✓ Adventures In Babysitting / Steve Harrington ¹

𝙭𝙭. the gate

"It's gotta be much more valuable, like promethium or something," Dustin says.

"What the hell is promethium?" Steve fires back.

"It's what Victor Stone's dad used to make Cyborg's bionic and cybernetic components," Robin answers.

"You're all so nerdy it makes me physically ill," Erica remarks.  She clutches her stomach for dramatic effect and pretends to gag.

"No, no, no.  No, don't lump me in with them," Steve protests.  "I'm not a nerd, all right?"

"Why so sensitive, Harrington?" Robin teases.  "Afraid of losing cool points to a ten-year-old child?"

"No, I'm just saying I don't know jack shit about Prometheus," Steve answers.

"Really?  Because that's not what it sounded like to me," Abby responds teasingly.  "Besides, we weren't talking about Prometheus, Prometheus is one of the Titans.  We were talking about Prometheum."

Dustin nods.  "All I'm saying is, it's probably being used to make something."

"Or power something?" Robin suggests.

"Like a nuclear weapon?"

"Totally."

"Walking towards a nuclear weapon, that's great," Steve grumbles.  "That'd be great."

"But if they're building something, why here?" Robin wonders.  "I mean, Hawkins.  Seriously.  Of all places.  At the very best, we're a toilet stop on your way to Disneyland, but maybe that's it."

Out of the corner of her eye, as Robin continues her thought, Abby notices Steve and Dustin separate from the rest of the group.  She hopes that Robin is right, that the Russians had only chosen Hawkins because on the outside it was a place where nothing happened, where the community was tight-knit, where everybody knew each other.  Surely, it was the best disguise, the best place to commit acts in complete secrecy that were not normal.  But Hawkins wasn't a normal town, there were abnormal things that had happened there, things that others had turned a blind eye to for the sake of their own sanity.

"You think the Russians know ..." Dustin starts.

"About the—" Steve doesn't need to finish his sentence.

"I mean, it's entirely possible," Abby answers.

"So it's connected?" Steve asks.

"Maybe," Dustin replies.

"How?" Steve wonders.

"I don't know, but it's—"

"Possible," the boys finish in unison.

"Shit," Abby mutters.

Robin who has traveled further down the hallway with Erica at her side whirls around then to face them.  "I'm sorry, is there something you guys would like to share with the class?"

The three exchange a silent glance.  They all know that the same question is running through the others' heads.  Do they tell Robin and Erica about the threats that had loomed over Hawkins?  Or do they keep them in the dark for their own safety?  Before either of them can open their mouths, though the sound of static fills the air, and snippets of Russian can be heard from Erica's backpack.

"Walkie," Steve and Dustin murmur in unison once again.

The three dash toward Erica who is quick to swing off of her backpack.  Together, the three huddle on their hands and knees in a circle around the backpack as Erica withdraws the radio.  Robin takes it in her hands and pulls out the antenna.  The Russian seems to grow louder as the signal grows stronger.