The gym is packed.
Parents.
Students.
Teachers.
Everyone squeezed together like safety exists in numbers.
The air smells like sweat and fear.
On the stage, Principal Higgins grips the microphone with trembling hands.
"Thank you all for coming," he says, voice cracking. "Hawkins has suffered… deeply."
Murmurs ripple through the crowd.
Then—
A calm presence steps forward.
Perfect suit.
Gentle expression.
Dr. Martin Brenner.
Applause breaks out.
Not loud.
But desperate.
People need someone to trust.
Brenner raises a hand.
The applause fades.
His voice is smooth.
"Tragedy has shaken this town," he says softly. "But we must not let fear turn us against each other."
Nancy sits near the back, jaw clenched so tight it hurts.
Hopper stands against the wall, arms crossed.
Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Eddie, Steve, Robin, Jonathan, and Lena are clustered together like a secret in the bleachers.
Will whispers, barely moving his lips:
"He looks like… a politician."
Steve mutters:
"He looks like a creep."
Robin nods.
"Yeah. Like a creep who owns a yacht."
Brenner continues.
"We must remain united. There are rumors spreading—poison, conspiracies…"
His eyes sweep the gym.
For half a second—
They land on Nancy.
And it feels like being pinned.
Brenner smiles warmly.
"Do not listen to hysteria."
Hopper's hands curl into fists.
Nancy's stomach twists.
Because saints don't smile like that.
After the Assembly
The second the crowd begins to disperse, Nancy moves.
She grabs Hopper's arm hard.
"We can't wait anymore."
Hopper's voice is low.
"I know."
Mike steps forward.
"Nancy—"
Nancy turns sharply.
"You are not doing this alone."
Jonathan appears beside her, protective.
"She's right."
Hopper exhales.
"Okay. Everyone. Wheeler basement. Tonight. No arguments."
Steve blinks.
"Uh, Chief? That's—"
Hopper cuts him off.
"Not negotiable, Harrington."
Steve raises his hands.
"Yes sir."
Lena, hovering near Steve, whispers shyly:
"…Basement meetings sound kind of cool."
Steve panics instantly.
"Oh my god."
Robin smirks.
"Oh my god indeed."
Hopper's Lead
Later, Hopper sits in his office, files spread out like a battlefield.
Nancy stands over him.
Dustin paces like a caged animal.
"I swear, he knew my name," Dustin says. "Like… like he's been watching us forever."
Hopper's face darkens.
"I believe you."
Nancy's eyes sharpen.
"So where is it coming from?"
Hopper slides a paper forward.
A chemical inventory list.
"This powder isn't street-made," he says. "It's not some dealer cooking it up in a trailer."
Nancy leans closer.
"It's pharmaceutical."
Hopper nods grimly.
"And there's only one place in Hawkins with access to this kind of compound."
Silence.
Dustin whispers:
"…The lab."
Everyone freezes.
Mike's throat tightens.
"The lab is abandoned."
Hopper's eyes are hard.
"Then why does it still have deliveries?"
Nancy's blood runs cold.
"Someone's using it."
Hopper's voice drops.
"And someone is hiding behind Brenner's smile."
Basement Fallout — Mike & Will
Later that night, the basement is crowded.
Voices overlap.
Plans.
Fear.
Steve arguing with Robin.
Eddie muttering dark jokes.
Lucas and Max whispering close.
Lena sitting quietly, eyes flicking to Steve every few seconds.
But Mike isn't hearing any of it.
Because Will is right beside him.
Too close.
Still not close enough.
Mike finally murmurs:
"About what you said…"
Will stiffens.
"Mike, don't."
Mike swallows hard.
"I didn't sleep."
Will's voice cracks.
"Neither did I."
Mike's eyes flicker.
"I keep thinking… you're gonna take it back."
Will laughs bitterly.
"I can't."
Mike's chest aches.
"I don't want you to."
Will looks up sharply.
Mike's voice is shaking.
"I just don't know how to be—how to be what you deserve."
Will whispers:
"Just be here."
Mike's hand inches closer.
Their fingers brush.
Will inhales sharply.
And Mike doesn't pull away.
For the first time—
He lets it stay.
Steve & Lena — Noticing
Upstairs, Steve is grabbing a glass of water when Lena appears in the kitchen doorway.
She hesitates.
"Steve?"
Steve jumps.
"Jesus—sorry. Hi."
Lena fidgets.
"…Are you okay?"
Steve exhales.
"No."
Lena nods softly.
"…Me neither."
Steve's voice gentles despite himself.
"You should be home. Safe."
Lena's cheeks flush.
"I feel safer when you're around."
Steve freezes.
His brain short-circuits.
Robin, passing by, nearly chokes.
Steve sputters:
"Okay—wow—uh—thanks—"
Lena smiles shyly.
Steve turns bright red.
Robin whispers loudly:
"He's dying."
Steve hisses:
"ROBIN!"
The Break-In Plan
Back downstairs, Hopper speaks low.
"We go tonight."
Nancy's eyes widen.
"Tonight?"
Hopper nods.
"The lab. Before whoever's in there realizes we're close."
Eddie's voice is sharp.
"That's insane."
Hopper looks at him.
"So is letting girls die."
Silence.
Max's voice is quiet.
"What if the watcher is there?"
Hopper's jaw tightens.
"Then we find out what they really are."
Mike's stomach twists.
Will's hand is still near his.
And Mike realizes—
There's no going back.
Not from this.
Not from them.
Nancy's voice is steel.
"We end this."
Outside…
Far down the street…
A car sits parked.
Engine off.
Someone inside.
Watching the Wheeler house.
A familiar ring glints faintly in the dark.