We see a man looking at himself in the mirror. His name tag says Danny and he is quite muscular, barely fitting into the clothes he is wearing. 'You are the man, Danny!" He says to himself in a motivating way and looks at a picture of Bruce Springsteen and says ' The Boss would be proud of you!" He opens the door to the hallway and speedwalks to the front door. He opens the door and walks with confidence to his station wagon. He backs out of his driveway and drives, with confidence! As he is driving, he turns on the radio. A familiar song starts to play but is interrupted with static and varying radio stations playing. Danny is confused, he hits the dashboard trying to fix it. When he looks up, all the street lights were blinking. The radio begins screeching. Danny tries to cover his ears but keeps his hands on the wheel. As he is doing this, he catches a glimpse of an extremely tall man in the middle of the road. Danny shouts and swerves around the man, barely missing him. Danny loses control of the car and hits a tree. Danny, now delirious, falls out of the driver side of the car. He covers the corner of his head that is bleeding and stands up. Looking backwards, he sees the streetlights blinking and catches glimpse of the tall man standing in the street. He begins to run toward Danny.
Danny panics and runs into the forest that was next to his crashed car. He only makes it a short distance before tripping. He looks back and sees the faceless creature staring at him from a distance. It stood next to his crashed car, only being lit up by the blinking lights of the car. Another car drives by on the same road, the creature looks towards the car, looks back at Danny and runs toward the car driving by. As it does this, it roars and distant screaming is heard, seemingly from the car.
Piper and the Gang are still talking in a circle. Everyone is flabbergasted at what Piper explains to them.
Mace: In your timeline, your Dad died in an explosion, not your Mom?
Piper: Correct.
Mace: I smell a mystery. Alright, I got a theory.
Mongoose: Already? Okay, lay it on us.
Mace: The machine you saw was a time machine. Boom!
Claire: Okay? Is that it?
Mace points at Claire and says: No! The blue beam might have shot you into an alternate universe.
Mongoose: Wait, you are talking about parallel universes? Like, there are other versions of ourselves living on another version of Earth?
Mace: Precisely!
Mongoose: This is Trippy!
A sinister laugh is heard. They turn around and see a kid.
Claire yells: "Wallace! Get back in the car, I'll be out in a minute.
Wallace: Mom! Its 4:35 am! Why did you drag me out here, anyway?
Claire: Because you are 6 years old and a danger to yourself. For God's sake you carry a knife with you everywhere!
Wallace: Correction! It is a sssccccalpal!
You're a Mom now Claire? Piper says with a smile on her face.
Claire: Yes (She picks up Wallace) I am.
Piper smiles and says: Who's the Daddy?
Claire: We are still trying to figure that out, aren't we Wallace?
Mongoose says with a smirk: She isn't the only one with kids.
Piper looks at him and smirks with her mouth open.
Mace: Yeah, I guess we need to catch you up on what happened with us.
Mongoose: Speaking of, we should tell you that me and Mason are divorced.
Piper: No way...is this true Mace?
Mace: Yep. We had a kid together actually.
Mongoose: And I try to be in Stevie's life as much as possible.
Mace: ...despite me being remarried.
Piper: What happened?
Mace: Things just didn't work out but it wasn't bad, we were so disconnected. It was a spur of the moment when we got married. Teenage infatuation and the rush to grow up is strong. You forget that you are only a kid once and never again.
Mongoose: After you were gone, things were just not the same between us. Piper, you were the heart of the Gang, you knew what was right and what to do in sticky situations. We couldn't function without you.
Claire: What we are trying to say is that we miss you, Piper.
Piper is stunned with all that was revealed to her. But Piper replies
Piper: I'm happy you guys are happy but...
Mongoose: But what?
Piper: I'm not the right Piper.
Everyone looks at her confused. Claire says "What do you mean by that?"
Piper: I'm not your Piper. (Piper's face turns to a serious look) I'm not from this Universe. I'm from another.
Mace: We don't know that yet, Piper.
Piper: But we have to believe whatever theories we got. Right now, we know nothing. So we have to take into account what ever scenario is thrown at us.
Suddenly, people are heard running outside the breakroom. The Gang look at eachother. Mongoose opens the door and sees Officers flustered, running to their cars. The sirens wail. He then stops one of the Officers and asks...
Mongoose: What's going on?
Officer: There was a car crash. (He tries to get away but Mongoose pauses him)
Mongoose: Wait, wait, why are so many of you guys leaving for a car crash?
The Officer hesitates and says: We have been getting mutiple calls of a creature causing these wrecks.
The Officer gets away and yells "You guys stay here! We don't need anymore trouble than their already is. Plus, someone is coming for you guys."
Mongoose stares at him as he goes out the front door. "Piper? You mentioned a creature, right?"
Piper: Uh...yeah?
Mongoose: "Well...uh if Mason's theory is correct, you might have brought it with you." He says as he looks at Piper.
They all stand their motionless, almost frozen in fear. They do this as Wallace looks at his reflection in the scalpel.
Piper: Ok, you guys have to trust me on this.
Without hesitation, the 3 of them agree to trust her.
Piper: Take me to my Dad's house, he will have answers.
As there is a commotion, they sneak out despite being seen multiple times. Whatever is going on is a lot more important than Piper's situation. They all hop in Mongoose's truck. Mongoose is in the driver's seat and Piper in the passenger. Claire and Mace in the back and Wallace in the middle of them.
Mace: So why are we going to your Dad's place other than just seeing him for the first time in years and in a different universe?
Piper explains: The night we had that disagreement, I had a piece of evidence for the mystery. I still have it in my backpack but the cops took it from me. My dad had to have brung the safe with him. I mean, Alternate universe Dad, not Dad from my universe.
They all are confused with what she just said.
Mace: So you broke into your Dad's safe to steal classified material?
Piper: Bingo! My Dad (she chuckles) with his cheap self. I remember him and Mom arguing over him buying the cheapest and worst safe possible. It was bound to get broken into at one point. But I don't think he would have guessed that it would be me who broke into it.
Claire: I'm actually excited to see your Dad too. He's such a great guy. He was so broken without you. I haven't seen him since you disappeared.
Piper: I wouldn't go so far to call him great.
Mongoose: Why would you say that? I thought he was a good guy.
Piper: He was more of a businessman and less of a person I look up to for me. Maybe that's another thing that is different in this universe. Because everyone thought my Mom was awesome in my universe. Can I point out that I think it is crazy that we casually say I'm in a different universe?
Wallace says with a lisp: Can I point out that Ms. Smith isn't supposed to be out of the police station, which makes her a fugitive, plus everyone else are now criminals because we are harboring a fugitive and endangering a child?
Everyone's face turns pale and Piper tells Wallace: I like you kid. (Wallace gives a big toothy smile.)
As Mongoose is driving, he sees from a distance a man. He is in the middle of the street, waving his arm, telling them to stop. He stops the car, it's Danny, still shaken about what has happened to him.
Mongoose: Danny? What happened?
Danny: Oh my goodness am I glad to see you Phin. I...
He pauses and looks at Piper. She looks at him also.
Piper? He whispers under his breath. He adds: What is going on?! First my car and then a monster and now Piper is back? He looks in the back and sees Mace and Claire.
Danny: Ohhh, the OG Shadow Oaks Mystery Inc! You guys would never let me join.
Piper: Yeah because you spent all your time looking at pictures of Bruce Springteen and yourself in the mirror.
Danny: Heh, I see. My bad, dawg.
Mongoose: We can't just leave him here.
Piper: Fine, get in the back.
Danny: Yes! I am officially in S.O.M.I!
Piper: Don't call us that.
They head to Hawkins. Since the town is surrounded by a fence, of course their are security guards at every exit. They pull up to an Officer telling them to stop. The Officer knocks on the window of the car. Mongoose shakes his head no and floors it, running into and breaking open the gate. Now, they are heading to Hawkins.
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