The library's archive of old newspapers runs deep. She's not quite sure where to start, how far back she should go. When did the projects start? How long has the Lab even been there? She doesn't know. She tried asking her dad about that, if he knew how long the Department of Energy building has been there but he didn't know, said it was there when he was a kid too at least. She ends up starting with going back 14 years, since that's how old El is. She finds the articles she's heard of from Joyce and Jonathan, about Terry Ives and her attempt to sue the Lab. There's a mention of Dr. Brenner having at that point been at the Lab for ten years so she goes back further, to the 60s. A much rumored time, about MKUltra and stuff like it, stuff she before 1983 would've dismissed as paranoid conspiracy theories but now, after all they've been through and all she's heard from Murray, she believes most of.

Dear Jonathan

I love you. Thank you for your letter, I knew you'd support me. And your photos! Your room looks cozy, if a little cramped I'll give you that but it's nice of you to let Will and El have the bigger rooms.

You're right we need more evidence. We have our tape, your photo, Dustin's tape. And our stories, I know they're not evidence per se but I mean… a dozen witness accounts saying the same things must mean something at least, right? But yes we need more hard evidence. I've been listening to our tape, I think we can use more than what we leaked the first time.

And I agree we should focus on the mall because that story they've sold doesn't satisfy people. But what evidence do we have about what really happened? Also it's messy, what with the Russians and all… don't get me wrong the Russians are scumbags we should expose too but it's so messy now with them and the government, it might steal focus… I mean, people already think Russia is shady but people don't think the same about our government though they're just as bad and if we expose the Russians people may just focus on that, that they infiltrated the US, and miss the fact that our own government murders us and almost caused a damn apocalypse.

I've been at the library doing research into the Lab. I found some interesting stuff like-

"Nancy can you drive us to-"

"Jesus Mike, knock before entering!" She angrily spits out at her little brother who broke her flow by barging into her room unannounced with Lucas and Max in tow.

"Jeez calm down, what's the big deal?"

"I could've been doing anything in here!"

"Like what? What are you doing anyway?" Mike throws back and glances down at her letter. "Why are you writing Jonathan a letter? What is this, the 1850s?"

"None of your business!"

"You talk to him on the phone all the time anyway what could you possibly have to say to him in a letter that you haven't already told him over the phone?"

"Just… some things we don't want to talk about over the phone."

"Ew, like what?"

"What do you mean 'ew'? There's nothing ew about it!"

"What is it then?"

"Just…" she thinks for a second. Well she's going to have to talk to them about this stuff some time anyway, might as well do it now. "Well, come in and shut the door, I have to talk to you," she tells them and looks at Max to close to the door behind her.

"About what? We really just want to go to the-"

"It's serious, Mike, shut up for a second."

"Okay!"

"What's going on?" Lucas asks.

"We're going to expose the Lab. I mean, more of what they've really done. The real story. About all that's happened here. About the Lab, the experiments, the spying, the mall… we want to put more of the real story out there. Not the made up crap the government's peddling that no one really believes anyway. A mall fire? No one believes that, no one has closure. People still wonder why their loved ones just randomly went to the mall at night on the 4th of July. People need closure and people should know what's really going on, what the government really is guilty of."

"Okay… and you're writing Jonathan letters because…?" Mike wonders.

"Just in case… look we don't know who's listening. They've done it before. I don't know if they still do since the Lab closed up but… better safe than sorry. The Lab closing up here can't mean they just stopped all their shady business, do you think? It's got to be bigger than Hawkins, the operation. Like MKUltra was a huge thing, who knows how big this can really be."

"Right… still writing letters seem dumb."

"What will you expose?" Max asks.

"Not sure yet, we're still talking about it, what we can do without risking anyone's safety. And people have to believe it, we need evidence. We have some. Jonathan's photo of the Demogorgon, the tape we made last year, we have more of it than what we released, and Dustin's recording of the Russians… but we need more. Also, you're dumb Mike."

"No I mean, there's more efficient ways to communicate than letters, besides phones."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"Duh, our walkies."

"Duh, they don't have range all the way to St. Louis, moron."

"Duh, yeah they do when we use Dustin's antenna," Mike throws back in his know-it-all-way. That leaves her stumped, she'd forgotten about that.

"The one he used to talk to that girl in Utah?"

"Yeah, we still have it up. I started using it now to talk to El and Will since you wouldn't quit tying up the phone lines. We can just call them up and they can get Jonathan and we can all discuss how we're going to topple the government."

"We're not going to topple the… we'll see how it goes. Can we go do it now?"

"Sure, we'll stop and pick up Dustin on the way."

"Weren't we going to go to-" Lucas starts but Max cuts him off.

"Screw the movies, overthrowing the government is more important!"

"So this is safe right, no one can listen?" She asks in the car after they've picked up Dustin and explained the situation to him.

"Yeah it's totally safe, totally incognito Nancy," Dustin assures her.

"I mean someone could get onto the channel I suppose," Lucas cuts in.

"Yeah like you picking up the Russians message in the first place was totally by accident using this," Max points out.

"Well I mean… okay I guess it's theoretically possible but why would anyone listen in on us? No one knows about the channel but us and we're just kids right shouldn't interest anyone."

"Right…"

She pulls off to the side of the road by the woods on the southern edge of town, and they walk the last bit through the forest and up the hill where Dustin's antenna is placed. Mike gets out his walkie.

"Will? Will are you there? It's Mike. And Lucas and Max and Dustin and Nancy. Will?"

After a few seconds, there's a crack through the static.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"Hey man is El there?"

"No Mike, she went to the store with mom. If you just wanted to talk to her-"

"No no, I want to talk to you too! But listen is Jonathan there?"

"He's in his room, why?"

"Nancy needs to talk to him, it's important. Can you get him? You can stay on the channel too, you should hear this stuff too."

"Okay… what's going on?"

"Long story short, Nancy and Jonathan have apparently decided to expose more of the shit the Lab did and all, and she needs to talk to him and they can't use the phone in case it's bugged still."

"Expose what exactly?"

"Hey Will, it's Nancy. We haven't decided exactly what yet, we need to be careful about this stuff. We don't want to risk anything but people need to more of the truth about what happened. Can you please get Jonathan?"

"Sure Nancy, hang on."

There's a pause and then a crackle and Jonathan's voice.

"Nancy?"

"Hey…"

"What's going on, Will knows?"

"Yeah I… well I told Mike and the rest of the kids today and Mike had a good idea for once and suggested we'd use these to talk instead, faster than letters."

"Okay… how the hell is this range possible?"

"Dustin's antenna."

"Oh. Okay. Um, so the kids all know?"

"Yeah."

"We'll help any way we can Jonathan!" Mike butts in and the others nod.

"Okay guys."

"So I was gonna tell you, I got your letter and first of all just, thank you… also I like your room and um, well we can talk more about that stuff later," she changes her mind when she realizes they're not alone in this conversation. "Anyway you're right, we need more hard evidence. I've been listening back to our tape, the uncut version, and I think there's more stuff on there we could use."

"And I have my tape of the Russians, and the translation, secured in a safe place," Dustin cuts in.

"Yeah, so that's good. And there's of course your photo of the Demogorgon. But we need more."

"Yeah, especially about the mall, if we're gonna focus on that…"

"Yes I think we should. But also, I was at the library doing research into the Lab, looking back at old articles and stuff and found some stuff…"

"Oh, about that. I was gonna tell you, some news."

"Oh?"

"I found out after I sent the letter. Um, so I was up late last night and I found mom in the kitchen, she had a box full of documents and newspaper cuttings and photos, stuff to do with the Lab and El and all. She got it from Hopper. They did a lot of research into this stuff way back."

"Oh…"

"And I told her about what we want to do and she said we can use that stuff, so I have all the research Hopper did into the Lab here. And he was pretty thorough."

"Oh, that's great. Is there anyway I can see it?"

"Yeah I could make copies at school… just have to be careful, do it when no one's around but. I'm still going through it, and I'll talk more to mom about it tonight but I'll try to sort out what's most relevant now and send copies to you."

"Awesome, I love you."

Mike rolls his eyes.

"Love you too. Um, something else too though, that mom told me about. Um… Will, and all you guys… okay you need to keep this under wraps. You can't tell El, not yet."

"Why not?" Mike cuts in."

"Because I don't think mom has talked to her about it yet and El should hear it from her first. So I'll tell you now since you know about the other stuff already so, but you have to promise to not tell El. Okay Mike?"

"…okay," Mike finally replies. She hits him on the shoulder. "Ow! Okay, I promise I won't tell, but she better know soon whatever it is."

"Okay. Mom told me she was going through the the box because she's been meeting with Murray, he lives not too far from here, because they're trying to find Hopper."

"What?" They all say at once and she hears Will on the walkie saying the same thing in the background.

"Mom doesn't think he's dead. Or at least she doesn't think it's certain. She says he just vanished in front of her and until she sees a body, a real body, we can't be sure he's gone. With all that's happened he can be anywhere…"

"The Upside Down?" Lucas suggests.

"I don't know, maybe, or somewhere else, we don't know. Bottom line is, mom hasn't given up on him. And she's usually right about this stuff… like she never gave up on finding you buddy, even when it looked like… you know," Jonathan's voice goes softer as he adressess the last part to Will. "So I said I'll help her with that, I said to myself I'd never doubt her again after that…"

"We'll all help anyway she needs it," she lets Jonathan know. The others nod. "And we won't tell El about this," she reaffirms, looking at Mike.

She waits until she knows her parents have gone to bed, then waits some more for them to most likely fall asleep, before she opens her window and climbs out. She dug out her old and rarely used bike out of the garage earlier and hid it from view behind some bushes.

Time 11:07 PM. Target just exited through bedroom window. Target now on a bicycle, southbound. Giving leeway, tailing with caution. Time is 11:08 PM.

Their town is pretty much dead at this hour, not a soul in sight, only the occasional sound of a car in distance or behind her so she makes good time.

Time 11:15 PM. Target turned on to Cornwallis heading southwest. Looks to be heading to Site Omega.

This is a time she really misses Jonathan a lot. Staking out the Lab would've, should've been the kind of thing they'd do together. And though she doesn't think it will be dangerous now, she's not going inside after all, just… having a look around the premises, and she expects it to still be abandoned, still it'd feel good to have Jonathan with her. Safer. She always feels safer with him by her side.

Time 11:17 PM. Target passed Kerley without turning. Now stopped by the side of Cornwallis and have left the bike. Target now on foot heading into the woods, southbound. I have turned onto Kerley to conceal my vehicle. I'm now on foot, trailing the target with caution.

Still, even if it's abandoned, approaching it by the front entrance feels stupid so she goes into the woods figuring she'll just keep walking until she gets to the fence. It's just as well since she also wants to look around for any alternative ways to enter the place. Because she figures the front gate will not exactly just be an open door she can just waltz on through now.

Time 11:20 PM. Target has reached the north fence. Now following alongside it westwards.

It does indeed look abandoned. No lights are on, it looks just like it did a year ago, when she and Jonathan found Steve and all the kids except their brothers in the woods and went here. She shakes off the memory of that night, with it's chaos and mayhem, and continues on. She looks over the fence as she walks along. She knows from Jonathan that Joyce and Hopper simply used bolt cutters to gain entry, she could do the same. Or maybe she doesn't even need to, she thinks as she further down spots a hole in the fence. They must've not fixed it since last time. Tempting as it is to just crawl through it now, she holds off. She's trying to think more before she acts, Jonathan was kind of right about her tendency to not do that enough last summer. Not only in steamrolling over him, not thinking about how valuable the job was to him, God she still feels bad about that, but also in ways like how she two years ago found a portal to another dimension and without a second thought crawled through it just because she thought it'd lead her on her quest to find Barb. Jonathan saved her then but he's not here now. Better not risk it, she should plan it out more before she goes inside. Not just wing it. She makes a mental note of where the hole is and continues around.

Time 11:36 PM. Target has veered off back into the woods, northbound, after circling the premises. Seemingly did not do anything special, just observed. Time 11:37 PM. Target back on her bicycle, most likely going home. Returning to my vehicle now, will continue to trail.

As she bikes home through empty streets she thinks about what Jonathan told her today. She wonders where Hopper could be. Maybe he is gone. But just like Jonathan, she's not one to doubt Joyce after all. She's been right from the start about all this. She knew Will had been taken and was alive, even when it looked certain he was dead she knew he was alive and stopped at nothing to get him back. And Mike has told her about last Halloween, how Joyce would stop at nothing to save Will, scaring countless labcoats half to death in the process according to Mike. And this summer she knew something was up once again. She admires Joyce a lot. Joyce is the kind of woman she wants to be herself. Tough, smart, fearless.

He might be gone, Hopper. He might be in the Upside Down. He might be anywhere, really. Truly anything may have happened. But they'll find him, she thinks. After all Joyce is leading the crusade, and Joyce gets results.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean no we're not going."

"We have to go! She's my sister, I have to go get her now! Make sure she's alright, taken care of…"

"Why? She already made her choice, she chose that cop over us. Over you."

"And now that cop is dead! Who else does she have? I have to go get her."

"You really don't. She's probably fine, that cop must've had a family or something right? She must be with them. And I don't see why we should all risk going to that hell hole just to get some girl who's not even really your sister and who clearly didn't want you before."

"Fuck you Alex! Fuck. You."

Alex makes her angry, so angry she uses her powers to punish him, making him see spiders crawl all over him. It's her go to when Alex pisses her off, since it's his greatest fear. He starts to maniacally twist and jump around to try and get them off.

"Kali, cut it out."

She turns around to look at the others when Funshine interjects.

"Why are you all so quiet? He's being an asshole. Let's go get my sister."

"Kali… we can't, it's too risky."

"Screw risky! She's like family. And we're like a family! Right? Whatever happened to that?"

"There's still a warrant out there for my arrest in Indiana, Kali," Funshine tells her.

"You can't just think about yourself Kali. It's always you you you, your revenge, your sister… we've done so much for you," Dottie accuses her. "Can't you see we have it pretty good here? And we need to lay low now after Dayton."

She lets the spiders disappear for Alex.

"That's how you all feel?" She asks. "Mick?" She turns to the one person in the world she feels closest too, except for the brief time El was with her and she truly felt like a sister.

"Sorry Kali… I know she's important to you but… they are right. It's too risky. I can't go to Indiana either, they want me there too, I busted him out after all…" Mick glances to Funshine. She does look truly sorry. But she's never felt so betrayed.

"I thought we were supposed to be a family. Screw you guys. Good life to you. I'm going to get my sister."

Mick calls after her but she ignores her and keeps walking.