Joyce, in her forties, had recently begun a "second spring" in her life. It all started on Christmas Eve when, as a supermarket clerk, she had no time to prepare dinner. She planned to celebrate with her two sons at a restaurant in town, only to unexpectedly run into an old acquaintance she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Joyce?" Just as she sat down, a plump gentleman at the next table asked with a look of disbelief and a tone of pleasant surprise.
"You... you are?" Joyce looked back; he seemed familiar, but she couldn't place him immediately.
Until the plump gentleman said his name: "I'm Bob. We went to school together here in town."
Joyce was overjoyed; nothing is better than meeting a dear classmate you thought you'd never see again in your hometown. Jonathan and Will seemed to sense a spark between them. The brothers shared a knowing smile and sensibly made an excuse, saying they weren't hungry yet and wanted to check out the nearby video and toy stores, leaving the two to catch up.
Joyce felt a bit awkward, but the clever Bob understood perfectly. Grateful for the "assist" from the two smart boys, he summoned all his courage to strike up a conversation. Through this chance encounter, they reconnected and learned they worked in the same area of downtown Hawkins, causing their adult hearts to flutter.
Having decided to go for it, Bob started visiting the supermarket where Joyce worked every single day, even though there was a supermarket right below his office. He insisted on crossing the street just to see her.
One was putting on a front while secretly pursuing his goal.
The other was well aware of his intentions and had been lonely for far too long.
Before long, Joyce and Bob became a couple. Bob even began staying over at Joyce's house frequently, despite it lengthening his commute.
Jonathan and Will gave their silent blessing. They knew their biological father was a piece of work and their mother was incredible, so they hoped she would find happiness.
From their observation, Bob was a good man, unlike their biological father, Lonnie, who was a degenerate given to drinking, gambling, and other vices.
One day, Joyce, who was off during the day because of her night shift, was being affectionate with Bob at home. Suddenly, a group of men in black and a bald, plump man in a white lab coat arrived at her door.
"Hello, Ms. Joyce." Dr. Owens smiled and nodded to Joyce as she opened the door, and then to Bob who followed behind.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Bob asked, confused. He looked at Joyce, only to find the smile quickly fading from his girlfriend's face... Hawkins National Laboratory... "Wow, Joyce, I didn't realize you'd been through such legendary things. You really are the woman I thought you were." After hearing about Joyce's experiences with The Upside Down, Bob's brain stalled for a moment to process it, but soon his eyes shone as he looked at Joyce and took her hand. "But since I know now, from now on, you can lean on me a bit more."
Seeing that Bob didn't mind the trouble she was in and still loved her deeply, Joyce was moved and touched. She said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Bob. I didn't mean to keep it from you, and I'm sorry for bringing you into this mess."
"We'll be family soon; there's no need to keep things separate. I'm willing to share your burdens," Bob said with a wide grin.
Watching the affectionate interaction between Joyce and Bob, the members of the Strange Squad who had gathered once again because of The Lab all sent looks of blessing, except for Chief Hopper, whose eyes showed a hint of dejection.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Entering the meeting room, Dr. Owens tapped on the table to gather everyone's attention. "I am very sorry for suddenly calling you all here without any notice and disrupting your daily lives."
"It's fine, just compensate me for today's lost revenue," Richard said with a bright smile and a casual tone, though anyone could see how displeased he actually was.
Hearing this, Dr. Owens gave a strained laugh. "That... I Will apply for that with my superiors."
"Is there something you need our advice on?" Chief Hopper asked solemnly, a sharp glint in his eyes. In truth, he knew exactly what was going on; something big must have happened in The Upside Down, and they had finally realized they couldn't solve it on their own.
This was exactly the opportunity he and Richard had been waiting for—waiting for The Lab to take the initiative to ask them for help.
He exchanged a look with Richard, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Hopper felt a surge of emotion, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. The moment had finally come, and thankfully, it hadn't taken too long.
If it had taken any longer, Eleven probably would have started throwing a tantrum—the kind that couldn't be easily soothed.
It was only natural. At an age when she should be interacting with peers, she was confined to a small wooden cabin of just a few dozen square meters every day. The only person she saw was a grumpy old man with a generation gap. It was no different from being locked in The Lab. It was right for her to be angry; he just wasn't confident he could still communicate with her calmly if things went on like that.
After all, his own temper wasn't exactly great.
Chief Hopper had a very clear understanding of himself.
Although he felt terrible knowing his crush had a new boyfriend, at least there was good progress regarding his daughter's situation. Today wasn't all bad.
Hearing Hopper's words, Dr. Owens felt they were sarcastic and was filled with shame. Initially, he had confidently assured everyone that he could control a mere rift to The Upside Down, but it turned out he had been overconfident.
Owens took a deep breath and laid out the troubles The Lab was currently facing: the rift to The Upside Down could no longer be closed, the erosion was unexpectedly massive and had begun spreading beneath Hawkins Town, and Troy's life was currently in grave danger, among other things.
Everyone sat up straight and became serious upon hearing this. The situation had developed into something far worse than they had imagined.
Richard also felt that the scale of this erosion was much more ferocious than in the second season of the original story. It seemed that his repeated beatings of Henry had made that psychologically twisted arch-villain impatient.
That kid Troy was also incredibly unlucky. He was experiencing the misery that Will wouldn't have faced for another year in the original timeline—it was like he'd bought a VIP early-access pass to the horrors of The Upside Down.
"I've gathered you all here to seek your help. You have experience fighting The Upside Down and survived. Especially Richard, Jonathan, and Joyce—the three of you who have entered The Upside Down and returned. I hope to get a solution from you, or even just a lead. Please," Dr. Owens said, bowing deeply and sincerely. "I want to save that child's life. Please help me; time is really running out."
Everyone looked at each other, silently exchanging glances.
In fact, everyone present knew how to close the door, and Owens likely knew as well. But he also knew that only certain people among them knew where the "key" to the problem was located.
If it had been Dr. Brennan today, no one would have had the chance to sit in this meeting room; they would have simply used "cleaning" methods to search for Eleven's location. From this perspective, Dr. Owens was very different from Dr. Brennan. Furthermore, the fact that Owens was asking for help specifically to save Troy showed that he still held onto his kindness and humanity.
Thus, Chief Hopper took off his police hat and suddenly stood up. "Doctor, how about we talk privately?"
Dr. Owens looked at the pot-bellied Chief, and after a moment of eye contact, he nodded.