The Other Side

Tapping In

"No way, this...this can't be a real thing."

"Well it is because if it wasn't I'd be dead instead of very...stoned. Also bitten up I guess."

"And who is he again?"

"The guy who plays Vecna."

"Then why is he wearing army fatigues?"

She was vaguely aware of a conversation going on around her that contained three different voices. The one she recognized immediately was Jamie, followed by Eddie, and then a third voice. That was when she recalled that Eddie had brought up a guy named Dustin at some point. Her eyes opened but they were no longer in that dumpy, underground rotten place. It was definitely the same trailer, just not what she would consider to be the upside down either. She groaned and sat up realizing she was on a bed. Someone must have moved her.

"Cordelia?" Jamie asked, coming around to the other side where she was. She looked around the room which also reminded her of the most 80s metal head bedroom decor she'd ever seen in her life. All of it was bands she knew of, though. Metallica, Dio, Black Sabbath. Did they have the same music? Movies? Other things? Was this place like their world other than the fact that they had the upside down and she wasn't sure if Hawkins was a real city anywhere.

"What happened?" She asked.

"It seemed safer to move you here, not easier because well, that part was just confusing but we managed." Jamie said, "How are you feeling?"

"Not as high, who...who's that kid?" She asked, turning to motion at the new guy in the room who was very obviously a kid. Eddie had to at least be 18 if not older. He looked like either a high school drop out or he'd been held back a few years. Another adult was one thing, she was in her early 20s herself but she couldn't be dealing with actual kids.

"Dustin." Eddie said then lit up a cigarette.

"Right, send him home." She said, "As for us, we need to go back in there because I'm sure it's been well over 15 minutes."

"About that," Jamie said, "How about if we don't?"

"Those aren't the orders." She replied and got up and grabbed her supply pack which was conveniently placed by the bed where she had been laying. From it she took out a bottle of water and opened it.

"Excuse me, uh...Lieutenant right? That's what you told Eddie?" Dustin asked as she turned to look at him and finished gulping down the water before holding the bottle out towards Jamie.

"Hydrate."

"Yes, sir." He replied sarcastically and took the bottle from her. She rolled her eyes and sat back down again. The last thing she felt like doing was walking a kilometer back to the gates but they weren't going to have a choice either.

"You're from an alternate universe, right, where our lives are just a TV show?" Dustin continued.

"That's the summary and no I can't really prove it that easily. Unless you want to see my phone but it's not going to get any sort of internet service in the 80s." She said.

"Interwhat?" Eddie asked.

"The internet, you know about that?" Dustin asked, sounding more interested than Eddie. She wasn't super shocked the kid looked more like he'd know about technology stuff than football anything. He was adorable too, which was why she wanted him to leave and keep his ass out of what was certainly imminent danger at that point.

"I'm sure it's not much of a thing here but we're from 2023 so whatever you know now let's just say it's taken over everyone's lives and we carry it around in our pocket on a phone." She said and looked at Jamie. "You have it right?"