The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, cold and sterile. Shadows clung to the corners of Hawkins Lab, where rows of monitors and equipment lined the walls like silent sentinels. Dr. Martin Brenner, known only as Papa, watched the new subject's vitals on a screen, his fingers steepled together.
In a room more secure than any other, reinforced steel walls gleamed under harsh white light. Thick glass separated the observers from the subject—a girl unlike any they had tested before.
Her hair was dark, tangled from days of confinement. Her violet eyes glowed faintly whenever she moved, a storm restrained in human form. Unlike Eleven, her room had layers of isolation: magnetic locks, reinforced glass, and a sensory dampener to mute her powers—yet the girl had still tested its limits.
Moon sat on the edge of her cot, her bare feet touching the cold tile. She raised her hands slowly, almost experimentally. The lights above flickered. A low rumble of thunder echoed through the speakers, though no storm was outside.
"Restraints rising," a technician said nervously. "She's trying again."
The room shuddered. The metal chair in the corner screeched as it skidded across the floor without being touched. Frost spread across the mirror-like glass, spiderwebbing over the surface.
"She can override the dampeners?" another whispered.
Papa's voice was calm, but his eyes sharpened. "Not override. Adapt. She learns."
Inside, Moon's violet eyes blazed brighter. The air whipped around her, a miniature storm swirling. Water condensed and hovered like raindrops suspended in the air. Her fingers sparked faintly with electricity.
Then—"Enough."
Papa's voice boomed over the speaker. Moon froze, her chest heaving. Slowly, the storm subsided. The lights steadied, the frost melted. But her eyes never left the observation glass.
For the briefest moment, she turned her head—toward the rainbow-lit chamber across the hall.
Through the blurred reflection, Eleven stood, small and silent, clutching a toy block. Her eyes widened as she watched Moon. She'd never seen anyone like her before. Stronger. Wilder. Untamed.
Moon's gaze softened, just slightly. Neither girl spoke. Their silence was heavier than words.
Papa noticed. "Connection established," he murmured, almost pleased. "Excellent."
Down the hall, two scientists hovered over monitors tracking the Upside Down gate. A low hum filled the chamber, the portal pulsing faintly.
"Energy fluctuations are increasing," one said, typing quickly. "If this keeps up—"
"Moon's proximity might be interfering," the other muttered. "She resonates with it somehow."
"Or it resonates with her," the first corrected. He swallowed. "God help us if she ever gets near it."
Meanwhile, in Mike's basement, the air smelled of popcorn and soda. The lights were dim, a soft glow from the table lamp illuminating the cards stacked on the table.
"Okay, Lucas, don't cheat this time," Mike said, shuffling a deck.
Lucas smirked. "Me? Cheat? Never. You guys should know by now."
Dustin leaned forward, grinning. "I caught you last week, Lucas. Don't even try denying it."
Will sat quietly, arranging his cards, his mind somewhere else. "You guys… think the lab's really done with all this… testing?"
Mike glanced at him. "I dunno. Hopper says they're still investigating the gate, but—"
Dustin interrupted, waving a card. "Seriously, we're supposed to be playing cards, not worrying about secret government stuff. That's what Netflix is for."
Lucas groaned. "Yeah, Netflix. Or better yet, avoiding getting eaten by monsters again."
Will half-smiled, distracted. "It's not funny. Something's… different. I can feel it."
Mike frowned. "Different how?"
Will shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling. "I can't explain. It's… like someone else is out there. Someone new."
Across town, Steve and Robin were stacking boxes in the back of the Scoops Ahoy storage room.
"You ever get the feeling something's… off?" Steve asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Robin rolled her eyes. "Everything's off, Steve. Welcome to Hawkins. You're only noticing now?"
"No, I mean… like really off," he said, frowning. "Like the lab. The gate. People… acting weird. You ever feel like there's something new out there?"
Robin paused, leaning against a crate. "You mean like… another experiment? Another Eleven?"
Steve's eyes widened. "Yeah! Or worse."
Robin crossed her arms, smirking. "You've been reading too many conspiracy boards again. Relax."
Steve shook his head. "I don't know… I just have this feeling something big's about to happen."
Later that evening, Will rode home on his bike, the air thick with heavy rain. His hoodie clung to him as he pedaled faster, the streetlights blurred by water.
The storm rolled in so suddenly it didn't feel natural. Lightning split the sky, thunder cracked loud enough to rattle the handlebars. Will squinted through the sheets of rain—until his bike jolted to a stop.
She was there.
A girl, standing alone on the sidewalk. Hospital clothes plastered to her body, her dark hair clinging to her face. Her bare feet in puddles, unshaken by the downpour. And her eyes… violet, glowing faintly like an otherworldly storm.
Will's chest tightened. "Who… who are you?"
The girl tilted her head, her gaze piercing. She didn't speak. The storm seemed to ripple around her, the rain moving with her, almost alive.
"I-I don't want any trouble," Will stammered, gripping his handlebars. "Are you… are you from the lab?"
Her eyes flared brighter. Thunder cracked directly overhead.
"Uh… Mike! Lucas! Dustin!" Will yelled into the storm, but his voice was swallowed by the rain. He blinked—and she was gone. Vanished into the night, leaving only the echo of her violet eyes burned into his memory.
Back at Hawkins Lab, Papa watched the screens with a small, satisfied smile.
"She sees them," he said softly, almost to himself. "And soon… they will all see her.
The Next Morning
Will slammed open the Wheeler's basement door, dripping wet clothes stuffed into his backpack. Mike, Lucas, and Dustin looked up from the card table, startled.
"Whoa, what happened to you?" Lucas asked.
Will's voice trembled. "I saw her."
Mike frowned. "Saw who?"
Will sat down heavily, rubbing his hands together. "This… girl. Last night. In the storm. She was wearing hospital clothes. And her eyes—"
"What about her eyes?" Dustin pressed, leaning forward.
"They glowed," Will whispered. "Purple. Or… violet. I swear. The rain, it—it was like it was following her."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so you're saying some random girl controls the weather now?"
Mike shot him a look. "Lucas, don't." He turned back to Will. "You're serious, aren't you?"
Will nodded quickly. "I know it sounds crazy. But I've been in the Upside Down. I know what weird looks like. And this girl… she wasn't normal."
Dustin frowned, muttering to himself. "Hospital clothes… violet eyes… storm powers? Sounds like government-lab-level creepy to me."
Lucas groaned. "Or Will's just tired and saw a raccoon or something."
Will glared. "It wasn't a raccoon, Lucas! She looked at me. Right at me."
The boys exchanged uneasy glances.
Mike finally spoke. "Then we find her."
Hopper's Office
Hopper slammed a folder on his desk, startling Joyce who sat across from him.
"Last night we had three different calls about the storm," Hopper said, pacing. "Trees knocked down, lightning hitting way too close to town. Power outages."
Joyce frowned. "Hopper, storms happen all the time."
He shook his head. "Not like this. Weather reports said skies were clear. The storm came out of nowhere and vanished just as fast."
Joyce's brow furrowed. "You think it's the lab again?"
"I think it's always the lab," Hopper growled. "And I think something—or someone—just slipped through our fingers."
The phone on his desk rang, sharp and shrill. Hopper grabbed it.
"Hopper."
A shaky voice answered on the other end: "Chief… there's something you need to see. A girl. In hospital clothes. Out near Forest Hills."
Hopper froze, his eyes narrowing.
Back at Scoops Ahoy
Robin propped her chin on the counter, chewing gum loudly. "So… big storm last night. Whole town's talking about it."
Steve poured a milkshake without looking up. "Yeah. Heard power lines went down. Weird, right?"
Robin smirked. "Weird's just another Tuesday here." She leaned closer. "You think it's connected? Y'know… to the lab?"
Steve hesitated, his hands tightening on the glass. "I don't know. But if it is… I've got a bad feeling."
Will's Secret
Later that afternoon, Will walked home again, hugging his jacket close. He kept glancing over his shoulder, expecting to see violet eyes in the rain.
Instead, he saw movement by the edge of the woods. A shadow. A figure. His heart skipped.
"Hello?" he whispered, stepping closer.
The girl stepped out—Moon. Her violet eyes flickered faintly. She looked fragile in her thin hospital clothes, barefoot, hair damp as if the storm never left her.
Will froze. "It's you."
Moon tilted her head. She still didn't speak.
"Are you… from the lab?" Will asked softly.
Her lips parted, but no words came out. The wind picked up, leaves scattering around them.
Will stepped closer, voice gentle. "It's okay. You don't have to be scared. I won't hurt you."
For a second, her eyes softened. Then lightning cracked in the sky, startling Will. When he looked back, she was gone—vanished into the trees.
Will's breathing came fast and shallow. He gripped his bike and whispered to himself: "I have to tell the others."
Final Scene – Hawkins Lab
Papa stood in the observation room, hands behind his back, watching static on the monitor where Moon had been.
"She's gone," a technician stammered. "She breached containment—without triggering any alarms. We—we don't even know how."
Brenner smiled faintly. "Of course she did."
The rainbow room lights flickered. Eleven pressed her hand against the glass, staring at the empty space where Moon had once been. Her eyes narrowed, conflicted.
Papa turned away, his voice calm, chilling. "She's not running. She's finding them. And when she does… we'll be ready."