20 | Watergate

The ground shook, Y/n falling into Eddie's arms again while Steve caught both Robin and Nancy. "Okay, second on my list of least favourite things, earthquakes. Seriously, I'm unsteady enough as it is." Robin admitted, carefully standing up. Nancy got up, walking on ahead from them. "Nancy! Where are you going? Nancy!" Robin shouted, running after her with Steve, soon followed by Y/n and Eddie. Nancy gazed at the building in front. "Nancy!" Robin repeated. "Come on." Nancy mumbled, walking on over.

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"This is Dustin. Where are you? We've been collared by the law. I repeat, we've been collared by the law. Do you copy?" Dustin whisper-shouted, flushing the toilet and walking out, being careful not to bump into Holly and over to Lucas who leant on the counter, his head in his hands. "Anything?" he asked hopeful, it all disappearing as he shook his head no. Lucas thought about it, debating on the idea in his head. "You don't think they went through..." he paused, Dustin meeting his gaze. "Through Watergate? Without us? Without a plan? Without weapons? They wouldn't be that stupid." he acknowledged, Lucas hesitating but agreeing with his friend. "They must just be laying low 'cause the law got us." Dustin suggested, not hearing Erica come from around the corner. "'The law?'" Erica questioned, walking over as the two boys jumped at the sudden voice. "What is this, Gunsmoke? The stupid and the ugly? Should I round up the posse? Saddle the horses?" she continued, joining them in leaning on the island counter. Lucas rolled his eyes at his sisters comments. "Erica! Please, just go away." he begged, Erica not budging. "Here's the deal, either you tell me what's happening, or I tell Dustin what I found under your bed." she threatened, Lucas' face at once dropping as Erica smirked, Dustin looking between them.

"Please, no." Lucas at once said, Erica smiling sweetly at him and nodding her head, signalling for him to go on. "What'd she find under your bed?" Dustin questioned, eyes wide as Lucas shook his head and glared at her. "Is it gross? Scale of one to ten." Dustin asked, turning to her for answers. "A hundred." she responded making Dustin gasp and look at Lucas, disgusted. "The serial killer is a dark wizard from the Upside down, and we've been looking for him. But, he's in the upside down, which we can't reach. At least, we thought we couldn't, until we found a gate at Lover's Lake. That was the reason why we were there, but these stupid cops grabbed us. And if you tell anyone about this, that's including mum, and dad, and Tina. Especially Tina. I will...smother you in your sleep. Do you understand?" he made sure, Erica not really paying attention to his words.

"The smothering in my sleep part, but not much else. Why would they open up a gate at Lover's Lake?" she asked, confusing both Lucas and Dustin, neither of them knowing who she was referring to. "The commies!" she said, both of them groaning and turning away for a split second. "The commies didn't do it! Nobody opened it!" Lucas told her, erica still not buying it. "So, it just opened up for fun?" she suggested, Lucas going to argue back but Dustin cut him off. "She has no idea what she's talking about, yet she raises an essential question. How did Watergate open up? Only two gates have opened, so far as we know. One by El, one by the commies. But it's not the commies or El this time, so it...Holy shit. Wait, wait, wait, wait." he gasped, going over what he had said. "There's one thing we've never understood, which is why Vecn'a killing people. What's his motive? Killing teens? It always just seemed too random. Too prosaic. On top of that, how does the Mind Flayer figure into all this?" Dustin brought up, pacing around the room. "Maybe, this is it. This is the answer!" Dustin grinned.

"What is the answer?" Lucas asked, not totally sure of what Dustin was getting at. Karen walked in with one of the officers behind her, the three of them moving near the stairs so they couldn't hear the conversation. "Okay, just hear me out. How did El open the Mothergate?" he questioned Lucas, hoping he'd remember. "She contacted the Demogorgon." he remembered, Dustin smiling. "With psychic contact. Just like..." Dustin paused, nodding his head at Lucas to finish it. "Vecna when he casts his spells." he pointed out, Dustin humming in agreement. "Exactly. So, what if, with each kill, he's not simply killing them, he's making a powerful; psychic connection with his victims? A connection, powerful enough to rip a hole in the fabric of time and space." Dustin excitedly whispered, Lucas now catching onto his idea and where his theory was coming from. "He's opening more gates." Lucas muttered, Erica looking between them and trying her best to follow along.

"Bingo."