The group added three new members Joyce, Hopper, and Murray.
They were all together near the fountain except for Murray, he had left somewhere, but Julia didn't pay full attention to know where he was.
El was next to Hopper, resting, while Julia was sitting down next to Robin. She focused on her breathing every time she felt a sharp pain. Steve's hand that was on her back moved in a circular motion to ease the discomfort.
"The Mind Flayer built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, to kill her, and pave a way into our world," Mike explained as the group stood near each other in a half circle.
"And it almost did. That was just one tiny piece of it."
"How big is this thing?" Hopper asked the kids since they had already fought it.
"It's big," responded Jonathan, his hands by his side, Nancy standing next to him, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Thirty feet, at least."
"It sorta destroyed your cabin," added Lucas. Hopper exhaled and lightly shook his head, "Sorry," whispered Lucas apologetically.
"Okay, so, just to be clear, this big fleshy spider thing that hurt El. It's some kind of gigantic weapon?" Steve asked, sitting next to Julia, his hand never moving from her back.
"Yes."
"But instead of, like, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon with melted people," he continued to ask, wanting to make sure he was following along. Julia nodded, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Are we sure this thing is still out there, still alive?" Joyce asked from across Steve and Julia.
"El beat the shit out of it, but, yeah, it's still alive," the young redhead with two braids responded.
"But if we close the gate again," Will started by saying. "We cut the brain off from the body and kill it," Max added.
"Theoretically," Lucas said, looking at the two adults.
"Yoo-hoo! Yoo-hoo!" Murray said loudly, moving pieces of papers above his head. He was wearing a white tank top and jean shorts.
He walked to where the others were and placed the papers on a table nearby.
"Okay, this is what Alexei called 'the hub'" the papers were the blueprints of the Russian underground facility.
"Okay, where's the gate?" Hopper asked, standing next to Murray. The group had moved to be closer to the adults.
Murray pointed to the edge of the piece of paper. "I don't know the scale on this, but I think it's fairly close to the vault room, maybe 50 feet or so," he explained, moving his finger across the paper.
"More like 500," Erica responded, walking toward the adults. Erica had her hands on her hips as she continued, "What, you're just gonna waltz in there like it's commie Disneyland or something?"
Hopper didn't say anything but lifted his eyebrows slightly, "I'm sorry, who are you," the man with big glasses asked, leaning on the table.
"Erica Sinclair. Who are you," the young girl said confidently.
He was hesitant for a second, then responded, "Murray Bauman."
"Listen, Mr. Bunman," she emphasized the last name. "I'm not trying to tell you how to do things, but I've been down in that shithole for 24 hours. And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die," she said, pointing at the rest of the group.
Murray straightened up, "I'm sorry, why is this four-year-old speaking to me," he asked, annoyed.
"Um, I'm ten, you bald bastard!"
"Erica," Lucas scolded his younger sister. "Just the facts!" She responded to her older brother, who didn't know what she went through with his annoying friends.
Dustin agreed and said, "You're all gonna die, but you don't have to." Dustin walked to the table where the blueprints were, "Okay, see this room here? This is a storage facility" he pointed to a part of the blueprint and circled it with a pencil.
"There's a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system. That will lead you to the base of the weapon."
He moved the pencil diagonally, "It's a bit of a maze down there, but between me and Erica, we can show you the way," he explained, looking at Hopper and Murray.
Erica nodded, "You can show us the way," Hopper asked, looking down at the two kids.
"Don't worry, you can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit, and we'll just be your navigators," Dustin said, looking at Erica, who was on board with his plan.
"No," Hopper said simply. Both kids frown; Hopper shook his head and walked away. Hopper was getting ready; he got the guns from the Russians.
For the plan to work, they needed a place with high frequency that the signal would reach; lucky for them, Dustin had what they needed.
Steve and Julia were near the food court. Steve was looking for snacks that Julia could have. It was getting late, and she was hungry.
He walked to the back of Orange Julius, a fruit drink beverage store. He added ice, orange juice, a little bit of sweetener, milk, and some vanilla flavoring to her drink. Once it was done, he left without cleaning his mess.
"Here," he handed her the drink. Julia's left hand was on her hip, and her head was leaning a little bit to the left as she took some deep breaths. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I just haven't been sleeping well the last couple of days," she said, taking the drink from his hand.
She thanked him as she took a sip. "How is it," he asked eagerly. "A little bit too much vanilla, but other than that, it's good, thank you."
She took another sip, "I feel so much better." She kissed his cheek lightly, making Steve blush in the process.
He played with his fingers looking down at his lap as he said, "Julia, I think you should go home and stay there until all of this is over."
He didn't want her to get hurt; she would be safer far away from here. Not only her but the baby as well.
She set her halfway done drink down. "I don't want to," she said softly, looking at him.
She was afraid of leaving his side and something happening to him. She didn't want Steve to have the same end as Kimberly.
Steve was the only person she had in her life; she couldn't do another day without him. Having him away with the Russians taught her how much she cared for the boy with sweet brown eyes and crazy hair.
"Julia," he insisted, placing his hand on her thigh. "I don't want you getting hurt."
She moved her hand on top of his and smiled softly at him, "I know, but I want to be with you."
She squished his hand. "I won't be able to go home and be calm knowing you're out there with the mind flayer. Steve, you didn't see that thing. It's not small like the demodogs we saw last year." She explained rapidly, worry written all over her face. The memories of her best friend coming back to haunt her.
She closed her eyes shut, holding back tears. "I'm going with you," she said, opening her eyes again.
She knew Steve's intentions were good, but she was going to make her own decisions. She only hoped she wouldn't regret it.
He knew she wouldn't change her mind. He could maybe trick her and lock her in a safe place, but he knew she would never forgive him for it.
Dustin walked closer to the older teenagers, "Group Scoops Troop, let's go," Dustin said, lifting a pair of car keys. Erica stood next to him.
Dustin threw the car keys at Steve, who caught them in one hand. "You're staying behind me at all times," Steve informed Julia.
Steve, Julia, Erica, Robin, and Dustin walked out of the mall while everyone else stayed inside the mall, getting ready for their own mission.
"Oh, man, now this is what I'm talkin' about," Steve said excitedly, lifting his hand in the air.
"Toddfather"?
"Oh, screw Todd! Steve's her daddy now." Julia playfully rolled her eyes and moved her hand around her large stomach as she walked slowly to the car.
"Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" Dustin, Erica, and Robin went in the back of the car. Julia fixed the passenger seat and went in the car.
"Did he just call himself daddy?"
Steve closed the door for Julia and jogged to the other side. "All right, where are we going?" Steve asked once he got in.
"Weathertop."
"Weather-what?" Steve asked Dustin, confused.
"Just drive."