sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs - sᴄᴏᴏᴘ ᴛʀᴏᴏᴘ (ʙᴏᴏᴋ ɴᴏ. 1)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɴᴏ. ᴛᴡᴇʟᴠᴇ

Everyone was finally back at Family Video. Not in the best of shape, though. They were shook, scared, and paranoid. They sat in silence and stared at the pastel red radio that started it all.

Steve thought about what happened.

Everyone getting attacked, Dustin almost dying, and Steve getting strangled half to death. All by these Russians. These Russians that were trying to take over the world.

If they could do those things to a few teens, imagine what they could to to the world.

Steve stared at the radio and thought. Should he do it? Was it really worth it? He didn't have to bring anyone back to the base. He'd go alone, he wasn't putting anyone in danger again.

That's it.

Fine.

He'd go by himself this time.

He darted to the backroom and grabbed a notebook and the Russian dictionary that he had saved from last year, just in case.

He ran back to the counter and plugged the radio back in, letting the code play.

"Вниз.
Перевернул.
Белые хлопья.
Монстры.
Откройте ворота."

"What are you doing?" Erica asked.

"Translating," Steve replied, raising his eyebrows. "What else would I be doing?"

He opened the book and scanned through it.

"Didn't you almost just die?" Erica wrinkled her nose. "And now you're... going back?"

Steve nodded and went back to the book.

"I'm not very fond of that idea." Dustin shook his head.

"Why not?" Steve asked, his nose still in the Russian Translation book.

"What do you mean 'why not'?" The curly headed boy raised his voice.

"I mean: why not?" Steve repeated himself. "You don't have to come with me."

"What?" Dustin, Alex, Robin, and Dom asked in unison.

"Are you insane, Steve?" Dustin yelled.

"What?" Steve slowly closed the book.

"Don't 'what' me!" Dustin snapped. He suddenly changed his loud voice to a softer tone. "I almost watched you die." He said, his eyes suddenly filling up with a look of hurt.

Steve looked at him and sighed. He couldn't just let the Russians take over, and he wasn't putting anyone else in danger. Especially his friends. His best friends for that matter.

"Look," Steve stared Dustin in they eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm going." He said.

"Uh, yea, with us." Dom interrupted.

"Uh, no, you're not." Steve replied.

"Why? Do you like, hate us or something?" Mia asked.

"No, I just don't want anyone getting hurt again."

"Yeah, and we're not letting you get hurt again, either." Robin spoke up.

Steve opened his mouth to try and repent.

"And you're not changing our minds." Alex stopped him.