𝘿𝙍𝙄𝙁𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 - Max Mayfield

55. Mind Games

"Hey, we need music!" Aiden immediately yelled out to Robin who immediately started rummaging through Eddie's tapes. His brain was on autopilot and he was freaking out. He had no idea if what Henry was showing Nancy was the same as what he'd expected or if it was much worse.

"What is this?!" Robin asked, looking at Eddie's tapes. "Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles? Music! We need music!"

"Robin,that IS music!!" Aiden yelled back at her. Aiden was conflicted as he watched. At the moment he'd forgotten which was Nancy's favourite song. He'd heard her listen to Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins a lot.. but then before that she listened to Love Is A Battlefield a lot too. He'd taken note of both songs but now had no access to either of them to even see if they worked.

Of all the days to leave his backpack at home.

"Fuck it" Aiden shook his head, taking a few steps backwards as he looked up at the other side. Max immediately noticed this and got alarmed.

"Aiden, what're you doing?" The ginger almost screamed at him. "Your energy's still really low!"

'Aiden,stop!'  Minato cautioned.

"I am not letting him take my sister!" The boy grunted as he pumped chakra to his feet once again, leaping right through the portal in the ceiling.

__________

12 year old Henry Creel was strapped to a chair wearing a hospital gown,his left arm and wrist exposed to a much younger Dr Brenner who was tattooing a number on the boy... Branding him.

Nancy stood still watching, wondering why this was being shown to her as Brenner cleans off the excess ink from Henry's arm.

"All done"Brenner spoke to Henry. "Not so bad,was it? There's nothing to be afraid of... Is there, Nancy?"

Nancy's blood immediately went cold. How did he know she was there?

Brenner turned to Nancy,but he had Vecna's glowing blue eyes. The 18 year old immediately took to her heels and tried to get away from the man, running through the first door she saw.

Unfortunately, as she ran through the door, her eyes met a sight far worse.

The Hawkins lab massacre.

Bodies, bodies and more bodies sprawled around the corridor,bent in all the wrong ways and the corridors were stained with blood as the lights flickered. As she struggled to take in the sight before her, Nancy heard a loud snap followed by a painful scream. It sounded like a child. Heart caught in her throat, Nancy slowly walked towards the sound, soon getting to the room's window just in time to see a bloodied body drop to the floor. His head was buzzed and he was much smaller,but Nancy knew that skin colour all too well.

Her eyes began to well up with tears as a now 30 year old Henry turned to her,his clothes stained with the blood of the now dead Thirteen.

"What's wrong, Nancy?"

Though horrified, the girl shook her head, trying to remind herself that it wasn't real. Aiden was fine.. none of this was real. She once again backed away from the terrible sight, only to bump into someone. Turning around, Nancy was met with the golden eyes of Orochimaru.

"Leaving so soon?" The half-snake pouted. "Have a seat"

The lights flicker off.

The moment they're turned on again, Nancy's strapped to the tattoo chair Henry once sat on, her arms strapped to the chair by vines and her feet strapped by snakes. She's completely immobilised in the chair as both Vecna and Orochimaru stood side by side looking down at her.

"Stubbornness seems to run in the family,hm?" Orochimaru stepped closer. "Now I see where your so-called brother gets it... It seems even sending Itachi wasn't enough to stop him"

"That... That guy... You sent him?" Nancy looked up at the snake sage who had his ever present sly smile plastered on his face.

"I needed the most powerful person to take him out," Orochimaru hummed. "I had Henry reel him into this realm and then immediately sent Itachi to him. I must admit, Itachi's soul is harder to keep in place than a crazed chicken... But I didn't count on your precious little Aiden being proficient in Sealing techniques"

"He's more slippery than I'd anticipated.." Orochimaru leaned closer to Nancy's face. "Even after sealing his fate still has much fire in his heart"

"What.. what're you talking about?" Nancy looked up at the two madmen. "What do you mean!?"

"Oh, Nancy..." Vecna shook his head. "Aiden's already submitted himself to us.. in exchange for Maxine and the rest of you,that is"

"He..." Nancy couldn't believe her ears. He couldn't have made a decision like this. They were just toying with her. "No..."

There was no way.

"He still thinks he can resist," Vecna got closer, lifting a hand over Nancy's face. "So I want you to tell both Thirteen and Eleven..."

Nancy immediately began to see things: the gates and rifts tearing through Hawkins' landmarks, starting from the Creel house attic.

"Tell them"

"No!" Nancy was horrified.

It cuts through Eddie's trailer and the trailer park as a whole.

"Tell them..."

"No!"

The gates cut through the entire town, exposing Hawkins to the Upside Down.

"Everything will crash and burn..."

An image flashed by her: Aiden, but had a pained expression on his face.. he was dangling in the air as he was being choked by one of Orochimaru's snakes, desperately screaming Nancy's name and causing her heart to shatter. A split second later, his body was limp and bloodied, hanging off the grip Orochimaru had on his throat.

"No!"

Suddenly the vision stopped and Nancy's head snapped back up to see a familiar stature in a hellfire t-shirt. But what gave it away was the semi-short braids. His eyes were red as he stared at both Vecna and Orochimaru.

"Fuck off!" Was all he said before placing his hands in a familiar gesture, causing the world around Nancy to dissipate.

__________

Nancy immediately snapped awake with a gasp,her knees immediately buckled backwards only for her to be caught by Steve as Aiden immediately opened his eyes, deactivating his Sharingan. 

"Hey,hey I got you.." he helped her to the floor. "I'm here"

After a few seconds of catching her breath, Nancy immediately looked around,tear stains on her cheeks. " Where's Aiden? Aiden!"

The boy immediately stepped forward. "Hay, Nance..."

Before he could let out anything else, Nancy pulled him into a tight hug, dead set on protecting him from whatever was coming

Aiden immediately hugged back, having an idea of what she'd seen. In all honesty,after all the craziness of the past few hours he needed one too. He was just glad she was okay.

"Aiden... Why?" She whispered, tears still steaming down her face.

The ninja was too exhausted and disoriented from his excessive chakra usage to answer,instead just burying his face further into her chest and trying to keep himself calm for her while Steve enveloped the siblings in a hug of his own.

"I'm sorry, Nance…”