The air still smelled of smoke and static. The storm had passed, but the tension in Hawkins Lab clung to the walls like a ghost. Moon sat in a recovery room — all white lights and sterile walls — IVs removed, bandages wrapped around her hands. Her violet eyes dimmed to a soft lavender glow.
Dr. Owens stood a few feet away, voice calm but firm. "Your powers… they respond to emotional spikes. Fear, anger, confusion — all of it feeds the energy."
Moon looked down at her trembling hands. "You mean if I feel anything… I'm dangerous."
Owens shook his head. "No. It means you're powerful. We just need to teach you how to steer it — not suppress it."
Behind the observation glass, Hopper crossed his arms. "She's just a kid, Owens."
Owens turned toward him. "A kid who can level half of Hawkins when she panics. She needs this, Jim."
Hopper sighed, glancing at Moon. She looked lost. And for once, he didn't have a gruff answer ready.
Later – The Quiet Basement
The storm outside had finally faded into gentle rain. Moon sat on Mike's basement couch, wrapped in a blanket, her damp hair clinging to her neck. She held a mug of cocoa Dustin had shoved into her hands before running upstairs.
Mike sat beside her, quiet. The only light came from the little lamp near his D&D table.
"You scared us," he said finally.
"I scared myself," Moon murmured. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone… I just—"
Mike leaned forward. "You didn't hurt us. You saved us. You stopped him from taking you."
She looked up, meeting his eyes. The way he looked at her — not like a weapon, not like an experiment — made her chest tighten.
"Papa's still out there," she said softly. "He doesn't stop. He doesn't sleep. He'll find me."
"Then we'll find him first."
Moon blinked, surprised. "You're not afraid of me?"
Mike smiled faintly. "You think I'd be afraid of someone who glows purple and throws lightning? Please. I've dated a girl who can move trucks with her mind."
Moon huffed a laugh, looking down, her cheeks faintly pink. "You're crazy."
"Yeah," he said quietly. "But so are you."
The silence that followed wasn't awkward. It was warm. Outside, the moon's reflection rippled through the rain-soaked window, tinting the room faintly violet.
Mike's voice softened. "When you were… out there, before we found you… did you ever feel alone?"
"All the time," Moon whispered. "Even surrounded by people, I was a number. Not a name. They'd whisper, 'Subject 09.' They'd test, watch, record. And when I'd dream, I'd see… him. His eyes."
Mike reached out carefully, his hand brushing hers. "You're not a number anymore. You're Moon."
She looked down at their hands — his steady, hers trembling — and for a heartbeat, the world seemed still. No alarms, no labs, no monsters. Just a quiet basement and two kids who'd seen too much.
The lights flickered slightly. Moon looked toward the window — her eyes glowing faintly.
"Full moon's tomorrow," she said.
Mike frowned. "That bad?"
She nodded. "It changes me. Makes me stronger… but not always in control."
Mike squeezed her hand. "Then I'll stay with you. No matter what happens."
Moon blinked — startled. "You'd really do that?"
He smiled, soft but certain. "Yeah. I don't care how dangerous it gets. We don't run from our friends."
For a second, she didn't trust her voice, so she just whispered, "Thank you."
Their hands stayed locked together until the thunder rolled faintly in the distance.
Cut – Scoops Ahoy, Night Shift
Robin flipped the closed sign while Steve stared blankly out the window.
"Earth to Dingus," Robin muttered. "You've been staring into space for, like, five minutes."
Steve shrugged. "I don't know. Something feels off. Like the storm's not really gone."
Robin crossed her arms. "Yeah, well, Hawkins never really does 'gone,' does it?"
Steve smiled faintly. "Guess not."
He glanced at the violet shimmer still faintly lingering on the clouds. A flicker of worry crossed his face — but deep down, something else stirred. Something that felt a lot like curiosity.
Cut – Hopper's Truck
Hopper drove through the rain with Joyce in the passenger seat. Owens' report sat between them.
"She's stable," Joyce said. "That's good, right?"
"Stable's relative," Hopper muttered. "If she's connected to whatever's happening up there—"
"—Then she might be the only one who can stop it," Joyce finished quietly.
They exchanged a look. Neither liked what that meant.
Basement Again – The Glow
Moon sat awake, long after Mike had fallen asleep on the couch beside her. She watched the raindrops slide down the glass, each one catching the faint shimmer of her eyes.
The moon outside turned violet again for a brief, haunting moment.A whisper echoed faintly through her mind.
"You can't hide from me, my little Moonlight."
Her heart froze. She looked toward the window — and for a split second, she swore she saw a figure in the reflection behind her.
Papa.
Moon gasped quietly, backing away — until Mike stirred beside her, his hand brushing hers again in his sleep.
The whisper faded.The moonlight dimmed.
She took a trembling breath and whispered back into the silence:"You'll never take me again."