CHAPTER SIXTEEN
toddfather
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*･✧
Azalea slung her arm tiredly around Dustin's shoulders as the monster-fighting group caught everyone else up to speed.
"The Mind Flayer," Mike explained, "He wants to stop El and pave a way into our world. He uses the possessed people to create a giant monster."
"How big?" Hopper asked.
"We only saw one part of it and it was at least thirty feet," Nancy told him, arms crossed in front of her.
"Yeah. It sorta destroyed your cabin." Lucas added, turning to Hopper with a frown, "Sorry."
"So let me get this straight," Steve piped up, "The Mind Flayer has made some kind of weapon. But instead of using metal or steel or whatever, he melts people together?"
"Yes, exactly," Nancy nodded.
Steve sucked on his bottom lip, an incredulous look on his face, "I—uh, yeah. Just making sure,"
"Are we sure it's still alive?" Joyce asked from beside Hopper.
"Yeah," Max remarked, "El beat the shit out of it, but it's still alive."
"But if we close the gate," Will informed everyone, "Then it should cut off the connection between the brain and the body—"
"And kill it," Lucas adds, "Theoretically."
"Yoo-hoo!" A random man Azalea didn't know came running toward them wildly with papers. Hopper and Joyce made room for him as he threw the papers down on the food court table in front of them.
Everyone gathered around as he pointed, "This is what Alexi called 'the hub.' Now, the hub takes us to the vault room,"
Azalea nodded along. She recognized the hub. They were just there. Erica weasled her way through the crowd and stood beside Azalea glancing over the map.
"Okay, where's the gate?" Hopper asked.
"Right here," the man says pointing on the map, "I'm not sure the scale of this but I think it's fairly close to the vault room, maybe 50 feet or so."
"More like 500," Erica shot at him, glaring at his poorly drawn map, "What? You're just going to waltz in there like it's commie Disneyland or something?"
The man eyed up Erica with distain and confusion, "I'm sorry, who are you?"
"Erica Sinclair. Who are you?"
"Murray Bauman,"
"Listen, Mr. Bunman," Erica sassed back, "I'm not trying to tell you how to do things, but I've been down in that shithole for 24 hours. And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die."
"I'm sorry," Murray gawked at Erica challenging his authority, "Why is this four-year-old speaking to me?"
"I'm ten, you bald bastard!"
Azalea turned over her shoulder to share a wide-eyed look with Robin.
"Erica!" Lucas yelped in shock.
"Just the facts!"
"No, she's right." Azalea finally pitched in, "That place is no joke. Without the right preparation, you're all gonna die. But, you don't have to."
She watched Murray's intimidating glare fall onto her. She edged closer to his hand-drawn map, "Here—uh, sorry, can I—?"
"Please," Murray gestured for her to step up unenthusiastically.
"Okay, here," Azalea reached into her bag and pulled out her father's booklet. She flipped through the pages, finding blueprints that resembled the map Murray had brought, "This...This might help."
Murray leaned over the table, mouth agape at the prints. He was impressed yet still sounded sarcastic, "Uh, yeah. These are the exact blueprints. And it's all in Russian. Where did you get this?"
Azalea opened her mouth to answer but couldn't quite find the words.
Robin could tell and snuck up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's a long story, but that doesn't matter. Can you read it?"
"Can I—" Murray feigned offense, "'Can I read it'? I'm fluent in Russian."
"Great," Dustin slithered up to the table too, "Then you'll see that this is a storage facility. There's a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system. That will lead you to the base of the weapon. It's a bit of a maze down there, but between me and Erica, we can show you the way."
"You can show us the way?" Murray laughed.
"Don't worry," Dustin smirked, "You can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit, and we'll just be your...navigators."
"No." Hopper quickly cut them off, shooing them away from the table, "Nope."
"Hey, wait," Azalea pouted, "Those are my dad's blueprints! And I spent the whole day down there. I—We can help!"
Hopper sharply spun Azalea around and pushed her shoulders away from them, "Not now. The grown-ups are talking."
Hopper then scattered with Murray and Joyce collecting, guns and ammo from the dead Russian soldiers among them.
"Well, that settles it." Erica stated as their small group walked away, shunned from the table, "He's gonna die. They're gonna die."
"Yep, most likely." Dustin nodded.
Dustin and Erica peeled off from the group, heading towards their own friends.
Robin and Steve turned inwards and they stood in a small circle with Azalea.
There was a moment where the three all glanced around at eachother, unsure of what to say.
There was so much to say, yet so much left unsaid.
Steve didn't know the whole story about Azalea's dad, but it was too much to get into right now. And Robin didn't know about Azalea's feeling for her, but again, too much to get into right now. And Azalea didn't know why Steve kept wiggling his eyebrows at Robin.
"So," Steve coughed, breaking up the silence, "Nice weather we're having—"
"Shut up," Azalea groaned.
She turned on her heel and walked away from the two.
There was too much to deal with and she couldn't sit still and fake pleasantries.
She finally found herself near Joyce Byers.
Her and Joyce weren't super close, but Joyce knew her well as she would babysit Will, or host him and his friends at her house. Plus, they dealt with the Upside-Down together last year.
From what Azalea understood from eavesdropping, Joyce was prepping herself to join Murray and Hopper to go into the Russian bunker to turn off the Key and close the Gate once and for all.
"Joyce—"
Joyce, obviously distracted, turned around sharply, a confused look on her face.
"Hey, sweetheart," Joyce greeted, her features softening as she saw Azalea.
"I—Can I ask you a favor?"
Joyce must have noticed Azalea's nervous state. She invited her to sit with her on one of the mall benches, "Of course. Anything."
"My dad," She started, breath already catching in her chest as she tried to explain, "My dad is in the Russian bunker. It's a long story, I can explain later...I know you called the U.S. Military already, and honestly, I do hope that the men who opened the Gate are caught, but when you're down there, if you see my dad, can you...warn him? Or bring him back with you?"
Joyce's expression went from caring concern, to confused and worried.
Azalea added on, "He's not communist. Just a confused scientist. Oh, and his name is Adriel Monroe. And he looks just like me, just taller, shorter hair, and, well, he's a middle-age man...He's also like, the only American down there."
Joyce was definitely still completely confused.
"I know this is odd." Azalea admitted, her breath hitching, "It's just—he's my dad. And even though he's on the wrong side, I still love him and need him to be safe. I just...I can't be responsible for his arrest."
That Joyce understood.
She nodded with a comforting smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind Azalea's ear.
"I'll do my best finding Adriel Monroe." She repeated his name to solidify it in her brain, "I hope I can help."
Joyce's motherly kindness made Azalea's heart ache.
Azalea let out a shaky breath, "Thank you."
"Hey," Robin greeted as she approached them, "The Scoops Troop is driving to Dustin's radio on some giant hill—I'm not sure about all the details, but are you ready to go?"
"...Scoops Troop?"
"The group code name for us Dustin came up with," Robin told her as she got up, and they started to walk towards Steve, Dustin, and Erica.
"Hm," Azalea hummed, "I like it."
Steve flipped the keys that Hopper lent him in his hand as they burst through the doors out of the mall.
"Oh, man, now this—" Steve beamed, seeing the car, "this is what I'm talkin' about!"
"'Toddfather'?" Robin read the vanity plate.
"Oh, screw Todd! Steve's her daddy now."
"Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" Robin questioned as they rounded the pale yellow convertible.
"Did he just call himself daddy?" Erica snarked with a laugh.
"Shotgun!" Robin called, hip checking Azalea out of the way playfully.
Azalea shot her a joking glare before reluctantly squeezing herself in the back between Dustin and Erica.
"All right," Steve started the engine, "Where are we going?"
"Weathertop." Dustin said, gripping the back of Steve's chair to talk to him.
"Weather-what?"
"Just drive." Dustin groaned loudly.
Steve rolled his eyes, backing the car out of the mall lot, "Okay. Jesus!"
Robin shot Azalea a victorious smirk from the front seat before turning around for the rest of the drive.
Azalea tried to hide her smile from the two kids beside her. Robin made her so nervous, it was killing her.
Azalea needed to talk to her soon.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*･✧