𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐧

Ⅹ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆

THE GROUP DUCK BEHIND ONE OF THE BLUE WALLS. They barley dodged a Russian man that rounded the corner, a cart following quickly behind. Steve peeked around the corner motioning for the others to follow, "Okay, clear. Clear, come on, let's go."

"Okay, that was close," Robin mumbled in distress as the group walked along again.

"Too close," Dustin agreed, sounding just as stressed as Robin

"Relax," Steve ordered in a quiet voice. "All right? Relax. Nobody saw..." Steve's voice trailed off, turning into one of shock. The others matched his expression as they looked over a large Russian base. Dozens of men walked around in different uniforms.

Steve caught sight of a guard on an upper floor. "Shit," Steve cursed diving to the side behind a red machine, "Jesus." The others followed, Chris pressed herself against Steve to steady herself. Chris also held an arm out for Robin to steady herself on.

"I saw it," Erica announced his voice hushed. "First floor, northwest."

"Saw what?" Steve whispered in confusion.

"The comms room," Erica repeated, still keeping her voice quiet.

"How the hell- You saw the comms room?" Chris asked in bafflement, glancing between Erica and the hall.

"Correct," Erica snapped, sounding even more obnoxious in a whisper.

"Are you sure?" Dustin asked holding onto the wall.

"Positive," Erica said sternly. "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," Dustin argued in defeat.

"I'll take those odds," Robin said looking at the older teens. Chris nodded in agreement, looking to Steve for a final say. Steve sighed shaking his head, leaning out to peer around the corner. The others copied him, looking around trying to spot the comms room. Steve must've spotted it because he quickly hid again, the others copying again quickly.

"All right," Steve said softly. "We're gonna move fast, we're gonna stay low. Okay?"

"Okay," Robin agreed. Steve stepped out rushing quietly to a set of pod containers, the others trailing behind him. Steve looked out to another section but quickly pulled back pressing against the pod.

"What?" Chris whispered. Steve motioned to a group of guards standing by a door. Chris sighed focusing on a door to the left, flinging it open. The guards looked at it confused. "Go, go."

The group ran out, ducking behind another pod. "Move it," Steve insisted noticing Erica and Dustin lagging. Chris peered over Steve's shoulder watching a scientist press a key card to a door lock. "Hold it open." Chris's eyes flickered to orange, her embers jamming the hinges open once the Russian man stepped out. "Let's go." The group ran through the door, Steve holding it open. Chris's eyes widened in shock, a man sat at the desk, just setting his headphones down as he spun his chair to look at the group.

The man reached for his gun but Robin stepped forward. "Tread lightly!" Robin yelled holding a hand out. "Tread lightly!" The man spoke in Russian, something Chris couldn't understand. "Silver cat... " Robin motioned behind her at the group standing behind her. "Silver cat." The man spoke in Russian again, and Robin peered over her shoulder at the others. "China?"

The man clicked his gun and Steve yelled, running and lunging at the Russian man, knocking him into the controls. The man gripped Steve's shirt flinging him onto another table. The man tried to throw a punch but Steve ducked back just in time, the man grabbed at Steve's shirt rolling onto a different table. Steve threw his elbow back hitting him in the stomach. Steve grabbed a microphone, tossed it into his other hand and slammed it against the man's temple, making smash against the edge of the desk.

Steve brushed his hair back, huffing in exhaustion. "Dude!" Dustin called. "You did it! You won a fight!" Steve smiled still out of breath.

"Nice job Harrington," Chris said with a smile. Dustin rushed to the knocked-out guard, pulling his badge off his belt.

"What are you doing?" Erica asked, squinting in confusion.

"Getting us our ticket out of here," Dustin explained.

"You want to walk all the way back?" Erica said in disbelief.

"Well, we can hang out for a little bit, relax, have a picnic maybe," Dustin sassed.

"Have a picnic? We came here for the radio."

"This plan is way better. If I knew Steve could knock out a Russian, that would've been our plan in the first place."

"But I guess you're-"

"Guys," Robin called, shock covering her features. "There's something up there." Robin pointed behind her and up a staircase. The group ran up the stairs, Robin holding a door open for them.

Chris stood behind Dustin, peering over his head. "Holy shit," Dustin mumbled. Chris stared at it, dozens of Russian men beyond a glass casing, walking on railed catwalks encasing a large spinning machine that was sending electric shocks into a gate, a new gate. A tear ran down the middle, orange light breaking through.

A wave of unease ran through Chris's stomach and she stumbled backwards. "No, no, no, no-" Chris mumbled to herself. Chris's eyes flashed, orange-tinted her vision one moment a silhouette of a boy standing in front of her, and then Miya stood in front of her blood pouring from her mouth, she saw the upside-down ripping through the gate. Chris felt like she would throw up. A hand crawled onto her shoulder and she spun finding herself in a black never-ending space.

"Chrisanna," Alex greeted, her hand dropping from Chris's shoulder. Alex looked different, her hair was long and she had a metal casing running up her arm. "There's something at the hospital, I need your help." Alex stepped closer, "I thought you were hurt-"

"Alex there's a new gate," Chris cut Alex off. Alex's face dropped, looking behind her, someone from the other side called to her her eyes illuminated in a bright blue.

"I'll find you, I have to help the others," Alex took her hand. "I'll find you."

"Chris!" Steve called shaking her shoulders. Chris snapped back, eyes still glowing, Robin and Erica stared at her as if she were insane. "Chris, did you see something?"

"Alex is back, she's at the hospital with the others, it's the same but worse, way worse," Chris said in a rush. "We have to leave, now." Chris rushed down the stairs.

"I don't understand," Robin spoke up in shock. "What was with your eyes? You've seen this before?"

"Not exactly," Steve said still in surprise.

"Then what, exactly?" Robin questioned in a rush.

"All you need to know is it's bad," Chris spoke quickly nearly running down the stairs.

"It's really bad," Steve agreed.

"Like, end-of-the-human-race-as-we-know-it kind of bad," Dustin spoke up.

"That's not even an exaggeration," Chris mumbled.

"And you know about this how?" Robin shouted making the group stop.

"Um, Steve? Where's your Russian friend?" Erica asked, staring at the place the once unconscious man lay. Steve glanced down, his heart dropping to his stomach noticing it too.

An alarm blared overhead and Chris winced at the sound, her mind still sensitive from her sense overloud mere minutes ago. "Shit," Steve cursed jogging to the door and ripping it open. Soldiers yelled for Steve to stop but he slammed the door shut again. "Shit." Steve looked down the hall rushing off. "Go, go, go, go, go!" The others ran after him

"Shit," Dustin swore, ramming through a door, nearly sliding on the floor.

"Move! Let's move!" Steve yelled close behind Dustin.

Dustin threw another door open, which led to the control room, "Go! Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" Robin stumbled and Chris grabbed her hand, pulling her after the group who took a sharp left.

"Go, go, go!" Steve screamed jumping down a flight of stairs.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!" Dustin shrieked pushing past a man in protective gear, Chris shoved him further sending him over the edge. "Holy shit! Holy shit! Shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!" Dustin yelled.

The group came to halt at the end of the catwalk, the machine just by their faces.

Chris looked over her shoulder at the Russian men lining up his shot. Chris threw her hands up, a glowing shield covering the small group.

"This way!" Steve yelled running down a side exit.

Chris threw the shield knocking a few men back, "Holy fuck!" Steve shoved a man to the side rushing ahead and leading the group.

"Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" Dustin yelled running faster.

"Whoa!" Erica yelled nearly falling.

Steve grunted knocking barrels over, tumbling into oncoming guards, "Come on! Go, go, go, go, go!"

"Come on!" Robin shouted running behind Erica.

Chris lagged behind, throwing her arms up setting a fire, blocking an oncoming horde.

"Shit! Chris c'mon!" Steve yelled.

"This way!" Robin ordered making another right into a room. "Come on, quick!"

"Hold the door!" Dustin ordered. Steve slammed the door shut pushing himself against it.

Chris copied him, trying to use her embers to hold it shut, calling for Robin to do the same, "Robin!"

"Shit!" Robin slammed herself against the door.

"Here! Come on, let's go!" Erica yelled pulling at a vent.

"Come on!" Dusting ordered motioning to the grate he and Erica opened.

"Go! Just get out of here!" Steve ordered.

"Go, come on, now!" Dustin insisted.

"Dustin just go! Get help!" Chris ordered feeling her feet start to slip against the floor.

"What are you doing?!" Steve yelled noticing Dustin's pause.

"Go!" The three yelled.

"I won't forget you!"

"Go!" Chris screamed. Dustin slammed the grate shut, disappearing into the vents.

A final shove on the door and the teens went flying smashing into the wall. Chris pushed herself up ready to fight but an electric baton pressed against her side and then the end of a gun slammed to her temple, sending her smack into the concrete floor, out cold.

෴

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