The Byers Girl (On Pause until season 5)

Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?

In 1984, two scientists power up a large cannon-like machine as a group of government officials watch. The machine shoots a beam of electricity into a wall, starting to open up a gate until it malfunctions and explodes, melting the scientists near it. The general in attendance has the lead scientist killed by a large man for his failure, and orders the second scientist (in Russian) to complete the machine within a year. The general and large man leave by helicopter, revealing their location to be Russia.

On June 28, 1985, Eleven and Mike make out on her bed, interrupted by an annoyed Hopper, Eleven having violated his "three inch minimum" rule of keeping her door open. Mike promises to see her tomorrow and bikes late to the newly opened Starcourt Mall, meeting up with Max, Lucas, and Will.

They go to Steve's new place of employment at an ice cream shop called Scoops Ahoy, he sneaks them into the movie theater through a back door so they can watch Day of the Dead for free
"If anyone finds out about this" Steve says warning them.
"We know, you'll kill us" They all say walking further.
Y/n comes up behind Steve laughing at their reply.
"Aww Momma Steve" she says teasing Steve.
"Ha ha very funny" he says sarcastic.
They walk back into the shop to work. The power in the mall and surrounding areas cuts out, and across town at an abandoned steel mill, the dust particles start to swirl as a cloud of black smoke forms and begins chasing the rats nearby. The power comes back on and the skin on the back of Will's neck flares up, which he recognizes as a sign of the Mind Flayer's presence. He assures Mike that nothing is wrong when he asks.

Nancy and Jonathan wake up in his bed together to find his clock reset during the power outage, and they hurry to their jobs at the Hawkins Post. Joyce notices the magnets on her fridge have fallen, and looks at Will's drawing of Bob Newby before hanging it back up.

Dustin returns from a month long science camp to seemingly no reception. Eleven manipulates his toys into leading him to his living room where his friends wait to surprise him, but they scare him into spraying Lucas in the eyes with his hair spray. At the Hawkins Community Pool, Karen Wheeler and her fellow mothers ogle Billy, now working a lifeguard job, and he compliments Karen as he passes. Hopper visits Joyce at work to complain about Eleven and Mike's interactions with him and decides to break them up, but Joyce instead encourages him to talk to them like adults, and tells him that for it to work, he must stay calm when talking to them no matter what.

Nancy delivers food to the Hawkins Post workers and suggests to the all-male writers that they run a story on the mall outcompeting local businesses, but is laughed off. Dustin shows his most complicated camp invention to his friends, a powerful radio tower dubbed "Cerebro". He claims its primary purpose is to talk to his long-distance girlfriend Suzie, this revelation shocking his friends, and they leave to go set it up and talk to her.

Steve, forced to work at the ice cream shop by his father after not getting into college.
"Steve just talk to her already" Robin says sighing loudly.
"I can't just ask her out" Steve says watching Y/n.
"Look I've known Y/n for years and if you want any chance at all you have to tell her how you feel" Robin says.
"I don't know" Steve says unsure.
"Ugh!" Robin huffs loudly.
"She's been hanging around Billy Hargrove" Steve says scoffing.
"Yeah they're friends, close friends" Robin says shrugging.
"How close?" Steve asks quietly.
"Not that close dingus" Robin says throwing a plastic spoon at his head.
"What was that for?" Steve asks glaring.
"For being a dummy" Robin says smirking.
"Hey, Rob I need advice on something" Y/n says walking over to them.
"You got it" Robin says smiling.
"Well you know Billy right? He's been acting weird lately and I don't know what to do" Y/n says sighing.
"What is he doing?" Robin asks sneaking a glance at Steve who looks defeated.
"He's being more affectionate, like hugging me whenever he can, he kisses my forehead and he calls me these cute names" Y/n says confused.
"He's into you" Robin says.
"Really!" Y/n asks a little too excited.
"Sorry" Y/n says smiling nervously.
"You like him?" Robin asks smirking but feels bad that Steve is listening to them talk.
"I don't know it's complicated" Y/n says sighing.
"Why is it complicated?" Robin asks looking at Steve who's head perks up interested.
"Is there another guy?" Robin asks smirking.
"Maybe?" Y/n says sounding like a question.
"Who is he?" Robin asks excited.
"I can't tell you, I'm not sure he actually likes me" Y/n says shrugging walking away.
Steve watches Y/n wishing it was him she liked.
"Not that close huh" Steve says to Robin sighing.
"You heard what she said, there's another guy, it could be you" Robin says smiling.
"You think?" Steve asks hopeful.
"Just talk to her before another guy comes along because believe me as Y/n's best friend I'm around a lot and guys approach her daily" Robin says chuckling.
"Daily" Steve repeats sighing nervously.

Hopper writes a speech for Mike and Eleven with Joyce's help, and he asks her out on a date, which she politely declines.

The kids hike up a hill to establish the strongest signal possible, and Mike and Eleven leave together so he can get her home in time, which the boys observe is a lie while Max finds it cute. Will's neck flares again and dozens of rats run by him, hundreds converging on the mill. They scamper down to the basement where they convulse and explode into blobs of fleshy goo. Billy stares at Karen while she swims and stops her when she gets out, inviting her to take "swimming lessons" with him at a nearby motel that night, and she accepts despite being flustered. Joyce eats at home alone while watching Cheers and remembers watching it with Bob. The magnets on her fridge fall again.

Cleaning the office after hours, Nancy gets a call from a woman named Doris Driscoll about a story involving disease and rats.

Mike and Eleven again make out on her bed and Hopper calmly asks to enter, giving them time to pretend like they were not kissing before coming in. He tries to read to them his prepared speech but is interrupted by Mike's sarcastic remarks. Irritated, he abruptly claims he got a call from Karen telling Mike to come home as his grandmother is sick and takes Mike to his police cruiser. Inside, he prepares to give Mike an angrier, less considerate version of his speech and that he will possibly "continue to allow you to date my daughter" by the end and drives off. Suzie does not answer Dustin's calls, leading Lucas and Max to conclude she does not exist.

The kids leave Dustin alone and a voice speaking Russian sounds through the radio, repeatedly reading the message "the silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west/a trip to China sounds nice if you tread lightly/the week is long." The scientist from the opening walks through the base where the message is being broadcast from and watches something being built, which one of his coworkers refers to as beautiful.

Karen prepares for her encounter with Billy by dressing up and removing her wedding ring. She looks at a snoring Ted Wheeler curled up with their daughter Holly and reconsiders.

As Billy drives while he practices lines to use on Karen, something smashes the windshield of his car and sends him careening into the side of the mill. As he finds a strange liquid on the windshield, a fleshy tendril drags him by his ankle into the basement.

To be continued...