Chapter Sixteen | Going Down
"Erica, do you copy?" Robin asked a few hours later through the walkie talkies. Dustin her his walkie talkie/hat thingy to Erica and we have mine here with us, at the Russian place. I have no name for it, but we'll come up with something better.
The mall had officially shut down, leaving Erica left in the building. Erica was about to climb through the air ducts.
"Hm-mm, I copy," Erica speaks over the walkie talkie. Steve, Dustin, Robin, and I were all on the roof of the building, watching down at the gate. "Are you nerds in position?"
"Yeah, we're in position," Robin confirms. "It's all quiet here, so you've got the green light."
"Greenlight, Rodger that." Erica answers. "Commence Operation Child Endangerment."
"Can we maybe not call it that?" Robin tells Erica.
"See you on the other side," Erica paused. "Nerds." Long pause. "All right, nerds. I'm there." Forty-five minutes later, Erica has finally made it to the location.
"Do- do you see anything?" Robin stuttered.
"Yeah, I see those boring boxes you're so excited about," Erica informed us and we all looked at each other.
"Any guards?"
"Negative," Erica responds.
"Booby traps?"
"If I could see them, they'd pretty shit traps, wouldn't they?" Erica pointed out and I nodded my head.
"Thank you for that," Robin responded sarcastically.
"I'm in," Erica speaks five seconds later.
Steve covered his face with his hands. "Oh, god." The door then finally opens and there stands Erica, with one hand on her hip.
"Free ice cream for life," Erica reminded, looking up at us. We all then hurried down to the box.
-
With a knife and the door closed; Steve cuts open the box, we were finally getting to see what's inside those stupid boxes.
Steve opens up at the box quickly, inside the box was another box, but like a metal box, if that makes sense. Steve then grabbed the top and unlocked it, air hissing as it unlocks. He pulled off the box top.
There securely sat in was four other handles that we have to unlock. Steam was coming from it. "That's definitely not Chinese food," Steve commented. He then looked over at us. "Uh, maybe you guys should, you know, stand back."
"No," Dustin exclaimed. However, Robin, Erica, and I all stand back.
"Just... just step back, okay?"
"No," Dustin shakes his head.
"Step back, seriously," Steve glared at Dustin.
"No, no!" Dustin cried out. Wow, this is some type of Disney love shit. "If you die, I die."
Steve stared at Dustin for a bit. "Okay," he agreed and I snort in amusement. I crossed my arms and waited for them both to die.
He unlocked one of the locks and pulled a tube that had green glowing chemicals in it. "What the hell?" I murmured.
"What is that?" Robin questioned after me.
The box that we were in then rumbles and shakes, making my eyes go wide. "Was that just me, or did the room move?" Dustin questioned allowed.
"Booby traps," Erica whispered.
There was some more movement and I froze. Oh, no, this is so very not good. "You know what?" Robin begins and storms towards Steve. "Let's just grab that and go."
She takes the tube out of Steve's hands and turned towards the door. Dustin quickly walked over to the panel that could open this thing, tried pressing some buttons; but nothing worked.
"Which one do I press, Erica?" Dustin requested.
"Just press the damn button, nerd." Erica fired back. Robin had put the tube into Erica's My Little Pony's backpack.
"Which one?" Dustin groaned. "I'm pressing the button, okay?"
"Press open door!"
"I'm pressing the open door!" Dustin fights back to the kid. Then, everyone around me begins to argue and I glanced between every one of them.
"Just open the door!" I burst and suddenly, another door shuts behind the door that we were supposed to open.
The box then shakes and everyone screams but me, I tried to steady myself, trying not to fall.
"Oh, shit." I murmured. I realised one thing, we were going down.
"Shit! Shit!" Dustin screamed over the top of the others screaming. I had pressed myself to the wall next to Dustin. My poor, poor ears.
"We're going down! We're going down!" Steve cried out, holding onto some boxes.
"Yeah, no shit, Harrington!" I snapped, looking over at Steve.
Dustin beside me was pressing the open door buttons constantly. "Why don't these buttons work!?"
Erica had walked over to the button panel and begins to press the button, too. "Press the button!" She yelled.
"What do you think I'm doing!?" Dustin screeched.
"Come on, press something!" Steve pleaded to the boy. "Just press the button!" The box then crashes and stops, everyone fell to the floor expect me.
My breathing was uneven and my eyes fixed to the door. My hands were spread out across the wall, trying to get a grip on something, but they can't.
Everyone groans. "My groin!" Steve moaned. "It fell on my groin! Dustin! Get this off of me!" I looked over and saw that Steve was trapped underneath a box. Dustin had walked over and pulled the box off him.
"Is everyone okay?" I asked calmly, my breathing going back to somewhat normal.
"Yeah, I'm great, now I know that Russians can't design elevators!" Steve bursts, standing up.
Robin stands up too. "I think we've clearly established that those buttons don't work," Robin gestured towards the panel box that Steve was now at.
Steve turned to Robin. "They're buttons. They have to do something."
"Yeah, if we had a keycard." I reminded him.
"A what?" Steve turned to me.
"It's an electronic lock." I pointed out. "Same as the loading dock door. If we don't have a keycard, it won't operate meaning-"
"We're stuck in here," Dustin finished the sentence for me and I let out a quick sigh.
"Just so you nerds are aware, I'm supposed to be spending the night at Tina's, and Tina always covers for me." Erica begins. "But if I'm not home for Uncle Jack's birthday party tomorrow and my mum finds out you four are responsible, she's gonna hunt you down, one by one, and slit your throat."
"I don't care about Tina!" Steve glared at the young girl. "Or Uncle Jack's party! Your Mum's not gonna be able to find us if we're dead in a Russian elevator!"
I let out a small whimper, oh my God. Steve is so right; we're going to die down here. I'm never going to see my twin sister again. My best friend.
"Hey," Dustin suddenly said and pointed at the trap door. "What if we climbed out?" Using what we can, we got Dustin up so he can open up the trap door.
The trap door opens. One by one we climbed on the roof of the box. I looked up. There was nothing but an endless tunnel.
"What were you saying about climbing?"
-
"Do you miss them?" Robin asked about ten minutes later after we had been sent down here. We sat side by side next to each other, leaning against the wall.
"Who?" I murmur tiredly, looking over at her.
"Your friends." Robin specified. "Your sister. You guys seem really close, you know?"
"Max?" I let out a tiny laugh. "Of course, I miss those idiots. I miss Max a lot. If I die down here and I don't get to say goodbye to her, this is going to be a trainwreck."
"Hey, we're not going to die." Robin firmly states. Silences filled the air. I knew Erica was somewhere in this room. "So... you had any crushes at home?"
My mind goes back to Will and I told myself not to blush. But, I did, basically letting her know I did. She smiled. "No..." I warned. "No, I do not."
She smiled some more. "Who's the lucky guy?" She paused. "Or girl?"
"Guy," I nodded, scowling myself for submitting to her. "His name is Will."
"Will?" Robin repeated questions.
Dustin poked his head down. "I knew it! Lucas owes me ten dollars, yes!"
"You bet on me?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Didn't Mike tell you?"
"You told Mike before you told me?" Dustin sounded offended.
"He figured it out." I shrug. "Besides, that ten dollars can go down the drain; we're not getting out of here."
"Will Byers?" Erica asked suddenly. "You two nerds desver each other."
"Hey, I told you before, we are getting out of here." Robin tells me calmly.
Then it went a bit quiet after that. Steve had jumped up on the roof, talking to Dustin. I then let out a sigh and begin to shut my eyes, hoping that when I wake up, I'll be somewhere different.
I don't know how long I've been asleep for but I had gotten woken up by Robin. She was bent in front of me with a frown. "We've got company," she said and my eyes widen. I quickly stand up and she walked up the roof and told the boys, too.
We then all decided we'd hide up on the roof of this box and we closed the door to access where we are. We all stand still when we heard the door open. I looked through the gaps that we can see.
The men was speaking russian before they begin to take out the boxes. Steve singled for us to be quiet still. I looked over to see what Steve was staring at. Erica was holding the tube with the green liquid inside.
We all jumped down once they left, the door was closing which was a big panic for us. Steve grunts as he moves his way to the ground and slides towards the exit, putting the green tube under so it doesn't close completely.
One by one, we all slide our way under the door before it breaks the tube. "Jesus Christ." Steve muttered, the liquid was sizzling and then melted.
Robin turned to Erica. "You still want to drink that?"
Dustin then turned around. "Holy mother of God." We all turned around as well to see what the big fuss was about.
Turns out, we have to walk down a long forever lasting tunnel. "Well... hope you guys are in shape." Steve then pats Dustin's shoulder. "Looking at you, roast beef." Steve then begins the journey and he turned around. "Come on, let's go."
Dustin turned to me. "Why me?" I shrugged but gave him a sheepish smile before looking at down at the ground, continuing our travels.
It's been awhile and I honestly am missing my skateboard at the moment. This would've been the perfect time to use my skateboard! I scowled at myself.
I then begin to mutter to the lyrics of; Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?
Will had actually gotten me into liking that song. He'd play it whenever we'd hang out. Dustin smiled at me and I rolled my eyes.
"Should I stay or should I go now?" I murmur, looking down at the ground. "If I go, there will be trouble. If I stay there will be double."
"So come on and let me know." Robin joined in with me, coming beside me and I smiled at me. "This indecision's bugging me. If you don't want me, set me free. Exactly whom I'm supposed to be."
"Don't you know which clothes even fit me?" Dustin joined in this time. "Come on and let me know." he drags out the 'w'.
Then the three of us holds out hands out as if they were microphones. "Should I cool it or should I blow?" The three of us choursed together loudly.
"Hey, quiet down would ya?" Steve rolled his eyes. The three of us trailed off and I cast my eyes down to the ground.
"I mean, you have to admit, as a feat of engineering alone, this is impressive." Dustin states, changing the subject.
"What are you talking about?" Steve asked. "It's a total fire hazard. There's not stairs, there's not exit, there's just an elevator that drops you halfway to hell."
I giggled. Halfway to hell.
"They're commies." Erica corrected. "You don't pay people, they cut corners."
"To be fair to our Russian comrades, I don't think this tunnel was designed for walking." Robin tells us. "Think about it, they developed a perfect system for transporting that cargo."
"It all comes into the mall like an old delivery," Dustin added.
"And then they load it up onto those trucks and nobody's the wiser." Robin finished.
"You think they built this whole mall just so they could transport green poison?" I questioned.
"I very seriously doubt it's something as boring as poison." Dustin speaks. "It's gotta be much more valuable, like promethium or something."
"What the hell is promethium?" Steve questioned.
"It's what Victor Stone's dad used to make Cyborg's bionic and cybernetic components." I explained.
"You're all so nerdy, it makes me physically ill." Erica groaned.
"No, no, no," Steve shakes his head at Erica. "Don't lump me in with them. I'm not a nerd, all right?"
"Why so sensitive, Harrington?" Robin teased. "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 continued.
"Promethium." Dustin corrected. He beat me to it, I was going to correct him.
"Prometheus is a Greek mythological figure, but whatever." I shrugged.
"All I'm saying is, it's probably used to make something." Dustin continued.
"Or power something." Robin added.
"Like a nuclear weapon?"
"Totally," Robin and I agreed.
"Walking towards a nuclear weapon. That's great." Steve sarastically speaks. "That'd be great."
"But if they're building something, why here?" Robin questioned us. "I mean, Hawkins. Seriously. Out of all places. At the very best, we're a toilet stop on your way to Disneyland, but maybe that's it."
Steve, Dustin, and I slowed down as we all realised why it was happening in Hawkins'. Could it be because of what had happened last year?
"You think the Russian's know?" Steve asked the two of us.
"About..." I trailed off.
"They could." Dustin pressed on.
"So it's connected?" I guessed.
"Maybe,"
"How?" Steve wondered.
"I don't know, but it's..."
"Possible," we all speak at the same time.
"I'm sorry, is there something you'd like to share with the class?" Robin asked, turning around once she realised we stayed behind.
We all looked at each other. But then, my radio went off and people were speaking in Russian again.
"Walkie." The three of us said and sprinted towards Erica to get her bag. The man continued to speak Russian, Erica puts down the bag and brings out the walkie talkie.
Robin takes the walkie talkie and listens carefully. Robin speaks a bit of Russian, but I prefer it to be in English. "It's the code." Robin whispered.
"Wherever that broadcast is coming from..."
"It's close." Robin nodded. "And if there's one thing we know about this signal..."
"It can reach the surface," I finished and a smile broke out onto my face.
"Let's go,"
A/N
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