In Episode 9 of Stranger Things: Tales From '85, the storyline picks up right after the bombshell revelation about Mrs. Baxter. Dustin races back to the garage and tries to act normal, deciding that they should all head home. As they leave the garage, saying their goodbyes to Nikki, Dustin addresses the group and informs them that Mrs. Baxter is their main villain. This revelation prompts Mrs. Baxter to decide that she wants to leave town and gives her daughter until that evening to pack her things.
Nikki is upset about leaving and wants to hang around, despite having talked about leaving beforehand in several episodes. She heads over to Mike's and descends to the basement, where she breaks the bad news to him. This comes right after the group's decision to try and find evidence linking Mrs. Baxter to the vines. They deduce that since she's lost control of her creation, she's covering her tracks and leaving to avoid accountability.
Dustin convinces Nikki to distract her mother long enough so they can all head over to Nikki's pad and find clues of her involvement. They discover that the tree outside Nikki's house is the same one that Charlie and Rosario saw in their visions too. They find the exact location, which originates by a creepy greenhouse out the back.
Dustin and Lucas sneak in while Will and Max look around the office inside the house. They soon find a video of the vines and clear evidence of Mrs. Baxter being behind this. However, things take a turn for the worse out on the road when Nikki puts her headphones on. There's still green goo on the side, and particles fly off and float off and straight into the sewers... where the mutants catch wind of their location.
The scene is filled with tension and anticipation as the characters race against time to uncover the truth behind Mrs. Baxter's involvement in the mysterious vines. The discovery of the video and evidence only adds to the urgency of their search, while the appearance of the mutants signals a potential threat to their safety. The language used in this passage has been refined to make the situation more vivid and engaging for the reader.
Returning to Nikki's residence, the group regrouped and discovered a secret laboratory hidden beneath the greenhouse. They quickly contacted Mike via the walkie-talkie in the back of the car, filling him and El in on what was unfolding. They also explained about the green goo that seemed to have the power to revive dead plants.
The car was soon attacked by the mutants, while the rest of the gang descended to the lab from the video. There, they appeared to find the Queen, held captive in a glass cage. This was also where they found the red X and the trees from the drawing.
On the road, the group was attacked by the mutants and worked together to take them down one by one. This time, El took center stage, but Mrs. Baxter managed to hit the last one with her car.
However, there was one final twist. As the group confronted Mrs. Baxter, she was genuinely perplexed and dropped a bombshell announcement. It turned out that Mrs. Baxter wasn't the real scientist here - it was Daniel. He had stolen her serum for himself and he captured the kids inside the lab, looking far from pleased.
As for El, she was snatched up by the vines and taken down to the sewers.
