maskormenace | 001 [ video ]

—and, got it!

[When the feed cuts in, the first thing anyone might see is—a mop of brown curls. Wow. So exciting. After a moment, a young boy's face comes into view, blue eyes alive with an excited curiosity. Some more adjustments, and the background finally makes itself clear: the kid's in a park somewhere in De Chima, and he happens to be dressed like a Ghostbuster like it's Halloween or something.]

Hey, so, I've got a few questions. A lot of questions, actually. [So many curiosity doors, so little time.] To start with: anyone else here from Hawkins? [He hopes so. He—really doesn't want to be alone.] Man, Mr. Clarke'd have a field day.

[Eat your heart out, Hugh Everett.]

Secondly, has anyone started up an imPort A/V club yet? I'm a little curious about how it would work, especially since people from all kinds of different worlds with varying levels of technology keep getting pulled in. I think it'd be a great opportunity for us to learn about technology from other worlds, and from this one too. I know I'd love a crash course in how to use this—they called it a phone, but it doesn't really look like one. [Phones looked very different where he's from, and they definitely can't do half the stuff this device can.

Something warbles shrilly nearby. Dustin's head turns, and he bends down a little out of frame to talk to something just off-screen:] Shh, Dart. I'll feed you nougat later, just gotta finish this up first. [Turning back to the comm:] Also: Is there a species on your world that, appearance-wise, might be comparable to a pollywog but isn't? Like, pollywogs are cold-blooded and need heat and light, for example, but that particular species actively avoids heat? What kind of food would you feed it? [Beat.] I'm asking for a friend.

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I don't know, more got through. Little baby ones. Only they don't stay little for long - they eat and they eat until they're the size of wolves.

[He knows he's getting a little worked up, the way he tends to, but all he can see in his mind right now are hospital halls, strewn with-

(mangled bodies)

-bloody labcoats, bullet shells, broken equipment. His breathing quickens, and he tries to swallow down the rising panic.]

It can't live with us.

What? I can't just leave him out in the cold, Mike. [He's actually incredibly worried over this, because he's grown fond of the little slug, never mind the fact that it's apparently a juvenile demogorgon? Probably?

But at the same time, the edge of panic in Mike's voice is concerning, to say the least. It sounds and looks all too real, so after a moment Dustin sighs, conceding some ground.]

I got a job at a reptile sanctuary. I can keep an eye on him there.

[It feels terrible to let Dustin down like this, but Mike knows it's the only way. After all, if he's too terrified to let that thing near him, it must be nothing compared to how Will would feel having it in the house. Dart's gotta go, even if it causes a rift. The party's no good if the party's been eaten by a giant lizard.]

I'm sorry, man. It's just... [He rubs his eyes and peeks around, as if checking to see if he's got any company.] A lot happened after Halloween.

No, it's fine—he might like the reptile sanctuary better, in any case. They've got a lot more food there than I can buy.

[He's not going to abandon the little guy, but he's not exactly in the mood to cause a rift in the party either. Even if he privately thinks Mike might be mistaken. Dart wouldn't. He wouldn't.]

What happened after Halloween?

I don't know how much I can tell you, but...

[He really doesn't want to deal with any grandfather paradoxes, of course. But he told El, after all. He told Will. With a careful breath, he switches the feed to private. There's still one person he hasn't told, after all - Nancy.]

There's a new monster, a shadow monster. The demod- [Goddammit, Dustin.] The baby demogorgons are its army. [And it's in Will's head, and it's taking him from us, and we're probably all gonna die, and El's back but she's probably gonna die too, and- Mike feels his chest constricting, his vision tunneling. He shakes his head.]

Just.. come to the house. Zero-zero-six. We can all talk about it together.

[Away from Nancy, though.]

[Some fiddling on Dustin's end makes his end of the conversation private too, and his brow furrows when Mike tells him about the shadow monster, the army of baby demogorgons. He glances down at Dart, and wonders how Dart, of all things, could be part of this shadow monster's army. He couldn't be. He's Dart, he likes nougat and hasn't shown any signs of wanting to eat anyone or anything.

But then, he is a baby.

But then, Dustin cares about him.

Dustin huffs out a breath, looks back up at the camera.] Wait, so the demogorgon from last year, the one El disintegrated—was that just a scout? [Because if so, then shit, they're in trouble if the army actually invades.] Shit.

—that's the house they assigned me to. [That's a brief little speck of good news in the sea of shitty, shitty news.] Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can, Nancy's picking me up.

[o o p s.]

[Mike's eyes go W I D E.]

Don't tell her anything!

[Holy shit.]

You told me but you haven't told her yet? Mike. She's gonna find out sooner or later! [Dart warbles, off-screen, and Dustin's head ducks out of frame for a minute as he unwraps another candy bar. Clearly, the baby demogorgon just does not care about any impending drama.] If you're from the future, who's to say the Porter won't bring in someone else from the future?

She's just gonna freak out and get mad at me!

[With good reason.]

I don't need her trying to be Mom.

Well, we can't keep it from her forever. She'll freak out worse if you didn't tell her and she found out somehow anyway.

[Though, yeah, Nancy trying to step into the role of mother is a terrifying thought. She's just become cool again in his eyes.]

Better that she hears it from you than, I dunno, some random goon from the future.

I'm the only one who knows about it so far. Will's... [He cuts himself off, shaking his head.] Look, I'll tell her, but only after she calms down about everything else. She won't stop worrying about me, it's annoying.

Will's what? From further back or something? [Under the circumstances, this is a logical assumption to make. Doesn't stop Dustin from pausing a moment, as if what he's just said is sinking in.] She's your sister, and you and El have been alone for months. I'm just saying, there's probably a reason for all that worrying.

No, he's from around the same time as me. Dustin... [He leans in a little closer, as if that might given him more privacy.] Will got sick. Not normal sick, but like... Upside-Down-sick. I don't know how much he remembers.

[And I don't know if he gets better, he doesn't say.]

...was that what happened at Halloween, when you found him? [It's—True Sight, he thinks, almost like that, only—it's a lot more fucked up.] He's okay now, though, right? The Upside Down's not here.

[Probably.

He assumes.

...hopefully.]

That was part of it. But it kept getting worse. And I think he still doesn't feel quite right, so just... treat him like normal. Don't make him feel different.

[Nothing about this entire situation is normal, honestly, but Dustin just nods, the worry written clear across his face.]

Yeah, I got it. But if it gets worse like you say it did, or—it will, shit—how're we going to tell? And what are we going to do? Mrs. Byers isn't here, and neither's the Chief.

[And Dustin'll be damned before he goes to the government.]

We’ll figure it out. I’ve watched him go through it once already, and I won’t let it get that bad again.

[Said with quivering authority, like the matter of Will’s safety is in his jurisdiction.]

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