"Without a Heart (We Can't Become Legends)."
By B.B. Asmodeus.
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Main pairing: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler aka Byler.
Secondary pairings: I'm still undecided between Lucas Sinclair/Max Mayfield (Lumax) or El/Max Mayfield (Elmax). I like both ships very much. Mentions of Suzie Bingham/Dustin Henderson, later on.
EVA Pilots Fusion:
Shinji Ikari…Will Byers.
Rei Ayanami…Jane Hopper/El.
Asuka Shikinami Langley…Max Mayfield.
Important warnings:
(1) Violence through mechas.
(2) Depression themes.
(3) Apocalyptic themes.
(4) Will, Mike, El, Max, Dustin, and Lucas are 18 years old.
Rating: Mature for violence, for now.
Categories/Warnings:
Neon Genesis EvangelionAU. Why the hell not?
Romance, First Meeting, First Love, Action/Adventure, Humor, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, AU, Explicit Language, Team!fic.
Since it's a Fusion Fic, I will adapt concepts from Evangelion to the plot of Season 4, but very slightly. Don't expect this to be a depressing and existential crisis trip like in the original anime. I'm going to lean heavily in the Rebuilt series, instead. The Judeo-Christian lore will be replaced by the Upside Down & Vecna lore.
Timeline: The plot is set three years after Season 4, but all you need to know is that the gates of the Upside Down opened in Hawkins in 1986 like in the show. Mike now sports a sexy mane like Eddie, and Will is still the Will we all love. No one in the Party knows Will, or El, yet.
Spoilers: Obvious spoilers from the anime and the "Rebuilt of Evangelion" movies. Spoilers from the entire "Stranger Things" show.
Synopsis: "How many EVAs are here in Hawkins, again?"
Notes: Come on, we all know who the title of this story belongs to. *wink-wink*. I just revamped it a bit, because I've seen lots of other fics with the same title.
Special Disclaimer: This work is a translation made by me from my native language, Spanish. Any mistake are mine. You can find the original work under the title "Sin Corazón (No Podremos Ser Leyenda)."
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02.
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"It's gonna take a Superman
to sweep me off my feet."
-Bonnie Tyler.
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The infamous Entry Plug retracted from EVA 01's neck area. Valves got loose from the elliptical object and released strings of steam everywhere.
"Wait for the cooling system to do its job, or it'll melt your hands right off." Nancy placed a hand on Mike's chest, as if the boy wasn't feeling already hesitant.
Ten minutes passed. Mike didn't take his eyes off the EVA's kneeling position in front of them.
"NINA confirms that the Entry Plug cooling process has been completed, Lieutenant. Over."
The Pilot then ordered the Entry Plug's upper hatch to be ejected. The invitation was clear enough.
Mike stared at the ginormous robot and the remote capsule he was supposed to get into. How the hell—?
"Will. Eject the emergency ladders, please. Over."
As the emergency ladder descended from the capsule to the floor, Mike's eyes widened. Oh.
He turned to his sister. "I thought the point was to not break my neck."
"What happened to your adventurous streak?" Nancy fired back. "I though you say, 'you were up for it'."
Dustin yelled from behind them. "Wheeler, you're kidding me, man? If you don't get up there, I will! It's not too late to change my mind yet!"
"Jesus, hold your horses… Just saying. I'm not known for my coordination." Mike muttered under his breath, rubbing his sweaty palms over his black jeans, before walking towards the emergency ladder.
"If your brother prefers, I can assist him—"
"Don't baby him, Will. Mike can do it just fine. Come on, up, it's not gonna bite! Faster, Mike!"
"Damn it, I'm coming, I'm coming!... Hey—don't push my butt!"
"…What butt?"
"I heard that!"
"We don't have all night, Mike!"
Dustin was having the time of life, the bastard. He was cackling away from inside the chopper. He better not be recording this.
Mike had been right to doubt his climbing skills, as the first attempts well proved it. Running like his ass was on fire, riding bikes, throwing rocks at interdimensional monsters, that was more his thing—not this Stallone shit. It wasn't like in the movies at all. The heroes climbed on these damn things like the laws of physics didn't apply, but, Mike swore using this thing was like trying to climb spaghetti noodles.
-Okay, you got this. Remember what they always say. Just don't look down.
Halfway through the ladder, Mike's confidence got a little better, gaining some stability. He quickly learned the trick was to keep a steady rhythm and keep climbing without taking any breaks. Slowly, but surely, the open hatch began to materialize within reach. When Mike least expected it, his fingers were already gripping the edge of the Entry Plug. Instinctively, he threw one scrawny leg over the other side, propelling the rest of his body into motion.
"Good! You can close the hatch now, Will! Don't forget to retract the emergency ladder, over."
"Whoa, what? Nancy, wait!" -Gosh, it's happening. The vibrations of the moving hatch warned him of the impending moment. Either he threw himself inside, or he would be pathetically decapitated. "Shit!"
On the way down, Mike's hand reached for support. He found empty space. There wasn't any type of steps on the other side either. -Well, here goes nothing.
His limbs landed with a THUMP on the inside of the capsule.
"The stairs have been retracted. Closing the hatch now, Lieutenant. Over."
Mike's breath hitched.
To hear the Pilot's voice in proximity, was way different than to hear it on the radio.
Watching the hatch seal itself above his head, he needed a minute to readjust his eyesight. He rolled over his side and get up.
THUMP.
"Ow." Mike rubbed his head after hitting it against the roof. He instinctively hunched his back.
"Are you all right, Mr. Wheeler?"
-Oh yeah. Never better. Only in my third heart attack of the day. Mike shook his shoulders. He took a grip of himself. His eyesight had acclimated enough by now and was able to notice more details.
Outlining the Entry Plug's interior, dos lateral columns of fluorescent lights guided him towards the front. He started walking as he made out three transparent screens molding the interior of the capsule.
"Oh my God." He saw Lover's Lake in all its nocturnal glory, from three angles. Mike hurried forward, following the Pilot's voice. What the hell was that? A pod of sorts?
No. Not a pod. The shape—Holy crap. This was The Chair—the focal point from where the Pilots controlled the EVA's. Mike felt the exhilaration make a big come back.
"Hey look, Nancy looks like an angry mushroom from up here!" Grinning, Mike held onto the back of the chair. He stopped himself from pointing to the ground like a five-year-old.
"I heard that, dork." Nancy Wheeler's voice transmission answered. "Okay, I guess you're safe and sound, then. You two make your way to Central Dogma as soon as possible. Will, please, upon arrival, send Mike at Steve's way. He'll know what to do, I already debrief him. Over and out."
"Understood, Lieutenant. Over and out." A gloved hand pressed a button on the side control to his left, cutting off the radio transmission. Alone, the pilot cleared his throat. "Sorry for the tight space, the Entry Plug was not designed for visitors, Mr. Wheeler."
"Huh?" Mike stopped staring through one of the screens. The chopper with Nancy and Dustin inside was taking off. "Yeah, no problem—Hey, how the hell do these windows work, man? From the outside, you can't see shit on the CLERIC structure–I mean, we're right on the neck of this thing, right? Or… or is it the chest? We're definitively not in the head…"
"Technically, we are inserted into the first vertebra of the EVA's spinal cord."
"Damn, Lucas was right. Own him 50 bucks now." Mike edged down the length of the chair, ending up on left side of the Pilot.
"And regarding the screens." The Pilot pressed another button. In a blink, the three feeds on the panels were replaced by the company logo: NERV glowed in crimson letters. "What you're looking at, Mr. Wheeler, aren't windows exactly. They're holographic transmissions and they're fed into this cabin for visual aid."
"What?!" Holograms? Mike didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "No, no way…" Had he hit his head during the attack and was really living out a sci-fi fantasy mixed with concussion? "There's no way something like this…"
The holograms showed the Lake area again. The fluorescent lights brightening up significantly inside the cabin, shedding the mystery away.
Mike met the Pilot's face directly.
"…can be real." he muttered.
Will certainly looked real.
Brown hair, flowing in a short mane. Slightly messy bangs covered his forehead and loose strands framed his face. The EVA Pilot wore a special kind of suit, too, covering him from head to toe. It seemed manufactured directly from Frank Herbert's fashion sense in Dune. The Pilot's hands held onto long horizontals controls designed to command the robot he inhabited. His arms, in result, looked rigid. Tense.
The Pilot's features, however, were friendly enough as he made eye contact with Mike. Dustin had been right. The pilots were young. Just like them.
Mike shallowed. Hard. Having been completely isolated for three years with his mother and Holly in Chicago, Mike had forgotten the rush—the powerful force that being attracted to another boy could entailed.
Like feeling tongue-tied. "Um. H-Hello."
Will smiled at him. Despite having been explaining the technical workings of the EVA, Mike's sudden shyness was totally mutual. "Hi."
Oh god. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, holograms, you say? Uh, it sounds… I mean… cool." -Stop babbling, Wheeler. "Super cool!"
Will had an interesting collection of moles, starting with the one above his left lip. An elegant nose. And his eyes—wow, expressive was too short of a description for them. Large and glassy, they reflected the glare of the cabin's fluorescent lights, making it a difficult task to define its true color.
"EVA Unit 01, what's the hold up?"
Mike jumped slightly at the interruption.
Will sighed. He pressed more buttons. "I'm on my way, Hopper."
"Good. Jane is asking for you."
That was it. Immediately, the Pilot neutralized his face to a professional facade. "Mr. Wheeler, I'm going to need you to settle into the back of the pod. You can hold on to the sidebars. Please stay calm."
"Uh. Oh, all right. Sure." Mike heeded the directions 'cause first, he wanted to live, and secondly, he wanted to live. "You can drop the airline stewardess act, though. I'd like to think we already broke the ice, dude."
He detected a surprised snort.
"You have a very unconventional definition of breaking the ice, Mr. Wheeler."
Again, with the dumb formalities. "Mike is fine. The only Mr. Wheeler I know is my dad." Such a comparison gave him chills.
"Oh, I'm sorry! It's protocol, you see." A little pause. "I didn't want to—you know, over-step any boundaries."
Mike didn't have the same problem. "You're Will, right?"
"Yeah, uh…" The direct question seemed to take Pilot by surprise. "Byers. Will Byers, I mean."
"Well, in that case, nice to meet you, Byers, Will Byers."
Another pause. Then the Pilot's voice grew more confident.
"Likewise... Mike."
Mike smiled to himself, nestling his chin against the chair's head rest. -That's right. And don't you forget it.
On the screens, CLERIC was directed over the hill. The most bizarre thing about the experience—and there were already lots and lots of bizarre things to consider from this whole day—was not feeling the impact of the robot's movements while it walked. When Mike asked out loud about it, he received another wry laugh.
"Would you believe me if I told you I don't quite get that part yet? I know it has to do with the gravitational force cancellation chamber installed in the EVA core…"
"Hm, gravitational force cancellation chamber? Like the ones they have at NASA for astronaut training?"
"Probably!" Will turned his head slightly to where Mike stood behind him, although they both knew Will wouldn't be able to see him face to face, even if he tried. "But, please, don't take my word for it! Your sister knows better than me. She's the expert, I'm just a pilot."
-Is she, now? That would be news to Mike. He might have known Nancy worked for NERV, but in his mind he had pictured her in a position further down the food chain, like a receptionist or something alike. He hadn't imagined her sister was an expert in the operation of an EVA, much less that she had employees calling her Lieutenant. Did their mother know?
"You're more than just a pilot, man... You saved our asses down there." Mike licked his lips. "From what I heard you were under no obligation."
The atmosphere in the cabin changed to a slight degree. Unfortunately, Mike couldn't make out Will's expression.
"I apologize for Dr. Brenner's behavior. His priorities tend to be focused on stopping TARGETS coming through the gates, before anything else… He's not often on active duty, usually is Commander Hopper the one directing combat strategy during battles. Dr. Brenner was just covering for him due to an emergency outside of NERV."
"Oh." Mike nodded thoughtfully. "Wait. Did you say Hopper?" Hopper. Mike had heard the name from Nancy and now from Will, but it was until this moment that Mike's brain began to connect the dots. The boy snorted, between skeptical, and totally convinced of what he suspected. "You wouldn't be talking about Jim Hopper by any chance, would you?"
Will's head twisted in his direction again. "You know him?"
-Oh boy. Mike briefly hit his forehead on the edge of the seatback. He whined. "Let's just say that Hawkins wasn't called a small town for nothing."
Will laughed softly, almost imperceptibly. "Tell me about it."
Before Mike could assault the poor guy him with more questions—Were you born in Hawkins, too? In the real Hawkins? How did Hopper get from Sheriff to Commander of NERV?—the Pilot's comms demanded his attention. The next transmission Will received was from a NERV operator to guide them to something called 'the landing pad.' Mike didn't dare interrupt, rather concentrating on the view of the ruins that used to be the original Hawkins. Ruins, Mike was still completely unfamiliar with.
CLERIC took them right to where the Hawkins Electrical Department had once been. The place Dustin and Mike had wanted to explore beyond the warning signs and security fences. In a way, Mike was now getting his wish.
In the shape of a cross, the remains of the Department of Electricity had been reassembled in a more modern structure. Contrary to the conservative style of its predecessor, NERV had covered the building with slick, black-tinted glass, blocking the view inside.
"Proceed to Platform B, please."
"Understood." Will readjusted in his chair as the communication ended. From the point he was in the booth, Mike watched the young man concentrate. Will pulled the arm- controls towards his center and THE CLERIC responded, accelerating to NERV's west side with more urgency. There were deserted parking lots in that area. Mike saw a huge gate slide open form the ground and two long metal blades broke towards the surface, mimicking the length of the EVA.
"Holy shit. What are those for?"
The EVA settled with its back to the blades, without problem.
"They are electrical roads. Like the ones used with electric trains?"
Mike frowned. "Oh yeah?"
Now positioned, the EVA descended below ground.
"Oh my God!" Mike grabbed onto the pod, startled by the rapid speed. Unlike moments before, the descent was like riding a freaking roller coaster.
"Oh, Mike, I'm so sorry! I should've warned you about vertigo, I'm pretty used to it by now. Are you okay back there?"
Mike would deny the rest of his life the sound that came out of him. "Mm—Yeah, just peachy."
Will wasn't convinced. "Hold on tight and take deep breaths. The effect wears off, I promise."
If Mike held on tighter to the Pilot's chair, he would fuse with the damn thing. -Questions, ask questions. "What exactly is Central Dogma, huh? Come on, talk to me, Will, to keep my mind off it."
"Uh… Well." Will cleared her throat. "It's NERV's underground operations center. It contains multiple sublevels." On one of the panels Will turned on a sub-levels counter display in large yellow digits.
38. 37. 36. 35. 34…
"Wow. How deep do we want to go? To the center of the Earth?" Mike tried to joke.
"Central Dogma is in the last sub-level. That's like… approximately, 3 kilometers from the surface, give or take."
"Sounds claustrophobic."
Will snorted a soft laugh. "You have no idea."
"Are we supposed to be near one of the gates? Isn't that a bit risky?"
"You'd think so… But Dr. Owens—you'll get to meet him too—says it's all the more reason NERV should monitor gate activity. Truth be told, the two gates closest to NERV HQ are the ones classified as dormant for now. The ones that cause trouble all the time are the other two."
EVA-01, YOU ARE APPROACHING THE LANDING PAD… PREPARE TO ANCHOR IN 10… 09… 08…
Oh. That explained why Mike had felt the speed drop considerably. Makes sense NERV wouldn't want his most prized toy to crash in the middle of parking it.
04… 03…
The front panels lit up again. A live stream was shared in the three screens. The images transmitted took Mike's breath away.
02… 01…
The head of EVA Unit 0.11 greeted them in the opposite direction from which they landed. The EVA was already anchored on its own platform and supported by gigantic metal straps over its shoulders. The head had suffered damage on its right side. NERV personnel wearing white coats were, apparently, surveying the extend of the damage.
CLERIC didn't soften the robot's landing on the platform, but it wasn't a harsh landing either. Vibrations marked the anchoring process outside the EVA Unit, accompanied by mechanical groans.
ANCHORAGE PERFORMED SUCCESSFULLY... PLEASE WAIT FOR EXTRACTION OF ENTRY PLUG.
"We're here."
Will's voice brought him back to reality. Mike blinked. His knuckles were white from how tightly they were holding onto the sidebars. He shook his head to snap out of the trance. Forced his hands to relax.
"Now listen, Mike. You'll be extracted first, so don't panic, okay? I'll be right behind you."
Will Byers was a good guy. He spoke to Mike with a kindness that was hard to find in these apocalyptic times. Soft spoken, not condescending. He brought Mike a sense of ease and his anxiety was grateful for it. He nodded, then remembered Will couldn't exactly see him.
"Okay, got it. I go first, no reason to freak out."
Will opened another channel of communication. "Central Dogma, beginning the cooling process and ejection of the Entry Plug."
"Noted, Eva Unit 01."
Strangely, Mike didn't feel the expulsion in a physical way. Another mysterious phenomenon that Mike would force out of his sister.
The upper hatch eventually opened and light from the outside flooded the cabin. From that moment on, everything happened very fast. A pair of hands reached out to help Mike out of the entry plug first. Just like Will had warned him. Mike had no choice but to accept the assistance. He was pulled onto a secondary platform by a dark-skinned worker, while two other people, also wearing NERV uniforms, supervised the operation of the platform. Mike held on to the railing, turning back towards the Entry Plug.
As Will had promised, the pilot seat slid backwards until it was positioned directly under the exit hatch, taking up the space Mike had freed up. A brunette head soon appeared, followed by the rest of the pilot.
"Thank you, Xanders."
"Welcome, Mr. Byers." The NERV employee gave the young man a friendly pat on the shoulder after helping him out of the Entry Plug. "You sure took your time. Hopper was already losing what's left of his hair. He asked me to remind you he wants a meeting to discuss what happened as soon as possible."
Will Byers winced, wiping sweat from his forehead with his forearm. Before, it hadn't been easy to tell them apart, but two accessories were inserted into the sides of his head. Mike also discovered the Pilot's suit consisted of an imitation of CLERIC's purple breastplate, while the lower half was complemented in black. Thin yellow lines flashed up the length of the boy's arms as the pilot attempted to comb his bangs.
Byers almost matched him in height, with Mike still hovering over him by a few inches. His build filled out the EVA suit more than Mike's skinny body ever would. Apparently, to be a pilot, you had to be physical fit as well.
Mike mentally groaned. The effect of having Will Byers in the flesh, now locking eyes with him, was like looking directly at the sun for too long. Mike had to move his eyes away.
"I just took a little detour. It's no big deal, I don't know why he gets like this. He's getting worse than mom." Will addressed the other boy once more. "Mike, this is Ryan Xanders, Xanders, this is Mike Wheeler, he's the younger brother of Lieutenant Nancy Wheeler."
Xanders arched his wide brown eyebrows. He reached out to squeeze Mike's hand in greeting. Mike accepted the gesture, biting the inside of his lip. "You created quite a ruckus out there, Little Wheeler."
"Xanders." Will scolded under his breath.
"Don't tell me being a smart ass is also a requirement to work here." Mike rolled his eyes. If this Xanders guy thought he was a comedian, no wonder the world was ending. "I might fit right in."
Will cleared his throat, very noticeably trying to modulate his snort. He turned to Xanders. "Do you know where Steve is? I have orders to escort Mr. Wheeler—"
"Mike."
"—Mike," Will corrected, "with him."
Even with his ass whipped by Little Wheeler, Xanders snorted. "Last time I saw him, he was flirting with the girls from HR. You know, the usual for Harrington."
The platform lowered to the main bridge that spanned over the Landing Sub-level. Without further ado, Mike was directed toward the bridge along with Will. After jumping down the bridge, Mike waved at Xanders behind's Will's back.
That sure ought to piss him off even more.
"Well. That was… interesting." Byers cleared his throat. "Do you make friends that easy wherever you go?"
Mike smirked. "Please, I'm fucking charm itself."
Will shook his head, and Mike noticed again how the boy tried to suppress a smile again. He politely said goodbye to Xanders-what's-his-face and waited for Mike to catch up with him. "Hey, be careful. If you fall, I don't have a giant robot to catch you this time."
"Hah." Mike stopped snooping down the bridge, nervously placing his hands in his pockets. "You weren't kidding. This place is huge!"
Will looked at Mike over his shoulder. Bright eyes. Hazel eyes, Mike finally discovered. "It's a maze if you don't know where you're going, so stay close, okay?"
Mike could only nod.
Pressing the exit button, they both went through a metal gate to another level. A corridor filled with activity and people going in opposite directions, greeted them. All of them being NERV staff. Mike drew a few curious glances, but for the most part, he was completely ignored. He did his best to keep himself glued to Will's back, even with his curiosity wanting to take in every detail of the facility. Dustin would ask him about absolutely everything when they saw each other again.
Will ushered them into an elevator marked as GENERAL TRANSIT. As soon as they were alone with the doors closed, the young man removed the strange headband from his head, slowly rolling his head from side to side. A wince of pain twisted his features.
"God, I'm dying for a shower."
Mike wasn't subtle about his tendency to stare at inappropriate times. It was a gift. Mike had perfectioned over the years. He had no control over it. (And it wasn't all his fault. Will and his stupid hair shouldn't be that distracting.)
He cleared his throat. "Do you have showers down here?"
Will laughed under his breath. Oh, that probably was a very stupid question. "We have everything down here."
"Hm. I don't know about that." Mike made an unconvinced sound. "I mean, do you have Reese's?"
Soft mirth gleamed in Will's hazel eyes. "Of course, we have Reese's. We are not savages, Mike."
"Oh yeah? What kind? Buttercup flavor or classic? I bet you guys don't have Reese's Pieces."
"Blasphemer." Will exclaimed in a dead-panned voice. Mike grinned from ear to ear. "Can't believe I saved your life."
"Whoa! Low blow." Mike gasped, grabbing his own chest. "Let me tell you that I'm a pretty save-bable person—"
"Save-bable? Does that word even exist?"
"I mean, you should be thankful actually! If it wasn't for Dustin and I breaking through the security perimeter and setting off your precious alarms, NERV wouldn't have noticed the Demogorgon roaming the city that fast."
"You're talking about a 600 ft tall creature! Hard to miss, don't you think?"
"I'm serious! You mentioned this gate is in dormant state, right? If that's what you guys think, then NERV wouldn't have noticed Godzilla out there in time!"
"Wait, wait, wait." Will turned to Mike with wide eyes. "Are you saying you saw the TARGET slip out of the gate of OUR perimeter?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying! Dustin and I saw it with our own eyes—it crawled out of the gate. We thought it was a toad at first—a very ugly toad. But then it grew like, in minutes! It was completely disgusting, it used dead rats to mutate or something! Those sons of bitches are repulsive!"
Will didn't say a word for a long moment. He stared at Mike, lips parted a fraction. Lips, which Mike also found incredibly fascinating. (Oh, God. He was so screwed.)
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
Will blinked. Mike could swear a reddish color filled his cheeks. Just in case, Mike did check his own appearance and found sweat and dried mud all over his clothes. Ugh. He must stink too. Will wasn't the only one who needed a shower. Mike didn't even want to see himself in a mirror. His hair must be a mess.
"No, it's just… Damn it."
A bad feeling run down Mike's spine. "What? What is it? What did I say?" He made a face. "Is Hopper going to arrest me?"
Will hesitated.
"No, but… you will definitely need to talk to him."
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End of Part 02.
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NA:
I have adapted the functionality of an EVA to my liking, because there are concepts from the Evangelion canon that I don't think would make much sense in the Stranger Things canon, such as the use of the amber fluid LCL when using an EVA. I'm being careful in not showing Evangelion's NERV technology as advanced in this universe, considering we're still in the 80's. Likewise, I'm not going to use the lore about the EVAs' souls being the pilots' dead mothers. I mean, kill Joyce? NOT happening. No, the connection of the pilots to their EVAs will have other connotations. ;)
Also, about the Demogorgon: obviously to fight EVAs they had to have evolved in size, and in this story, I'm mixing a bit of the lore from Season 3 and the Spider Monster to establish that. Please keep an open mind, I'll go into details later. We will also be exploring what exactly happened to Hawkins and what Hawkins-2 is.
Next part: Mike meets more familiar faces! Plus, he'll find out the real reason his mom sent him back to Hawkins (or what's left of it). Little hint: it wasn't just to flirt with William Byers.