KAT

"SO, LET'S REVIEW WHAT WE KNOW. Billy Hargrove is shady. Russians have some sort of storage space in Starcourt, something shady's going on inside of them. And they have some sort of base, or radio-sending machine that hopefully stems from that room. So we just need to find our way in," she said, pacing around the back of the room.

"Yep. Super easy," Steve muttered, swinging his Scoops Ahoy cap around one finger. An empty cup of Moose Tracks ice cream lay next to Kat, a treat Steve had gotten for her when she'd arrived. Her leather glove made scrunching noises whenever she curled up her fist, which was a lot when she was concentrating.

"I mean, we all know those Russians are evil, but...why? Why this mall? Heck- why Hawkins? Besides some lab experiments, which every state has, we're like, the most boring town in Indiana," Robin said, puzzled.

Kat and Steve shared an uneasy glance, knowing what Robin said was actually incorrect. And it raised another disturbing question, too. How did Russians know about the drama going on the past years? And what they were doing, did it somehow relate to it? The question sent chills down Kat's spine, as the doubts rang in her head like alarm bells, yet overpowered by childlike curiosity. 

"Uh, Robin? Hate to be that person right now, but can me and Katie-" Steve said, making a low whistle paired with a 'two people coming together' gesture.

"Oh?" Robin's eyes went wide. "You want me outta here?"

"No- no, just, we need a little privacy right now," 

"Why? So you can finally make a move?"

"No. Just- do you mind-"

"Nope! I'll leave you two to it," Robin stood up with a graceful flourish. "Let's see if You Suck, dingus,"

She left, and began taking an order of Rocky Road.

"Sorry 'bout that," Steve said, leaning forwards sheepishly.

"No, it's fine, and so is Robin," Kat said, shaking her head as she matched his intense posture. She lowered her voice. "So, do you think all of this is connected?"

"I don't know, man. I guess so, the only other explanation would be the commies needing to be, I dunno, inconspicuous, and choosing Hawkins,"

"That's a good theory," Kat pursed her lips together. "Bad guys always need a base where no one's gonna find them,"

"Yeah. So...maybe that's why they chose Hawkins,"

"Maybe. But this doesn't make sense. How do the Russians even know about the Upside Down? And why would they wanna go there?"

"'Cause they're evil, duh"

"I know," Kat rolled her eyes. "What's inside the Upside Down that Russians could want? I mean, the Mind Flayer's there, but what do they need it for? And my first question- 

"I'm back!" Dustin called, yanking open the door and stomping in.

"Wha'd you find?" Kat leaned forwards and shooting Steve a 'we'll finish this later' look.

"I saw the door being opened for more boxes with a keycard. That room's gotta be some sort of closet for the Russians, all they keep in there is storage. That keycard opens the door,but unfortunately the Russian with this keycardalso has a massive gun. Whatever's in this room,whatever's in those boxes, they really don't want anybody finding it," Dustin said, as Robin came back in at his heels.

"But there's gotta be a way in," Robin said, her dark blue eyes clouded.

"Well, you know," Steve puffed out the back of his hat with a breath. "I could just take him out,"

"Take who out?" 

"The Russian guard,"

"Ah," Kat said in mock astonishment, leaning forwards in amazement while Robin leaned backwards with the same intent.

"What? I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard.It's easy,"

"Did you not hear the partabout the massive gun?" Dustin asked.

"Yes, Dustin, I did. And that's why I would be sneaking,"

"Well, please, tell me this, and be honest, have you ever actually... won a fight?"

"Okay, that was one time-"

"Twice. Jonathan. Year prior?"

"That doesn't count,"

"Why wouldn't it? Because it looksl ike he beat the shit out of you," Dustin continued, and Kat's gaze flicked to Robin as the latter turned her head.

Kat followed her eyes, noticing how they landed on the vent near the ceiling. The blonde proceeded to scramble straight out, with a 'Kat, come on!' as her only words.

"What?" Kat asked in confusion, standing up.

"What if. We can go through the air ducts?" Robin fished out all the bills in the tips jar with one swoop, grabbing her bag as well. 

Kat's eyes widened in realization. "Holy shit,"

"Hey, Katie! Robin! Hey, what- what are you doing?"

"-I need cash." 

"-Well, half of that's mine, where you going?" Steve called.

"-To find a way into that room, a safe way," Robin said, beginning to yell as the duo walked farther away. "And, in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up. We'll be back in a jiff,"

Kat giggled as she ran after the taller girl, jogging straight out of the mall and into the bright sunshine. It was almost noon, and Kat had only taught one class that morning, and besides handling the front desk and some cleaning, she was free the rest of the day. Her curls bounced back and forth behind her as she slung her gym bag behind her. The sun kissed her cool skin, the thin hairs on both her arms picking up on the warmth and tingling in joy. Maybe it really was a Russian terrorism project, but for now, it just felt like a childhood spy mission.

Her and Robin grabbed the bikes they used to get to work, Kat clipping the too-small helmet over her face, beaming. 

"County Recorder's Office," Robin grinned at her from her white bicycle with red handles, and Kat nodded.

Under the natural lighting, Robin's freckles were brought out better, speckled across her face like galaxies in space. Her hair hung knotted in a way that only looked like it was tangled, its own unique style that no one else could replicate. Her blue eyes gleamed with excitement as they matched Kat's own grey ones, the two girls laughing as they pulled out of the bike parking space.

They rode past the highway, reaching downtown in less than fifteen minutes. Yet Kat was panting nonetheless, the summer heat having turned a tad, well, hot. 

"Uh, you should probably cover up," Robin said awkwardly, pointing at Kat's Jazzercise outfit, a bright pink bodysuit with blue polka-dotted tights. The bodysuit hugged her torso and hip dips, thin straps over her shoulders and dipping below into the valley of her cleavage.

"Right," Kat frowned, before pulling a pair of shorts and a thin jacket out of her bag, hastily slipping into the scratchy denim and cotton despite the humidity.

"You ready?" Robin asked, as they locked their bikes before walking in front of the Office building. 

"Yep," Kat nodded, and they stepped in, the air conditioning washing over the duo and cooling the beads of sweat on Kat's features. A few middle school students and office staff strolled quietly around, the two of them, with one wearing polka-dotted tights and the other wearing a sailor's uniform sticking out like a sore thumb. 

Nonetheless, they weaved through the place shelf by shelf, scanning each row for something 1985. The font of the records were blurrily printed and fainted, making Kat squint all the time. The only lighting in the rooms were from the windows, which was a nice, pale gold color. Yet, most of the text was hidden in shadow.

"Are you excited for school?" Kat asked Robin, multitasking as her thumb ghosted over each document.

"Nope," Robin murmured. "Everyone always makes senior year sound like a dream come true, y'know, but all of it, except the last few months, is the worst hell anyone could go through,"

"True," Kat laughed. "But it'll get better. Obviously, you've got classes, college, and everything, but there's gonna be stuff along the way that make up for it. Trust me,"

"Oh yeah? Did Steve make up for it, in your case?" Robin grinned at her through the gaps in a shelf.

Kat rolled her eyes. "No comment. Actually," she shuffled a bit. "What I meant by that was; you'll change in senior year. A lot, comparing juniors to seniors- there's a big difference. All that pressure, paired with whatever happens during those months, it makes you grow,"

"...Okay, how'd it go for you?"

"It went well, I think. It, uh, wasn't linear, though. As, um, you might know, I was a pretty big bitch a couple months ago,"

"Ya think?" Robin narrowed her brows.

Kat laughed. "Yeah- well, I actually had a lot of stuff going on in my home life during that time, and I made, some pretty big mistakes- sending all those stuck-up emotions out onto everyone at school. I graduated before I could go back and try to fix it, but at least college is gonna give me a clean slate,"

She was right. In a matter of months, she'd gone from mean girl to, well, retired mean girl. And disliked the fact that most of her peers would forever think of her as such, but oh well. She was leaving Hawkins, anyway. She hadn't even thought of the Ice Queen in over a month now, and it was nice, living without a wall of crystal around her. She could almost feel the kiss of the sun everywhere she went, and it lifted her up in ways more than one. 

"Oh," Robin pursed her pink lips together. "I suppose that makes it a bit better," 

There was a pregnant pause, before Kat started talking again.

"Are you sure about this, Robin?"

"About the Russians?"

"Yeah- but more about the, well, mission, I guess. I dunno, it just seems like it's too risky. I'm getting heebie-jeebies," Kat mumbled.

The thought of Russians getting their hands on them, doing god knows what to them, it sent a pinprick of ice down her spine, making her shudder in fear. Everyone else except her was on board, yet Kat firmly believed, with every fiber of her being, that this was wrong.

"Well- it could be dangerous. But ultimately, we're doing good, y'know? We're doing what's right. And maybe, just maybe, there's a chance that these are just some Russians in a Russian club that ships Chinese food,"

Kat raised a brow, and Robin shot her a hasty glance.

"Okay, maybe not. Well," Robin continued. "It's an adventure. And it's better we do this now than not,"

"I guess," Kat sighed, knowing she could never convince the blonde. "I just don't want anybody to get hurt or anything,"

"We won't. What's the worst that could happen- ooh! I found it!" Robin said, her eyes visible across a row of rolled-up documents, and she was holding up a scroll.

"Really?" Kat said, and zoomed over to her side, before looking down. And behold, the blueprints of Starcourt Mall gleamed delightfully on the unravelled paper. Blue geometric ink tranced what appeared to be the structural outline of the Mall.

"And now, we just need to find the air ducts version of this," Kat said breathlessly with a little cautiousness, and the two girls looked at each other in glee. Maybe Kat was doubtful about the mission, but at least her and Robin could have a good time right there and then.

The two girls giggled all the way back to the Mall, chatting briefly before they ran out of air and had to take a fifteen-second silence break due to both of their horrible staminas. They made it back in one piece, though, and Robin laid out their findings in front of Steve and Dustin, talking about air ducts.

"Turns out, this secret room needs airjust like any old room. And these air ducts," Robin walked to their Russian board, picking up the fat red marker that was the reason for the stains on Kat's hands. "Lead all the way..." Robin circled the box room, highlighting a wobbly line that led all the way down to what, theoretically, was Scoops itself. "Here,"

The four of them looked at each other excitedly. "Now we need a ladder," Steve breathed.

Scoops didn't have a ladder- it didn't need one. And unfortunately, neither did Jazzercise. That meant Kat had to go all the way to the other side of the mall, and into Claire's. Monique worked there, and they had a ladder. However, Kat had recieved an 'explain this to me later' look from her as she and Steve had taken her ladder, leaving the brunette to deal with a five-year-old girl that demanded to have her ears pierced.

"I guess Dustin's going to investigate it," Kat said unsurely.

"Yep. Curiousity voyage, yeah?" Dustin said, grinning.

Steve stood on the ladder, screwdriver between his teeth, as he called for Dustin's flashlight. From what Kat could see from behind, it just looked like a vent. With silvery metal boards arranged like a rectangular tube, dust floating around with every puff of a breath, it looked like nothing out of the ordinary.

"Yeah, I dunno, man. I don't know if you can fit in here. It's, like...super tight,"

"Trust me, I'll fit. No collar bones, remember?"

"Excuse me?" Robin said.

"Birth defect," Kat told her, making a face.

"Yeah. Uh, yeah, he's got some disease. Chry, uh... It's chrydo, um... Something. Yeah, I dunno. He's missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo," Steve said, and Kat furrowed the valley between her eyebrows.

"...You mean Gumby," Robin said slowly, as if speaking to a toddler.

"I'm pretty sure it's Gumbo," Steve said, unimpressed at the jab at his intelligence.

"Steve, shut up and push me!" Dustin screamed, his waistband barely visible as nearly half his body was stuck in the air duct.

"'Kay," Steve said sarcastically, reluctantly heading up the ladder and bracing his shoulder around Dustin's legs.

"-Not my feet, dumbass. Push my ass,"

"What?"

"Touch my butt! I don't care!"

"This isn't gonna work," Robin muttered to Kat, leaning on the counter. Kat murmured an agreement, watching the two struggle. Robin turned her head away as Kat frowned.

"Tell me, did my brother put you up to this?" Erica said, peering at Kat past her mountain of sundaes.

"Uh," Kat said, looking at Steve for confirmation before answering. "No. No, of course not. Lucas- he, never tells me anything, actually. He's always just off breaking the law with his friends," she said, deliberately villanizing him so she could try and pull a few of Erica's strings. Dustin made a face of confusion.

"Sounds about right," Erica said nonchalantly, stirring the strawberry ice cream around until it became a slushy, smooth texture, before eating it. "More fudge,"

Erica looked smugly at Steve, who glared at her conspicuously. "Go on," she made a 'shoo' gesture with her hand, which had all sorts of shiny plastic stickers on it.

Robin explained the plan, which, as she did, seemed decently easy to Kat's ears. Minus the potential death part, it was actually pretty safe. After all, she wouldn't have agreed to recruiting Erica if she didn't know for sure that that night wasn't going to end with an angry Mrs. Sinclair.

"You know what this half-baked planof yours sounds like to me?" Erica said, after giving her vanilla scoop one last lick. "Child. Endangerment,"

"Dustin's a minor too-"

"Ah, ah ah! Child. Endangerment,"

Robin shot Kat a look that said 'couldn't we have picked somebody else?'. Dustin shuffled awkwardly, before turning to Erica and speaking extra slow, as if she was five instead of ten.

"Erica? Hi. Uh. We think these Russianswant to do harm to our country. Great harm. Don't you love your country?" he asked gently, and Kat tried not to cringe.

"You can't spell "America" without "Erica."" she replied sassily, slurping her strawberry shake loudly to get at the clump of ice cream at the bottom.

Kat made a face. She was right.

"Oddly, that's, uh, totally true. So, so, don't do this for us. Do it for your country. Do it for your fellow man. Do this for America... Erica," he continued.

"Right!" Kat added. "And- I mean- this'll be fun, too. Way better than just sitting in these flourescents all day staring at fountains. You can be a red-white-and-blue hero...ess. Like Monica Rambeau,"

"Ooh! I just got the chills," Erica said, smiling like a tiger up at Kat. "From this float, not either of your speeches,"

Kat pulled her lips into an expressionless smile, but her stomach stirred with unease. Maybe this was a little dangerous.

"Know what I love most about this country? Capitalism. Do you know what capitalism is?" she asked Kat, as if Kat was the ten-year-old in that situation. She nodded nonetheless. "-It means this is a free market system. Which means people get paidfor their services, depending on how valuabletheir contributions are. And it seems to me, my ability to fit into that little vent is very, very valuable to you all. So, you want my help? This USS Butterscotch better be the first of many.  And I'm talking free ice cream. For. Life," she plucked a cherry out of her sundae, picking off the fruit in one bite.