." She said defensively and I rolled my eyes.

Max sighed and left the phone. "Same shit."

"How is this possible?" Lucas asked.

I sighed and leaned back on the couch, closing my eyes as they all argued about what to do with our situation.

"But first, I have to end you." Vecna's previous words rang through my head and I stood up.

"We need to go back. Back to the Upside Down." I said and everyone immediately disagreed.

"Let's think this through." Wanda told me and I made a face.

"What is there to think through?"

"We barely made it out of there in one piece!"

"Because we weren't prepared!" I told her. "Wanda you can bend reality to your will, you created a whole damn-"

"No." She said firmly. "I-I can't... I've already caused too many problems with that."

"But this will save us!" I yelled. "We'll get weapons, protection, and we'll go through the  gate, go to his liar and we'll kill him."

"Or he'll kill us!" She said switching to Sokovian. "The only reason you survived is because he wanted you to. You think I don't know what he told you? I'm a damn mind reader Dakota, and I will not let you endanger yourself to save a world you don't even belong in! I didn't come here to stay..." she told me. "I came here for you. I came to take you home, where you belong."

"But this is my home." I told her. "We both know I don't belong in your universe, my home is here Wands."

"No, your home is with me!" She yelled.

"Wanda, you will always be my sister." I said softly. "But Earth 616 needs you, and these guys need me. I'll be right here, always."

Wanda inhaled sharply and went to say something but was cut off by Robin. "Sorry to interrupt this, uh, seemingly important conversation, but we got bigger fish to fry right now, and could you maybe talk in a language we can all understand."

I nodded. "We know, and we have a plan."

"Dakota-" Wanda started again but I cut her off and started explaining to the group that since Eleven and Vecna are the same, we know his weakness. Whenever he goes after his target, his physical body is unguarded and not able to defend itself while killing and that's when we can strike and end him.

"It's a good plan..." Nancy said. "But we don't know when he's going to attack next, or even who he's going to attack."

"Yeah, we do." Max said. "I can still feel him, I'm still marked. Cursed. I ditch Kate Bush, I draw his focus back to me."

"Max..." Lucas looked at her, a pleading look on his face. "You can't. He'll kill you."

"I survived before, I can survive again." She said and I shook my head.

"No, you're not doing it."

"Dakota-"

"I'll do it."

"WHAT?" Wanda and Steve exclaimed.

"Vecna's cursed me too, and Max still has her whole life ahead of her-"

"So do you!"

"Yes, but I'm powered, I can hold him off longer than she can."

"Yeah, I'm not letting you." Max told me. "I'm going to do it."

"No you're not." I said sternly.

"What if both of you are bait?" Erica suggested and everyone turned to look at her. "Let Vecna choose, he'll have to decide between them and maybe, this will give us more time. Maybe."

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard." Wanda said.

"But it'll give you guys enough time to get to that attic and chop his head off. Or stab him through the heart, or blow him up with whatever explosive Dustin cooks up." I looked at Max and she nodded. "As long as you guys put that asshole in his grave, we don't care how you do it."

"We're not doing this." Wanda shook her head and looked around at the group. "We're not actually doing this, right?"

No one said anything so she turned to look at Steve who looked conflicted with the whole plan we just made. He looked at me and I nodded, showing him we could do this.

"Where do we start?"