Chapter 24: The Dual Rescue Plan
The planning session took over my basement like military campaign headquarters.
Maps covered every surface—Hawkins Lab layout, town grid, Upside Down sketches based on El's descriptions. I'd pulled out my supply manifests, equipment lists, three years of preparation compressed into actionable intelligence.
"The gate is in the lab's sublevel," I explained, pointing at the floor plans. "Brenner's people guard it around the clock. We need to infiltrate, reach the containment chamber, cross over, execute two simultaneous extractions, and escape before lab security overwhelms us."
"That's impossible," Jonathan said.
"It's difficult. Not impossible." I grabbed a marker. "Three teams. Three objectives. Synchronized timing."
Hopper leaned forward. "Explain."
"Team Gate infiltrates the lab and secures the crossing point. Team Will positions at Castle Byers coordinates in normal Hawkins—when we push Will through from the other side, they're there to catch him. Team Barb does the same at Lover's Lake. Team Defense stays here as command center and fallback point."
"Why separate?" Joyce asked.
"Because Will and Barb are two miles apart in the Upside Down. We can't reach both from a single gate entry without splitting up in hostile territory. Safer to extract them simultaneously and push them through at different coordinates."
El spoke up: "The gate connects the worlds. Same place, both sides. But boundaries are thin elsewhere. Where they were taken, the membrane is weak. Can push through there."
"So we need people on both sides," Dustin said, scribbling notes. "Team Gate crosses over, Team Will and Team Barb wait at the weak points in normal Hawkins."
"Exactly."
Nancy raised her hand. "I'm going for Barb."
"No. You're infiltrating the lab with Team Gate." I met her eyes. "I need someone who can shoot straight and stay calm under pressure. That's you."
She blinked, surprised. "You trust me with that?"
"More than I trust most adults. You've got steady hands and you don't panic. Plus, Barb deserves to see a familiar face when we pull her out."
Joyce grabbed my arm. "And Will? Who gets my son?"
"You do. Team Will is yours to command. Robin and Eddie assist. El guides you to the exact location. When we push Will through, you're there to catch him."
"I can't—I'm not tactical. I'm not a fighter."
"You're his mother. That's more important." I squeezed her hand. "Trust your instincts. Protect him when he comes through. That's all he needs."
Tears streamed down Joyce's face. "Okay. Okay, I'll do it."
"Good." I turned to Hopper. "You and I lead Team Gate with Nancy and Jonathan. We're the lab infiltration unit."
"Why you?" Hopper demanded. "You should stay in command here."
"Because I've mapped that facility for months. I know entry points, security patterns, guard rotations. Plus—" I gestured at the equipment. "—I have tools that'll help us survive."
I pulled out the four items from the Dimensional Backpack.
"Compass That Points To Danger. Warns us of threats within two hundred meters." I handed it to Joyce. "Team Will takes this. If the Demogorgon approaches while you're waiting for Will, you'll know."
"Emergency Medkit. Advanced healing supplies." I gave it to Mike. "Team Defense keeps this. If anyone comes back injured, you handle triage."
"Grappling Hook Gun. For scaling walls and creating escape routes." I demonstrated the mechanism. "Team Gate uses this for the lab infiltration."
"Night Vision Goggles. Military-grade, six-hour battery." I strapped them on. "I keep these. The Upside Down is dark—I need to see what's hunting us."
Everyone stared at the equipment.
"Where did you get this?" Nancy asked.
"Prepared. Over time. Piece by piece." From a dimensional backpack that extracts random items. But I can't say that. "Point is, we have advantages. We use them smart."
Hopper studied the items. "This is serious gear. Not the kind of thing a high school kid normally has access to."
"I'm not a normal high school kid."
"Yeah. I'm starting to realize that."
I pulled out my cache maps. "Five supply locations around Hawkins. Each one has backup weapons, medical supplies, emergency rations. Team Will and Team Barb, memorize these. If something goes wrong, rally at the nearest cache."
Lucas grabbed the maps, studied them intensely. "These are the locations you've been showing us."
"Yeah. Now they're operational. Use them if you need to."
"What about weapons?" Jonathan asked. "If there's a monster—"
I opened the weapons locker I'd built into the basement wall. Baseball bats wrapped in nails. Hunting knives. Axes. Crowbars. One hunting rifle. Various improvised weapons.
"Take what you're comfortable using. Team Gate gets priority—we're entering the most dangerous territory. But everyone should have something."
Nancy grabbed the rifle without hesitation. "I can shoot. My dad taught me."
"Good. You're on point for ranged threats." I handed Jonathan a bat. "You get close-range defense."
Hopper already had his service pistol. "I'm set. But Steve, you need a primary weapon."
I grabbed the nail-wrapped bat—my original, the one I'd been training with for three years. Familiar weight. Comfortable grip.
"I'm covered."
"A bat," Hopper said flatly.
"A bat I've trained with for three years. Better than a gun I've only practiced with for months." Also, Fight Master makes me ridiculously effective with any melee weapon. "Trust me."
Eddie grabbed an axe, tested its weight. "I feel like I'm preparing for the zombie apocalypse."
"Close enough," I said.
Robin chose a crowbar. "Practical. Can be weapon or tool."
Joyce picked up a kitchen knife—small, manageable, something she could actually use if necessary.
Team Defense didn't get weapons. They were staying at the house, coordinating communications, ready to call for help if everything went wrong.
"Now tactics," I said. "The Demogorgon—the monster. It's seven feet tall, hunts by blood and sound, has a face that opens like a flower. That's the vulnerable point. Aim for the opening when it attacks."
"How do you know?" Nancy asked.
I watched it on TV. Saw how it moved, how it died.
"Research. Witness accounts. Pattern analysis." I pulled out El's sketches of the creature. "It's strong, fast, and single-minded. Don't try to fight it head-on. Distract, evade, create openings. Only engage if you have no choice."
"What if there's more than one?" Lucas asked.
"Then we're in serious trouble. But El's only seen evidence of one monster so far. We hope that holds."
I turned to El. "You're the most important piece. You guide Team Will to Castle Byers. Sense the Demogorgon's location. Warn us if dimensional boundaries destabilize. Can you do that?"
"Yes. But I can help fight too. Can hurt the monster—"
"No." I cut her off. "You're not a weapon. You're our navigator and early warning system. If the Demogorgon shows up, you get behind cover and let the adults handle it."
"But—"
"El. Please. I need you safe. We all do."
She looked at Mike, at Joyce, at the assembled group. Then nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I'll guide. Not fight."
"Thank you."
Hopper spread the timeline across the table. "When do we move?"
"Forty-eight hours. November 11th at midnight. Lab security rotation changes at midnight—smallest guard presence for thirty-minute window. We use that window to infiltrate, reach the gate, and cross over."
"That's fast," Jonathan protested. "Two days to finalize everything?"
"Barb has maybe thirty-six hours before her condition becomes critical. Will's stable longer, but every day increases risk. We move fast or we move too late."
The room absorbed this. Two days to prepare for the most dangerous operation any of them had ever attempted.
Joyce spoke first: "Then we don't waste time. We drill. Practice. Make sure everyone knows their role."
"Agreed," Hopper said. "Steve, you have training facilities?"
"My basement. The quarry for outdoor work. We can run scenarios starting tonight."
"Good. Everyone, synchronize watches." Hopper checked his. "Operation launches in exactly forty-eight hours. Until then, we eat, sleep, and train in shifts. Questions?"
Silence.
"Then let's get started."
The next two days blurred into constant preparation.
I drilled Team Gate on lab infiltration—entry routes, security bypasses, emergency extraction procedures. Nancy learned to move silently despite the rifle. Jonathan practiced close-quarters bat combat. Hopper coordinated police cover stories.
Team Will ran scenarios at Castle Byers—how to catch Will when he comes through, how to protect him from threats, how to retreat if the Demogorgon follows. Joyce's maternal instinct transformed into protective ferocity. Robin and Eddie learned to fight as unit. El practiced extending her senses to maximum range.
Team Barb positioned at Lover's Lake repeatedly until they could find the weak point blindfolded. Lucas mapped every approach angle. The Party memorized emergency protocols.
My house became operations center. People cycled through in shifts—sleeping, eating, training, planning. The surveillance van across the street documented all the foot traffic but couldn't determine what we were doing.
Chrissy managed logistics—food, supplies, communication. She didn't ask about the full plan. Just supported quietly, keeping everything running.
Robin cornered me on Day Two, exhaustion making her blunt: "You realize we're all going to die, right?"
"No. We're all going to survive."
"How can you be so certain?"
Because I've seen how this goes. Because I know the Demogorgon dies. Because the good guys win.
"Because we're prepared. Because we have advantages. Because I won't accept any other outcome."
She studied my face. "You're terrifying when you're confident."
"Good. Terrifying means effective."
November 11th arrived like a countdown reaching zero.
Everyone assembled at my house at 11 PM—final briefing before execution.
"Last chance to back out," I said. "No judgment. This is dangerous, illegal, and probably insane."
No one moved.
"Alright. Final equipment check."
Teams verified their gear. Weapons secured. Medical supplies distributed. Communications tested.
Joyce held the Compass That Points To Danger with white-knuckled grip. "This really works?"
"It's kept me alive for three years. It'll keep you alive now."
Nancy checked her rifle magazine for the third time. "And if we encounter Brenner?"
"Avoid him. He's dangerous but he's not the primary threat. Get to the gate, cross over, complete the mission."
Hopper loaded his pistol with deliberate care. "Rules of engagement?"
"Non-lethal when possible. But if it's between their lives and ours, we choose ours."
"Good."
At 11:45 PM, we moved out.
Team Gate in Hopper's truck—me, Hopper, Nancy, Jonathan. Night vision goggles in my pocket. Grappling hook secured. Bat across my knees.
Team Will in Joyce's car—Joyce, Robin, Eddie, El. Compass active. Weapons hidden but accessible.
Team Defense remaining at my house—Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Chrissy. Medkit ready. Radios monitored.
The convoy split at the first intersection—Team Gate toward the lab, Team Will toward Castle Byers.
I watched them disappear into darkness and felt three years of preparation compress into this moment.
This is it. The test. Everything I've built leads here.
Hopper drove in silence. Nancy breathed steady, controlled. Jonathan's knuckles white on his bat.
"You ready for this?" Hopper asked.
"Yeah. You?"
"Hell no. But I'm doing it anyway."
"That's the spirit."
The lab appeared through the trees—harsh floodlights, chain-link fence, government facility pretending to be innocuous.
We parked a quarter-mile away. Approached on foot.
Midnight. Security rotation changing. Thirty-minute window opening.
"Go," Hopper whispered.
We moved.
Three years of preparation. One shot at rescue. Two kids depending on us.
Please let this work.
The fence loomed ahead. Beyond it, the gate to hell.
We were going in.
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