"Steve…" Steve turned and very nearly dissolved into tears.

"Robin!" He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "He said you were dead." He looked at the old man accusingly and like an old dog, he shrunk with guilt.

"I meant the other woman," he said. "You killed the lunatic with the gun."

Dustin grinned. "Nice driving," he said.

Robin pulled herself away from Steve. "And lucky," she said. "You could have killed me."

"You're welcome," Steve said. He took a step backwards, feeling awkward at his display of affection. It didn't help that Dustin was grinning inanely at him.

"I love it when a plan comes together," Dustin said.

Steve frowned at him and shook his head in disdain. "You watch too much TV," he said.

"Boys, focus!" Robin, bleeding slightly from a wound to her head, planted her hands on her hips. "Okay, so you've rescued me from the gun-toting lunatic, but what now?"

They all turned to look at the old man.

"Don't look at me," he said.

"You must know something," Steve took a step towards him, but the old man backed away, frightened.

Dustin stepped in front of Steve. "Don't be frightened of the ape," Dustin said. He smiled at the old man. "Don't you want this to all be over?"

The old man suddenly collapsed into a chair. He put a shaking hand up to his weathered old face.

"Everyone's gone. They were all too afraid of those people."

"Who are they?" Robin asked. She wiped at the blood that was trickling down her cheek. "Russians?"

"I don't know. All dressed in black with their guns and threats. And then there was that woman…" the old man jerked his head towards the rubble at the back of the shop. "She was British I think, but she spoke Russian. She decided she liked my shop. She said she liked books and old things." He grimaced. "She was a contemptuous, cruel woman. I heard her on the phone sometimes, giving out orders. Giving someone permission to torture some poor soul…" He trailed off and sighed and then he looked at Steve and then Robin and finally Dustin.

"How old are you?" he asked shaking his head. Then he laughed dolefully. "They knew you were coming. They were waiting for you."

"Hang on," Steve said. "You said you heard her giving orders to torture someone…" He glanced at the others. "Do you know who?" The old man shook his head. "Or where they were keeping him?"

The old man looked up and then he nodded.

"Down at the docks," he said. "Best Fish in Alaska."

"El, don't do this." Mike gripped El's arms. "Please," he said. "It's dangerous."

"He needs me, Mike," El said. Her voice sounded strange and distant as if she was already going to that place in her mind.

El closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I suddenly feel so much stronger," she said. She opened her eyes again and they flashed dangerously. "I can help him. I know I can."

"And what about us, El?" Will was looking through a grimy window, partially hidden by a faded curtain, certain the black sedan would turn up at any point. Outside, the rain had turned everything grey. He turned to El. "Have you thought about the danger you're putting us all in by going back there…" He trailed off. He knew how much Hopper meant to her, but he could feel the thing waiting somewhere. It was like a slumbering beast and as soon as it was properly awake, it would rampage through Hawkins. Again. He stood up and walked over to El.

"You know, don't you, that the reason they've kept Hopper alive, is to lure you there, to help him."

El shook her head. She didn't want to think about the thing in her mind. She knew it was there too, but she could beat it now. She knew she could.

"I won't let them take me," she said. "But I have to help Hopper."

"But he may already dead, El." Mike took her hand in both of his. "You said yourself you could feel him leaving…" El smiled at him, sadly, and withdrew her hand. Then she stood up.

"I know you don't understand why I have to do this, but I can help him. Right now. I know I can save him."

Mike turned away in irritation. "And what if you can't? What if, he dies, or he's already dead, and you unleash that creature…"

"I won't, Mike. Trust me." El reached out to Mike, but he took a step back.

"Don't do this," he said.

A solitary tear snaked its way down El's cheek. She sniffed and shook her head, wanting to keep hold of the fire she felt inside her. Raging flames that made her feel invincible. She could feel Hopper's pain and knew what she had to do.

She turned to Will. "I'm sorry," she said again. "Hopper gave me my life and I have to save him." Then she looked at Mike again. "I love you," she said.

She turned and walked into the empty room, closing the door behind her.

"I know," Mike said.

Outside, the rain continued to fall.

"Keep driving!" Nancy sunk down in the passenger seat of Jonathan's car. "Get down," she hissed to Joyce.

Jonathan eased his foot onto the accelerator and passed the Wheeler house. There was a man, dressed in black, standing at the open front door. He was talking into a walkie-talkie and another man was walking around from the back.

Joyce groaned from the back.

"They can't have been there Mom." Jonathan glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw the haunted expression in his mom's eyes. "There was no sign of them, and those men wouldn't be there if they had been caught. They escaped, okay?"

She nodded, still afraid.

"Where are they?" Max looked across at Lucas. They had so many places they went to when they wanted to get away from the grown-ups. Or from life.

"Hopper's cabin?" Nancy suggested.

Max shrugged. "Worth a shot," she said.

Steve gripped the steering wheel.

"What now?"

"Speed up," Dustin said.

"What?" Steve turned in his seat. "Speed up? And do what?"

"Put this on." He handed Steve a cap. The writing on the front said, 'Best Fish in Alaska'.

"This is no kind of a plan." Steve took the cap and put it on his head. He looked at Robin.

She shrugged. "It seemed to work well before."

Steve pulled the peak down low over his eyes. He looked ahead at the wharf area. There was one white building that was an 'L' shape and several shipping containers. There was a small guardhouse and retractable barrier, but no sign of any guard. The whole area looked derelict.

"He could be anywhere," Steve said.

"Not anywhere…" Robin pointed to the white building. A small door opened, and a woman stood there. "It's the woman from the bookshop," she said.

Dustin looked at her. "You hit your head, Robin. She died."

Robin rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dustin, I know that. She looks identical. She's a sister, or twin maybe…"

They all looked at the woman. She was on a walkie-talkie and she was gesticulating angrily.

"Here's a thought," Dustin said. "Maybe she's just found you killed her sister…"

"I killed her?" Steve wanted to feel angry, but instead he just felt a sense of foreboding. "If I do this and Hopper's not there…" He revved the engine and wondered how many years he would be serving and how many more he would get doing what he was about to do. "Hold on," he said.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the long delay. Hopefully back to normality now. Review if you like! :-)