Just a little PSA before we start - this chapter features Dustin and Suzie singing Never Ending Story, so feel free to play the audio/video from the show to add to this chapter !!! Enjoy <3
~~~
"Oh, man, now this... this is what I'm talkin' about!"
Steve marched out in front of Dustin, Robin, Erica and I, tossing keys in his hands as we reached the parking lot. In front of us sat a gorgeous white convertible that Steve was practically drooling over.
"'Toddfather?'" Robin read the license plate out loud with a small grimace.
"Oh, screw Todd!" Steve said, getting closer to the car, "Steve's her daddy now."
My eyes went wide as blush rose to my cheeks and I put my hand over my mouth to stifle my laugh, "Pardon?"
"Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" Robin asked, amused as Steve jumped into the driver's seat.
"Did he just call himself daddy?" Erica said, her eyebrows raised. I giggled as I climbed into the back with Dustin and Erica, leaning forward into the space between Robin and Steve.
"All right, where are we going?" Steve asked, patting the steering wheel and adjusting the seat.
"Weather top," Dustin answered.
Steve narrowed his eyes, "Weather-what?"
Dustin rolled his eyes, "Just drive!"
"Okay!" Steve said, starting the ignition and revving the engine, "Jesus."
He put the car into reverse and backed out before putting it back in forward. He drove across the empty parking lot and onto the street, barely glancing around the corner. Not that he needed to, however, as it was the dead of night and there were no cars on the road.
I sat back into the leather seat, enjoying the calm of the wind blowing through my hair as Steve raced through Hawkins. Music blared over the radio and I bobbed my head along to it.
As I swayed to the beat, I glanced up to see Steve watching me in the rear view mirror, a smile on his lips. Once he noticed me looking back, he turned the music up louder, reminding me of Halloween night in his car.
I giggled, feeling giddy as he turned back to the road, leaving me to dance along as Dustin began barking out directions.
"Jesus," Steve said as we swung onto a side road, "How far is this place, man?"
"Relax," Dustin spat, "We're almost there."
"Suzie must be pretty special, huh?" Robin called back to him, "I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?"
I glanced at Dustin, curious to hear his answer. I hadn't gotten a real chance to talk to him about this girl, and had questions of my own.
"I mean, nobody's scientifically perfect," Dustin answered, "But Suzie's about as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be."
"She sounds made-up to me," Erica said from my other side, her eyebrows raised, "'She sound made-up to you?"
"Erica," I said firmly, although not answering her question.
Erica stared at me, "Well?"
I pursed my lips and looked at our driver, still avoiding to answer, "Steve?"
His eyes went wide as he stared in front of him, not meeting any of our gazes.
"Why are you hesitating, Steve?" Dustin hissed.
"I'm- I'm- I'm not!" He said, glaring at me as I looked away, "I'm not. I think she sounds real. You know, totally, absolutely real."
I sank into my seat, fiddling with my thumbs.
"Left," Dustin announced suddenly, "Turn left."
Steve looked to the left, "There's not a road here."
"Turn left now!"
"Jesus!" Steve said, turning the wheel sharply, "Hang on!"
We all swung to the side of the car due to the sharp turn, all hanging onto the side for support. Erica screamed and clutched my arm as I gripped the back of Robin's seat, feeling as if we were on a roller coaster.
"Whoa!" Steve yelled as the car flew onto a grass clearing, "Henderson, where are we going!?"
"Up!" Dustin yelled back as if that explained everything. In front of us was a large hill, and I suddenly remember where we were.
Steve pressed on the gas as we reached the base of the hill and began going up.
"Steve, we're not gonna make it!" I yelled, falling back into my seat as the hill became steeper.
"Yes, we are!" Steve yelled back, "Come on, baby. Come on, baby!"
We went higher up the hill until we reached a patch of gravel and the car stopped. Steve hit the steering wheel and kept holding onto the pedal, but the engine only strained.
"Come on!" Steve said through clenched teeth, "Come on!"
"Guess the Toddfather has its limitations," Robin said, turning her head to Steve.
Steve rolled his eyes at her before he cut the engine and we all got out of the car. We began heading toward the top, going as fast as we could while still trying to make sure we didn't trip on anything in the dark.
As we reached the top, despite the situation, I couldn't help looking at the sky. It was a clear night with only a few clouds, and the moon shone brightly.
"(Y/n)," Dustin called over to me, "Turn Cerebro on while I get set up."
I nodded and headed over to the machine. I dropped down and fiddled with some buttons as Dustin had only days ago, smiling to myself as it lit up.
"All right, it's ready," I said, walking over to my brother. He was on the ground next to the radio with the others, holding up the microphone, "Try contacting Murray."
"Bald Eagle, do you copy?" Dustin said, pushing the button and saying Murray's code name as I stood beside Steve and Robin, right behind Erica, "Bald Eagle, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop, do you copy?"
"Yes, I copy," Murray's bored voice rang back over the speakers. We all looked at each other, smiling, and shared laughs of relief that we were able to reach him, Joyce and Hopper down in the Russian base.
"Call sign?" Dustin asked.
There was a moment of silence before Murray's resigned voice came on, "...Bald Eagle."
"Please repeat," I said with a sly grin, crouching down and snatching the mic from Dustin.
"Bald Eagle!" Murray practically yelled, "This is Bald Eagle!"
"Copy that," Dustin said, taking the microphone back as I laughed to myself, "Good to hear your voice, Bald Eagle. What's your 20?"
"We reached the vent," Murray said, "I'll contact you when I need you. Until then, silence."
"Roger that, Bald Eagle," Dustin said, "This is Scoops Tropp, going radio silent. 10-10, over."
Dustin turned the microphone off and swelled in pride when Steve patted his back. I crossed my arms and stared down at my brother.
"What?" Dustin said, noticing my stare.
I tilted my head, "Where'd you learn all that radio lingo?"
"Suzie," Dustin answered shortly, turning back to the radio. My mouth parted slightly as I furrowed my eyebrows. Did that mean Suzie was real?
~~~
"Scoops Troops, this is..." Murray let out a small groan, "Bald Eagle. I've reached another junction."
"This is what?" Dustin asked Erica. They had a small map in front of them that displayed the vent system, including where Murray started.
"The fourth junction," Erica said. They had been talking back and forth for almost ten minutes, guiding Murray through the base as Steve and I stayed to the side. Steve was pacing back and forth as I laid down on the grass.
"All right, so..."
"If I am correct," Robin said, "This is right after the My Little Pony thesis."
"We went left, so he has to go right," Erica nodded.
Dustin put his lips to the mic, "Fly right, Bald Eagle. Fly right."
"Roger that," Murray said, his voice almost sarcastic, "Flying right."
I sat up when the radio clicked off, staring at the three, "What's the My Little Pony thesis?"
"Don't get them started," Erica said, rolling her eyes at Robin and Dustin.
"'Get them started?'" I repeated, my eyebrows raised, "Just tell me-"
"Hey, guys?" Steve called, making us all turn toward him. He was standing at the edge of the hill, looking out at something. We all glanced at each other before getting up and walking over.
From this height, you could see all of Hawkins, but what Steve was staring at was the mall. It's lights were flashing on and off rapidly, and my eyes went wide as I remembered how the same thing happened with the lights at the Byers' house.
"Shit," I said, a bad feeling settling in my stomach.
Once we'd all seen it, we turned around and ran back to the radio. Dustin crouched down and turned the dial on the radio.
"Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop!" Dustin said into the mic, panicked, "Do you copy? Over!"
While Hopper, Joyce and Murray went into the base, the plan for the others was to take Nancy's car back to Murray's house in Illinois. The flashing lights from Starcourt, however, were not a good sign that they'd made it out safely.
There was no answer, and Dustin's eyes went wide, "Griswold Family, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop. Do you-"
There was a crackling sound on the line, followed by a broken roar that sounded all too familiar.
"Griswold Family, do you copy?" Dustin practically yelled, "Do you copy!?"
There was another roar, this time loud and clear.
"Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop. Please confirm your safety!"
Dustin repeated himself again, but still there was no answer.
"Do you copy!?"
Steve suddenly shot up and began running toward the car.
"Where are you going!?" Erica yelled after him.
"To get them the hell outta there!" Steve yelled over his shoulder, "Stay here, contact the others!"
I watched him for a moment before my body decided my next move for me.
"Son of a bitch," I muttered, standing up and turning to Robin, "Stay with the kids - keep them safe!"
I began running after Steve before Dustin's voice stopped me, "Wait, (Y/n)?"
I turned around, adrenaline already pumping through my veins.
"Stay in touch!" He said, tossing the walkie talkie to me.
"Got it!" I said as I caught it.
"Stay safe!" Erica yelled after me as I turned back and started running again.
"Steve, wait up!" I yelled as I ran down the hill after him. He had just reached the car when he looked up at me, nodding as he swung in.
He started the car and blared the headlights as I hopped over the door, into the front seat.
"Go, go, go!" I yelled, not even waiting to put on my seat belt. He did as I said and put the car into reverse, gliding back down the hill.
Steve turned the car around at the base of the hill and flew back onto the road, pushing the car as fast as it would go. We drove faster than before, running every light as we came closer to the flashing mall.
"There, look!" I said, pointing to the mall and seeing a figure standing outside of the car, holding a gun, and I realized that it was Nancy. Inside were outlines of people, so I assumed that the others were there, too. My eyes traveled to where it was pointing to see another car, looking straight at them, engine revving.
"Why aren't they going?" Steve asked, driving to the entrance of the parking lot.
"I don't know, but I don't like it," I said as we rounded into the parking lot. As we did, the car that was revving their engine began driving toward Nancy as fast as they could, and we stopped, "Holy shit."
Nancy began firing off the gun, but the driver didn't stop, and I recognized the car - a black Chevrolet Camara.
Billy.
I swallowed hard, "Steve, hit the car."
He looked at me like I was crazy, "What!?"
I looked at him, my hand clutching the seat, "Hit the car, Steve."
"(Y/n)-"
"Hit the goddamn car!"
Suddenly, the car lurched forward and we were driving at full speed again. I watched, anxiety driven as Billy got closer and closer to them, risking hitting them.
My leg bounced, "Come on, come on, come on, come-"
My sentence was cut off by a loud crashing sound and Steve and I were thrown to the side. The car spun in a circle and, when it stopped, I saw that we had successfully hit Billy's car before it got to the others.
I was stuck to my seat as my heart pounded and I mentally checked myself for injuries. Steve was breathing heavily beside me, his eyes wide as Billy's hood went up in flames.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked me slowly as the Toddfather began smoking.
"I don't think I'm dead," I answered in a higher voice than usual, "So... yeah."
There was a snarling sound from the mall, making both Steve and I stand up in our seats.
"Oh, shit..."
Crawling on the top of the mall was a large, slimy creature that made my skin crawl in recognition - the Mind Flayer. Although I hadn't actually seen it before, it had the same skin as the Demodogs and the body of Will's drawings.
"Oh, my God," I said, my body frozen as the Mind Flayer reached the edge of the building and screeched.
The honking of a car horn made both Steve and I jump as the other pulled up beside us.
"Get in!" Nancy yelled. Steve and I jumped out of our car and raced around to the back. We opened the trunk and crawled in.
"Go!" Steve yelled when we were in. Lucas and Will were in the back, Nancy and Jon in the front, and I assumed that Max, Mike and Eleven were still in the mall
"Go, go, go, go!" Lucas repeated to Jonathan who stepped on it. We began driving away as the Mind Flayer got off of the roof and started chasing after us, away from El.
Steve and I sat with our legs pressed together as we stared up at the Mind Flayer. Jonathan turned onto a side road and sped down it, away from Hawkins.
A girl's voice suddenly came over the walkie talkie that sat in my lap, "Dusty-bun, you copy?"
I looked down at it, my eyebrows low.
"I copy, Suzie-poo," Dustin's voice came back. my eyes shot back up to Steve who was already looking at me, "It sounds much better now, thanks."
"Suzie," we said at the same time.
"What!?" Lucas and Will both said, whipping around to look at us.
"Shh!" I shushed them, raising the walkie talkie to hear better.
"Okay, so, listen," Dustin said, "Do you know Planck's constant?"
"Do you know the Earth orbits the sun?" Suzie responded, a sarcastic but amused edge in her voice.
I heard Dustin snicker, "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 said, "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?"
I raised my eyebrows, having no idea why Dustin needed this code or why Suzie was on the line, but impressed by her nonetheless.
Dustin sighed, "Suzie-poo, I promise I will make it up to you as soon as possible."
"You can make it up to me now," She said.
There was a second of silence, "What?"
"I want to hear it," Suzie responded. I raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Lucas.
"Not right now," Dustin said quickly.
"Yes, now, Dusty-bun!" Suzie said, making me raise an eyebrow.
"Suzie-poo, this is urgent!"
"Yes, yes, you're saving the world, I heard you the first time," Suzie said, "But Ged is also saving Earthsea and he's about to confront the shadow, so this is Suzie, signing off."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Dustin said, "...Okay. Okay."
"I'm confused," Will said when the line went silent, "What's happening?"
Will's question was answered when the line went back on, and we were met with-
"Turn around, look at what you see."
My jaw dropped as Dustin began singing over the line.
"In her face, the mirror of her dreams."
My eyes slowly traveled from the walkie talkie up to Steve. His expression matched mine and we looked at each other, eyes wide and unsure of what was happening.
"Make believe I'm everywhere," Suzie jumped in and began singing with him, "Given in the light. Written on the pages is the answer to a never-ending story!"
I tightened my lips, resisting the urge to laugh, as I looked over to Will and Lucas who looked like they might piss themselves.
"Reach the stars, fly a fantasy. Dream a dream, and what you see will be."
Nancy turned around in her seat and Jonathan glanced at me questioningly in the rear view mirror to which I just shrugged. I had no idea, either.
"Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds."
I blinked a couple times, trying to process what was happening.
"And there upon a rainbow is the answer to a never-ending story. Story..."
Both of their voices faded off, until Suzie spoke again, normally.
"Planck's constant is 6.62607004."
"You just saved the world," Dustin praised.
"Gosh, I miss you, Dusty-bun," Suzie said.
"And I miss you more, Suzie-poo," Dustin said in a baby-voice, making me cringe.
"I miss you more, multiplied by all the stars in our galaxy."
"No, I miss-"
The line suddenly went dead silent, as did the car. I set the walkie talkie onto the ground and stared at everyone.
I looked at the boys, incredulous, "Did you know he could sing!?"
They both shook their heads, eyes wide.
"We didn't even think he had a girlfriend," Will said.
Steve shook his head, "Neither did we."
I let out a small breath of air before turning back to the Mind Flayer, only to see it was turning around, "It's turning around."
"What!?" Nancy said, turning to look out the back.
"It's turning around!" Steve repeated.
"Maybe we wore it out," Lucas suggested.
"I don't think so," Jonathan said, "Hold on."
He quickly jerked the steering wheel into a U-turn, tossing Steve and I around the back. And, just like that, we were chas ing the Mind Flayer.
~~~
Hey, Lovelies!
I'm sorry Dusty-bun but that random ass song in the middle of the episode was not it :/
ANyway, only 2 chapters left until the end of the season! Please let season 4 not be postponed for too long PLEASE I will cry
Until next time :)