Jill had been monitoring Hopper's movements since discovering the girl in the cabin in the woods. Her instincts, sharpened by years of facing horrors in Raccoon City, told her that this girl, possibly Eleven, was a key piece in the Upside Down puzzle. That morning, after a quiet shift at the station, she decided to return to the cabin, using the excuse of another supply delivery. Upon arrival, she found the place in chaos: the windows were shattered, glass scattered across the floor, and a cold air emanated from the slightly open door.
"What the hell?" Jill muttered, her hand on her weapon. She advanced cautiously, pushing the door open. Inside, she found the short-haired girl sitting on the floor, surrounded by overturned furniture. Her eyes were red, her breathing heavy. In front of her, Hopper was trying to calm her, his voice tense but paternal.
"El, I'm sorry, but you can't leave," Hopper said. "It's not safe."
"I'm not your prisoner!" Eleven shouted, and a glass on the table trembled, as if responding to her fury.
Jill cleared her throat, making them both turn. "Am I interrupting something?" she said, keeping a neutral tone. "I brought the supplies, boss. But it looks like you're having… issues."
Hopper frowned, clearly annoyed by her presence. "Leave, Carter. This doesn't concern you."
But Eleven, the girl, stared at her, her eyes narrowing. "Who is she?" she asked, her voice low but filled with distrust.
Jill raised her hands, showing she wasn't a threat. "Just a cop helping the chief. But if you need to talk, I know how to listen. Looks like you're dealing with something big."
Eleven didn't respond, but her gaze softened slightly. Hopper sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Get out, Carter. Now."
Jill nodded, but as she left, she caught a glimpse of papers on the floor: notes about someone named Terry Ives. She filed the name away and contacted Helen through the secure channel. "Confirmed, the girl is Eleven," she said. "She has powers, and she's furious. Hopper's in deep. I also saw something about a Terry Ives. Can you look into it?"
"That changes things," Helen replied. "Good eye, Jill. I'll find out who Terry is. Stay close to Hopper."
Cassian had been shaken by Will's possession at the Byers' house. His ritual had stopped the episode, but Will's warning—"It took him"—echoed in his mind. That morning, he returned to the house, using the excuse of checking on Will. He found Joyce, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max in the living room, surrounded by pages covered in frantic scribbles: curved lines, like vines, drawn with crayons. Will, pale and with dark circles under his eyes, was sitting on the couch, trembling while insisting they keep the windows open to keep the house cold.
"I don't understand," Joyce said, her voice breaking. "He's never acted like this before. What are these drawings?"
Cassian approached, studying the pages. His blood buzzed, an echo of the demonic energy he had felt in Will. "They look like… maps," he said, keeping his tone casual. "Did Will say anything about them?"
Mike looked at him, still distrustful. "Stay out of this, Cassian. It's… personal."
"Hey, I just want to help," Cassian said, raising his hands. "I saw what happened yesterday. It's not normal, and you know it."
Dustin, nervous, spoke up. "Will says it has to be cold. And these drawings… I don't know, it's like he's connected to something."
Max frowned, looking at Cassian. "You know more than you're saying, right? That prayer you did yesterday… it wasn't a game."
Before Cassian could respond, Will shuddered, scribbling with more intensity. "It's here," he whispered. "It wants me to see it."
Joyce hugged him, but Cassian noticed something in the drawings: the lines formed a pattern, like tunnels or roots. His instincts told him they were linked to the Upside Down, perhaps to the portal. "Joyce, can I help with anything?" he said. "I know it sounds strange, but I've dealt with… unusual things before."
Joyce looked at him, desperate. "If you can help my son, do it. Please."
Cassian nodded, but he knew he needed Helen and Terri to decipher the drawings. As the kids argued, Max approached him. "If you know what's wrong with Will, tell me," she whispered. "I don't like secrets."
"Believe me, Max," Cassian said, with a tense smile. "If I knew, I'd already be acting."
Helen and Terri were still infiltrated in the Hawkins lab, searching for a way to access the portal. That morning, while reviewing files under the guise of "civilian researchers," Helen received a message from a Vatican contact: Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers had been captured trying to contact Barb's mother. The news put her on alert. If the lab had them, access to the basement could close soon.
In a break room, away from the cameras, Helen hacked a terminal, searching for records of the detention. Terri, more confident after her discovery of the experimental subjects, kept watch at the door. "Do you think Nancy and Jonathan will talk?" Terri whispered.
"It depends on what Owens shows them," Helen said, frowning. "Look at this: security footage. They were taken to the basement, where the portal is. Owens is showing them something."
"The portal?" Terri said, paling. "If he tells them the truth, they could expose everything."
"Or use what they know against the lab," Helen said. "We need to know what happened. And fast."
Before they could continue, a guard entered, forcing them to fake a conversation about "soil analysis." Once alone, Terri showed a document she had found: a report on "organic vines" growing in the basement, connected to the portal. "This matches what Cassian said about Will," she whispered. "Do you think he's seeing those vines?"
"Probably," Helen said, pocketing the document. "We need to get into the basement before Owens seals it. Contact Cassian. We need those drawings from Will."
Jill had accompanied Hopper to one of the pumpkin fields, now covered in rotting slime. Hopper, with a shovel in hand, dug furiously, sweat covering his face. Jill watched him, noticing his obsession. "What are you looking for, boss?" she said, keeping her tone light. "This doesn't look like just mold."
"It's not mold," Hopper growled, not looking at her. "It's something else. Stay back, Carter."
But Jill didn't retreat. When Hopper struck something hard, she approached, seeing a tunnel opening beneath the ground. The air emanating from it was cold, with the smell of decay and something… alive. The tunnel walls were covered in pulsating vines, identical to those described in Terri's files.
"Damn it," Hopper muttered, stepping back. "It's the Upside Down."
Jill felt a chill but stayed calm. "The Upside Down? Is that the name of whatever's causing this?"
Hopper looked at her, surprised by her composure. "What do you know, Carter?"
"Just that this town is full of secrets," she said, shrugging. "If you need help, I'm here."
Hopper grunted but didn't dismiss her. As he marked the tunnel with a rope, Jill sent a message to Helen: "Hopper found a tunnel to the Upside Down in the field. It seems alive. We need to move."
Cassian had left the Byers' house but ran into Lucas and Max on the streets of Hawkins. Lucas, clearly interested in Max, was trying to impress her with arcade stories, but their conversation was interrupted by Billy Hargrove, Max's stepbrother. Billy, in his leather jacket and cruel smile, shoved Lucas against a wall.
"Stay away from my sister, Sinclair," Billy growled, his voice laced with threat.
Cassian intervened, stepping between them. "Hey, take it easy," he said, his tone firm but calm. "They're just talking."
Billy looked at him, assessing. "And who are you, hero? Stay out of this."
"Someone who doesn't want trouble," Cassian said, holding his gaze. "Leave them alone."
Max pulled Billy's arm. "Let's go, Billy."
Billy spat on the ground but walked away, throwing a final glance at Cassian. Lucas, trembling, muttered a "thanks." Max looked at him, impressed. "We didn't need your help," she said, though her tone was less harsh.
"I know," Cassian said, smiling. "But I don't like abuse. If you need anything, I'm around."
Lucas and Max exchanged glances, and Cassian knew he had gained a bit of their trust. But his mind was on Will and the vines. Something big was coming.
That night, the group gathered at the motel on the edge of Hawkins. Cassian shared Will's drawings and his strange behavior. "He's connected to the Upside Down," he said. "Those vines… they're not just visions. They're real."
Jill recounted the tunnel in the field and her encounter with Eleven. "She's powerful," she said. "And Hopper's at his limit. I think he knows more about the portal than he admits."
Helen showed the report on the vines and the capture of Nancy and Jonathan. "Owens showed them the portal," she said. "Nancy recorded everything. If she uses it, the lab might panic and seal the basement."
Terri, more confident, spoke up. "I found a file on Terry Ives. She's Eleven's biological mother. She was part of lab experiments. She might know something about the portal."