"don't you forget about me."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
COLBY WASN'T EXACTLY SURE HOW LONG THEY'D BEEN WALKING. It felt like hours, but for whatever reason, he hadn't made the effort to actually turn over his wrist and look at his watch.
"I mean," spoke Dustin after a while, shrugging to himself, "you have to admit, as a feat of engineering alone, this is impressive."
"What are you talking about?" remarked Steve with a small scoff. "It's a total fire hazard. There's no stairs, there's no exit, there's just an elevator that drops you halfway to hell."
"They're Commies," said Erica to Steve's comment. "You don't pay people, they cut corners."
"I don't really think this was designed for walking." added Colby, looking down at Erica. "You saw those two guys, they had some sort of transportation vehicle."
"They developed the perfect system for transporting that cargo." sighed Robin, looking around at the hallway.
"It all comes into the mall like any old delivery." nodded Cassie, smiling at Robin. The latter turned red and looked down at her shoes.
"And then they load it up onto those trucks and nobody's the wiser." she mumbled, still staring at her shoes.
"You think they built this whole mall so they could transfer that green poison?" Steve asked, looking over at the group.
"I very seriously doubt it something as boring as poison." responded Dustin. "It's gotta be much more valuable, like promethium or something."
"What the hell is promethium?" frowned Steve.
"It's what Victor Stone's dad used to make Cyborg's bionic and cybernetic components." answered Robin seriously.
Steve gave her a strange look. Colby grinned at Robin, surprised she liked comics. Of course, seeing how disgusted Erica and Steve were, Colby stayed quiet. Cassie just looked confused.
"You're all so nerdy, it makes me physically ill." Erica pretended to throw up, holding her stomach.
"No, no, no." Steve shook his head. "No, don't lump me in with them. I'm not a nerd, alright?" Colby rolled his eyes at the comment.
He didn't jump in with their claims of not being a nerd. He knew he was, there was no denying it. While he was a basketball player and stereotypically popular, he never felt like it. He'd much rather be at home reading a comic book than going to a party.
"I am not a nerd." snapped Cassie, staring at Steve.
"You sure?" Steve raised a brow, and Cassie shoved him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him, regaining his balance before they tumbled to the ground. Dustin and Robin grinned at each other. Colby gagged.
"Why so sensitive, Harrington?" asked Robin teasingly. "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 scoffed, his hand still interlaced with Cassie's.
"Promethium." corrected Erica. "Prometheus is a Greek mythological figure."
"How the hell did you know that?" asked Dustin incredulously.
"I paid attention in History." shrugged Erica, turning away quickly. Colby knew she just didn't want to admit that she was secretly smart.
"Whatever," Dustin shook his head, "all I'm saying it, it's probably being used to make something."
"Or power something." added Robin.
"Like a nuclear weapon?" suggested Colby.
"Totally." gasped Cassie in awe. "It would make sense!"
"Walking towards a nuclear weapon. That's great." said Steve sarcastically. "That'd be great."
"But if they're building something," said Robin, "why here? I mean, Hawkins. Seriously. Of all places. At the very best, we're a rest stop on your way to Disneyland, but maybe that's it. Maybe it's our very..."
Robin's voice trailed off as the three boys looked at each other, all thinking the same thing. The gate. Did the Russians know about the gate? Had the "truth" about Barb's death made them investigate Hawkins?
"Is it possible they know?" Dustin whispered, approaching the boys that knew.
"They could." shrugged Steve.
"So it's connected?" said Dustin.
"Maybe." nodded Colby, looking over his shoulder to make sure the girls couldn't hear them. None of the three had turned around. They were still chatting about how boring Hawkins was.
"How?" asked Steve, looking confused.
"I don't know," replied Dustin, "but it's..."
"Possible."
Robin, Cassie, and Erica turned around. They were about fifteen feet ahead now, and Robin looked ticked off.
"I'm sorry," she called out to them, "is there something you'd like to share with the class?"
The boys looked at each other warningly. Could they tell Robin and Erica about the gate? Would the girls even believe them? They knew Cassie knew about the gate— however she had stayed quiet. If she stayed quiet, maybe they should've, too...
Luckily for them, they didn't have to respond to Robin's question. The walkie-talkie she was holding suddenly went off. A man, speaking in Russian, was talking over it. Everyone rushed over, kneeling on the ground beside her, listening closely. After a few moments of listening, Robin was able to repeat the words with him. It was the same code that they'd heard up above.
"It's the code." she said quietly, looking up.
Colby nodded excitedly, looking beyond her, down the hall. "Wherever that broadcast is coming from-"
"It's close." finished Cassie, craning her neck to look over her shoulder as well. "And if there's one thing we know about that signal, it's that it can get really far. As in, surface."
"Let's go." said Robin, grinning, as she got up and sped down the hallway with Erica and Cassie at her side. The boys followed closely behind.
˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
The teens had reached human contact. They eventually had to begin ducking behind objects to avoid maintenance workers and soldiers.
Steve was leading the ground, and he moved slowly and carefully, not wanting to get caught. The consequences of what could happen... Well, none of them wanted to think about that.
"Clear, come on, let's go." hissed Steve, turning the corner down another hallway.
"That was awful close, Harrington." whispered Colby, who was walking behind Cassie. Her hand was on Steve's arm.
"Too close." added Dustin loudly, and Cassie quickly clamped a hand over the boy's mouth.
"Relax." grumbled Steve, holding out a hand towards the two complainers behind him. "Alright? Relax. Nobody saw..."
He trailed off as they rounded another corner, their jaws dropping as they saw the sight before them. Somehow, they'd stumbled upon the hub of this underground base. Soldiers, doctors, scientists, and other types of workers strolled around. None of them managed to see the teens, until a guard glanced their way and they ducked behind a box.
"Shit." swore Steve, both out of panic and the fact that Cassie had jumped right on his arm while ducking down.
"Sorry," she whispered quietly.
"Red Dawn!" hissed Dustin urgently. He was at the very back, his hands on Robin's shoulders. Robin looked thoroughly annoyed.
"I saw it!" exclaimed Erica in a low voice. "First floor, northwest!"
"Saw what?" queried Cassie, who kept glancing up towards the hub, trying to make sure no one had seen them. Colby figured if she kept checking, someone would see them.
"The comms room!"
Even Colby had to fight the urge to turn around and try to figure out what room Erica was talking about. He glanced at her warily. "You saw the comms room? Are you sure?"
"Positive," she nodded excitedly, looking back at her brother. "The door was open for a second, and I saw a bunch of lights and machines and shit in there."
"That could be a hundred different things." disputed Dustin, who seemingly wanted to start another fight with the little girl.
However, Robin seemed to agree with Erica. She leaned towards Steve, Colby, and Cassie (all of whom being skeptical), and said, "I'll take those odds."
They all leaned over to see past the machine they had ducked behind. The hub had gotten significantly less crowded, although it was still populated by a handful of soldiers. Colby really didn't want to get tortured— although, then again, having to walk back down that hallway was torture enough.
"Alright," mumbled Steve as soon as they'd ducked back against the wall, turning to his group. "We're gonna move fast and we're gonna stay low. Okay?"
They all followed behind him, crouching behind boxes every now and then to hide them from the Russians passing by. A scientist exited the comms room, allowing the door to freely swing closed behind him. As soon as he'd gotten far enough away, Steve ran up to the door and held it open so the rest of the group could get through.
He closed the door silently behind them, and they all wheeled around to see a soldier sitting at one of the desks. He turned around in his chair, immediately standing up as he saw the frozen group of teenagers standing awkwardly behind him at the door.
He reached for his gun when Robin stepped forward, holding out a hand and speaking in panicked Russian. The solider seemed utterly confused, replying with narrowed eyes. Robin answered his question, to which he only shook his head. She said something else, and he scoffed and grabbed his gun. Colby and Steve charged forward in unison, tackling the man into the control desk. The soldier pushed Colby off of him and onto the ground, although the boy stuck a foot out and tripped the soldier into Steve, who sent one of the phones into the soldier's face, knocking him out.
"Dude!" yelled Dustin excitedly, pointing at the body of the solider. "You won a fight!"
Steve looked down, grinning to himself at the accomplishment and giving Colby a high five. Even though Colby had practically destroyed him in the alley, it was much easier fighting a Russian guard with the helper of his former teammate. As for Dustin, he leaned down, grabbing the man's keycard out of his belt.
"What are you doing?" demanded Erica, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head down at Dustin, who stood up.
"Getting us our ticket out of here." he breathed, brandishing the card in her face.
"You want to walk all the way back?"
While Colby had thoroughly hated the walk, it was a good plan. They could get away from the Russians as soon as possible and narrowly avoid death. Even if someone caught onto them, it might've been too late depending on how far the group had gotten by that point.
"Well, we can hang out for a little bit," mocked Dustin sarcastically, "relax, have a picnic maybe."
"Have a picnic?" repeated Erica, who was becoming slowly enraged. "We came here for the radio!"
"To be honest, Erica," Dustin shrugged, trying to hold back a grin, "if we knew these two nerds could knock out a Russian, this would've been the main plan a while ago."
"You know, you guys really like to throw around the word 'nerd.'" grumbled Steve in aggravation. "Do you even know what it means at this point?"
"It's quite clear you're a total nerd, Harrington." grinned Colby, and Dustin reciprocated it by snickering under his breath.
"I do not want to walk all the way back." snapped Erica angrily, glaring at Dustin.
"Well, I guess you're staying-"
"Guys!" Robin interrupted their argument. She and Cassie were standing by a staircase leading up to another room. "There's something up there!"
They all followed behind her, quietly entering the room to watch. There was a throbbing blue light coming from outside the windows, and Colby's jaw dropped as he saw what the Russians had actually been working on.
In all honesty, Robin had been right. There was something that the Russians wanted. And it was exactly what the boys had figured. They wanted to reopen the gate. The Soviets, like Dr. Owens had predicted, had managed to figure out that the gate existed in Hawkins.
Colby couldn't believe his eyes. He, Dustin, and Steve looked at one another. "The gate!"
Cassie glanced over at them, as if hoping for confirmation. Colby nodded at her, and she grimaced. Robin looked over, furrowing her brows.
"I don't understand." she panted, as they jogged back down the stairs. They needed to get back up to the surface and tell Hopper. He knew what the gate was, and he'd be able to get some government in and shut the Russians down. "You've seen this before?"
"Not exactly." huffed Steve, not far behind.
"Then what, exactly?"
"All you need to know is that it's bad." said Dustin, the panic very evident in his wavering voice.
"Really bad." added in Colby as they made it back to the comms room.
"Like end-of-the-human-race-as-we-know-it kind of bad." Dustin shook his head rapidly. He had seen the gate the most, considering he had been with El since she first escaped the lab and brought the monsters to Hawkins.
Robin stopped, frowning at the boys in front of her, including Cassie. "And you guys know about this how!"
"Uh, Steve?" spoke up Erica with a frown on her face. "Where the hell is your Russian friend?"
Alarmed, everyone turned around; the solider was gone. Steve raced over to the door, peering out of the small window in it. An alarm began blaring at that exact second, and he slammed the door shut a second later as a bunch of guards noticed them.
"Shit." huffed Colby, looking back towards the staircase. "Everyone go!"
They sprinted up the stairs, bursting through the doorway into the control room. All of the scientists stared at them blankly as the teens swore and screamed loudly. They headed down to the dock where the laser bursting the gate open was. They were stopped by the laser itself.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!" shrieked Dustin, who looked like he was close to tears.
"Guards!" screamed Erica, pointing at the soldiers coming towards them.
Colby shoved one away from them as they sprinted down to another level below the control room. Some more guards were coming out of a side room. Steve pushed a stack of barrels onto them, and they fell to the ground.
The group of teens ran into the back room. Colby, Cassie, Robin, and Steve held the door closed while the guards on the other side tried to push it open. Colby's muscles were strained painfully and sweat rolled down his face. They wouldn't be able to keep the door closed much longer. Erica had found a grate that Dustin had lifted open. Erica dropped into it, but Dustin hesitated.
"Come on!" he yelled to the older kids.
"Go!" replied Colby, clenching his jaw tightly, as if that would help him keep the door shut.
"Get out of here!" added Steve, whose sneakers were starting to slide across the floor.
"Go, come on, now!" Dustin tried to wave them over as Erica pulled on his legs, trying to pull him into the grate.
"No!" screamed Cassie, pushing her shoulder into the door. "Please, get us some help, Dustin!"
"What are you doing?" bellowed Steve when Dustin hesitated. "Go!"
"I won't forget you!" Dustin pointed at the older teens, panic rising in his face. However, the other kids just grew angry with him. It was bad enough that they were already sacrificing their lives for this kid— now he wouldn't leave them.
However, Colby silently appreciated the notion. He knew Dustin truly cared about them. Dustin always had. He was by far the best party member (except for maybe Lucas), and Colby loved him. If Colby died, he wouldn't regret helping Dustin. However, if he encountered the boy in the afterlife, it was safe to say that Colby would strangle him for not making it out alive.
"Go!" the teens screamed one final time, and Dustin ducked into the grate, pulling it closed behind him. The door burst open, the strength of fifteen soldiers overpowering that of four high schoolers. They fell back against the wall, looking upwards at the people that had caught them. Guns were aimed in their faces as they all raised their hands above their heads. Colby swore he'd be seeing Cassie, completely terrified. However, she just looked up at the guards with narrowed eyes, as if she were looking at Laurie, trying to defy her when she enforced a curfew on the girl.
The guards got them up, jabbing their guns into the backs of their necks. They were pistols, small guns, but Colby knew they had weapons of much larger size. The boy genuinely questioned what kind of torture they'd use on he and his friends— that being if they didn't choose to kill them. Colby wasn't sure which one he would rather.
He was tossed in his own cell, his hands had cuffed behind his back. He looked up warily, watching as the door was closed behind him. Colby was going to die. Somehow, he was going to die.
jack
only good thing about vol 2 was that nancy didn't die so i didn't have to "kill" off two love interests😵
(7/5/22)