Little Lover

Chapter 26: Master of Puppets

"Okay, I wanna run through it one more time. Phase One."

"We meet Erica at the playground." Robin said. "She'll signal Max and Lucas when we're ready."

"Phase Two."

"Max baits Vecna. He'll go after her which'll put him in his trance." Steve answered.

"Phase Three."

"Me, Y/N, and Eddie draw the bats away." Dustin said.

"Four."

"We head into Vecna's hopefuy newly bat-free lair, and....flambé." Robin said, holding up a bottle of alcohol which will be used as an explosive.

"Nobody moves on to the next phase until we've all copied. Nobody deviates from the plan, no matter what. Got it?" Nancy said.

"Got it." Everyone responded and moved to the Eddie's trailer.

Everyone was all geared up. Their outfits a bit too perfect for the battle they're about to get in to. Y/N pulled out something and handed it to Eddie.

"What's this?" Eddie asked her.

"Just please put it on." She told him. "I trust you, but I want to ease my mind."

He sighed and nodded as he puts it on. "Okay, okay. If it eases your mind."

She sighed with relief. They all walked in Eddie's trailer, at looked at the gate that was still open.

"Be careful." Dustin told Steve.

"Thanks, buddy." Steve said, patting Dustin's shoulder before he climbed the rope. He landed swiftly on the Upside Down.

"What does he want us to do? Applaud?" Robin commented.

Steve came back with the bed foam from Eddie's room in the Upside Down, using is again as a landing pad. "Alright. Let's go."

Nancy climbs up first, followed by Eddie, Y/N, Robin, and Dustin. When all of them were in, they walked out of the trailer.

"Hey, guys, listen." Steve said, looking back at the Hendersons and Eddie. "If things here start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort. Okay? Draw the attention of the bats. Keep 'em busy for a minute or two. We'll take care of Vecna. Don't try to be cute, or be a hero or something. Okay? You guys are just--"

"Decoys." Dustin finished Steve's sentence. "Don't worry, you can be the hero Steve."

"Absolutely. I mean, look at us. We are not heroes." Eddie said, smiling to assure Steve that they are okay. As they were about to leave, Eddie called out. "Hey, Steve."

Steve turned around.

"Make him pay."

Steve and Eddie nodded to each other before turning to their separate ways. Eddie, Y/N, and Dustin started putting up the fence to use around the trailer to block the bats from coming in.

After a while, they finished setting up the fence.

"Not bad." Eddie commented.

"Not bad at all." Dustin replied.

"Now for the fun part." Eddie smiled. He held Y/N by her waist and pulled her in the trailer, with Dustin behind them.

He walked in his room, and he stopped to admire what he saw.

"Jesus Chri..."

He was star strucked.

"It's like....she was destined for an alternate dimension." Eddie said, slowly walking up towards his electric guitar. "What do you say, Henderson?"

He picked up his guitar from the wall.

"Are you ready for the most metal concert in the history of the world?"

"That a rhetorical question?" Dustin asked.

Eddie puts on his guitar and nodded. "Let's do it."

---

"She's in. Move on to phase three."

"Copy that. Initiating phase three." Dustin said through the walkie. "Plug it in."

Y/N nodded. "Let's hope they hear this." She plugged in the amplifier. She turned up the volume.

Eddie took his pick necklace from his neck. "Chrissy, this is for you."

He shouts as he played the guitar intro of Metallica's Master of Puppets. Probably the most metal choice to play in a situation like this.

Y/N was in awe as she watched Eddie play. She listened to Master of Puppets when it first came out in March. She always had in mind that Eddie would be thrilled to hear it.

As Eddie was playing, Y/N and Dustin had the same idea to bang their heads to the beat. She knew the song, memorized it, infact, that she could hear the vocals and the drums of the members of Metallica playing.

She looked at the sky, and saw that the bats were in sight. They still look tiny, but they were in sight. She motioned to Dustin so he could see it for himself.

"Ah, shit." Dustin cursed under his breath. "Eddie! We gotta lock down in T-minus 30 seconds."

Eddie nodded, continuing to play his guitar.

"T-minus 20!" Dustin yelled.

Eddie started playing the guitar solo of the song, and Y/N was just watching him. She almost completely forgot about their plan and just wanted to watch him play.

"T-minus 10!"

"Come on, darling." She whispered to herself, hoping he could finish his solo before the bats arrive.

"One!"

Eddie finished his solo. They all quickly went down from the trailer.

"Move! Move!" Eddie shouted.

"Shit!" Y/N cursed as they were running to get inside.

"Eddie shut it!" Dustin shouts.

Eddie quickly shuts the fence they made that was surrounding the door. By the time it shut, the bats were already there. Y/N let out a small shout of fear as the bats flew towards the fence.

"Oh fuck!" She shouted.

"Hurry, come on!" Dustin said, opening the door to the trailer so they'd stay inside.

Eddie shuts the door as they all got in. They were all panting from the anxiety they all felt. Dustin looked at Y/N, and then at Eddie. Next thing they knew, the three of them were jumping up and down, fangirling over Eddie's concert performance.

"Most metal ever!"