CHAPTER SIX
COSPLAYING AS A RUSSIAN GUARD

"I don't understand. You've seen this before?" Robin asked the two guys as the five of them rushed back down the stairs.

"Not exactly," Steve answered.

"Then what, exactly?"

"All you need to know is it's bad," Dustin chimed in.

Steve nodded. "It's really bad."

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

"And you know about this how?"

Mavis was listening to their conversation, but her mind was still fixated on the gate. Chills ran down her spine just by watching it, the same feeling she felt last Fall in the woods. She had tried to tell herself that maybe she had just hallucinated the whole thing, but now? She wasn't so sure.

"Um, Steve?" Erica spoke and everyone looked at her. "Where's your Russian friend?"

They all looked at the now empty ground before alarms started blaring.

"Shit," Mavis said as she rushed to the door, Steve behind her. Once they opened it, they saw a group of guards talking to each other. And suddenly, they looked up, making direct eye contact with the two teenagers before yelling and running towards them.

Steve grabbed Mavis' arm softly and pushed her back as he closed the door. "Shit," he looked at the rest of the group. "Go, go, go, go, go!"

And that was enough for everyone to start running through the facility as the Russian guards ran after them. The kids ran for their lives, not wanting to get caught, because they were all scared of what could happen if they were. The possibilities were endless... and none of them looked good.

At one point, they even made it to where the strange machine was, the laser beam right in front of them. It was like something out of a science fiction movie, and Mavis stared at it in awe, not hearing Dustin repeatedly screaming "Holy shit!", and forgetting for a second that they were being chased.

Steve took Mavis' hand, taking her out of her small trance. "This way!" he yelled and everyone followed after him as they continued running. After a while, both Mavis and Steve, who were still holding hands, looked at each other, the same thought crossing their mind as they ran over to some barrels and pushed them over two Russian guards, sharing a small smile afterwards before they continued running.

The group reached a room and rushed inside, Steve and Robin staying behind to hold the door close as Mavis helped Dustin and Erica look for a way out. It wasn't looking good, and Mavis was sure they were going to get caught before she spotted a vent on the floor. She ran towards it, sliding on the floor and opening it.

"Here! Come on, let's go!" she yelled at the children. Erica was the first to go inside, and after her came Dustin. "Come on!" Now it was time for Mavis to yell at Steve and Robin, who were struggling to keep the door open.

"Go! Just get out of here!"

"What? No!" she shook her head. "I'm not leaving you behind," she said as she started to close the vent.

"No!" Steve yelled, making her stop. "Just go get some help, okay? And make sure those dipshits don't get in trouble."

"Are you sure?" she asked, worry written all over her face as she hesitated.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked. She needed to get out of there, she needed to get to safety. If something happened to her... "Go!"

"Steve..."

"Go!"

This was stupid. He was stupid. Why the heck was he risking his life for two kids and a random girl he just met? Why the heck did he have to play the hero? And why the heck was Mavis' heart breaking at the possibility of never seeing him again? All her knowledge about love came from books, and she never thought she would experience it first hand. But yet here she was.

"Stay safe. Please. I'll come get you," was all she could say before she went into the air duct and closed the vent above her.

The aching in her heart just grew as she followed Dustin and Erica through the vents, finally aware of her feelings. She liked Steve Harrington. And there was no chance she would leave him there to die. Nor Robin.

She was going to save them.

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"So, when we set fire to the hub, we drew the Demodogs away so El could close the gate. But now, for some insane reason, the Russians appear to be trying to reopen it, which just destroys everything we risked our lives for."

Mavis was listening intensely as Dustin told her and Erica everything that had happened in the years prior. And to say she was surprised was an understatement.

"I believe you."

Dustin looked at her with wide eyes. "You do?"

She nodded. "I... I actually encountered some... Demodogs last Fall."

"No way." How come she had never told him that? But then again, they didn't know each other before that summer.

Nodding again, she pulled one of her socks down and lifted the bottom of her jeans, revealing a large scar on her right calf. "I was in the woods, practicing my archery, when they attacked me. I ran to the junkyard and hid in one of the old school buses there, thinking I'd be safe. But... they got inside. I shot arrows at them, but it didn't really do anything. And then... well, one of them got me," she let out a deep breath as she pulled her jeans back down. "I thought I was a goner, but then out of nowhere, they left."

"Oh man..." Dustin sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that... But look at the bright side: now you have a badass scar!"

She let out a chuckle. "I guess so."

He smiled. "I wish we had known each other last year. We certainly could have used your help."

Mavis smiled at him. She didn't know how much of a help she could have been, but... she also wished she had met them sooner.

"By 'we,'  you're including Lucas?" Erica interrupted, finally speaking.

"Yes, of course."

"So, all that shit you told us, Lucas was there?"

"Yeah."

"My brother, Lucas Charles Sinclair?"

"Yes!"

"I don't believe you."

"Wait, so you believe everything about El and the gate and the Demodogs and the Mind Flayer, but you question your brother's involvement?"

"That's correct."

"Makes total sense."

Mavis chuckled at the kids' antics. It was funny to see how different they seemed to be, but how well they worked together when needed.

"Do you need help with that?" she asked Dustin as he used a screwdriver to try and stop the fans so they could get through.

"No."

"Well, I mean, it's taking a while, so..." Erica chimed in.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock."

"All right, so if we don't find a more efficient method to stop these fans, we're never gonna find help, and your ice cream buddies are screwed."

Erica was right. They needed to get out of there as soon as possible so that they could rescue Robin and Steve... God, she just hoped they were alright.

"Yeah, with that attitude, they are. Jee-zus!" Dustin was starting to get annoyed.

"She's just being realistic."

"Thank you. At least someone's smart," Erica said to Mavis before looking back at Dustin. "I mean, we've made it about point-three miles in nine hours. Then we had to walk three hours down that tunnel, so I'd estimate ten miles back to the elevator, which should take us approximately twelve-and-a-half days."

Damn. "Did you just do all of that in your head?" Mavis asked, impressed by the math knowledge of a ten year old. Especially because she sucked at math.

"I'm good with numbers," Erica shrugged.

"Holy shit. You're a nerd," Dustin exclaimed.

"Come again?"

"You... are... a... nerd," he emphasized every word. It was clear he was having fun with his realization.

"Okay, you better take that back, nerd."

"Can't put the truth back in the box," Mavis joined in, a small smirk on her face.

Erica glared at her. "But it's not the truth."

"Let's examine the facts, shall we? Fact one: you're a math whiz, apparently."

"That was a pretty straightforward equation."

"For a genius maybe," Mavis muttered under her breath.

"Fact number two: you're a political junkie."

"Just because I don't agree with Communism as an ideology–"

"Fact number three: you love My Little Pony."

"And what does My Little Pony have to do with this?"

"The ponies' latest adventure included an evil centaur team and Tirek, who turns Applejack into a dragon at Midnight Castle. And then Megan and the other ponies have to use Moochick's magic to defeat his rainbow of darkness, saving them from a lifetime of enslavement," Mavis explained, gaining a weird look from Erica. "What? It's entertaining."

"And all the pink in the world can't disguise the irrefutable fact that centaurs and castles and dragons and magic are all standard nerd tropes," Dustin smirked. "Ergo, My Little Pony is nerdy. Ergo, you, Erica, are a nerd."

"And how do you know so much about My Little Pony?" Erica asked Mavis.

"Because I'm a nerd," she smiled proudly. There was nothing wrong with being one.

Finally, Dustin was able to open the electric panel and pull the cables out, which led to the fans powering down until they came to a stop.

"Let's go... nerds."

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After a while of crawling through the vents of the Russian facility, Mavis, being the first of the three, found an opening. And after not hearing anything, she opened the air duct and stuck her head out, looking around.

They were in a well-lit room, filled with tall glass containers, that were then filled with the green-liquid containers they had found in the elevator. Mavis couldn't help but wonder why there was so much of it, and then it suddenly clicked: the green liquid was the fuel. And they needed lots of it to power the machine; to open the gate.

"Jackpot," she heard Dustin say as he got out of the vent. Or well, tried to. Because Mavis grabbed his shoulder before he could do anything.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Uh... starting our plan to rescue Steve and Robin?"

"Yeah, no. In case you've forgotten, we're still in a Russian facility, meaning danger could be around the corner. And I promised Steve I would keep you shitheads safe, so that's what I'm going to do."

She jumped out of the vent and into the room, Dustin and Erica just staring at her.

"You two stay here," she said sternly before walking away.

She saw the entrance to the room and walked over to it, walking down the stairs and looking around. There seemed to be no one around, and while that was good, it was weird. Where was everyone?

As if she had asked for it, a Russian guard walked into the corridor, looking at her with wide eyes as his hand went over to his side. Scared he would take out his gun and shoot her, and seeing he was distracted, Mavis attacked.

She tightened her body and twisted her hips, going for his jaw with her fist coming from the side, performing so a sideswipe punch and knocking the guard out.

"Damn!"

Mavis turned around when she heard Dustin's voice, and lo and behold, the two kids were standing there.

"That was awesome!! You just knocked him out!!!"

"Where did you learn that?" Erica asked, making Mavis shrug.

"I read about it," she shrugged. "Anyways, what did I say about staying in the vents?"

"Apparently you can protect us if something happens," Erica said with a small smile, and Mavis appreciated it. It seemed the little girl was warming up to her.

"Come on," she looked at the knocked out guard one more time before going in the opposite direction, toward the other entrance.

"Oh-ho-ho!" Dustin walked past her and headed to a small vehicle, Erica behind him.

"Do you even know how to drive?" Erica asked Dustin as he entered the vehicle and sat behind the wheel.

"How hard can it be? Max did it," he checked for keys, but there was nothing there. "Aw, come on."

"You seriously thought they'd just leave keys in there?"

"There's gotta be a spare," he said as he proceeded to look for it.

"You two are going to be the death of me," Mavis said as she walked around, Erica following her.

She looked back at the room they had come from, and then to the front, finding a big metal cage. But thankfully it was empty.

"Hey, Dustin?"

"Yeah?"

"How big did you say that Demogorgon was?" Erica asked.

"Big. Nine feet or so. Why?"

Mavis and Erica shared a look. This couldn't be good. The oldest girl turned around and walked back to Dustin.

"Any luck with those keys?"

"Nope," he shook his head before going over to a panel and opening it with his screwdriver. "Found 'em."

Mavis smiled. "Good," she said before turning to look back at the cage, getting worried when she didn't see the youngest. "Erica?"

Suddenly, she appeared out of nowhere with a long metal weapon in her hands, electricity coming out of it.

"What the hell is that?!" Dustin exclaimed.

"A deadly weapon," she shrugged.

"It could be useful," Mavis nodded, and Dustin just stared at the two girls like they were crazy.

"For what?"

"What do you think? Taking down Commies, saving your friends."

"Thought you were more realistic than that, nerds."

Mavis crossed her arms in front of her chest. What was he implying?

"We don't even know where they are, and even if we did, there are a million guards up there with weapons way deadlier than that." Okay, he had a point. "The best thing we can do for them is to get out of here and find help. Our chance of surviving, and theirs, rises substantially. Just trust me on this. Please?"

A pause went by before Mavis spoke. "You're kidding, right?"

Dustin looked at her, confused. "What?"

"We're not leaving without them. There's no way."

"But–"

"No buts. We're going back to save them. End of discussion."

Erica smiled. "I like that attitude. I'm in."

Dustin sighed. "Awesome. We're going to walk into what's most definitely a death-trap and get ourselves killed. Perfect. I love it."

"Drama queen much?" Erica teased him.

As the two kids continued their bickering, a lightbulb lit up inside Mavis' mind and she headed back to the other room.

"Woah! Where are you going?" Dustin asked before he followed her alongside Erica.

Mavis had knelt down next to the unconscious body of the Russian guard and was taking his clothes off.

Dustin smiled. "Hmm, that could work."

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"Okay so, how do I look?"

Dustin and Erica looked at each other before they burst out laughing, earning a glare from Mavis.

"Hey, stop laughing!"

"You just look hilarious."

"Yes, those clothes are way too big on you," Erica agreed.

Mavis rolled her eyes and walked over to a nearby glass where she could see her reflection. Erica was right, the clothes were indeed too big on her, but they would have to do. She adjusted the clothes in a way where they wouldn't look that big, and then she put all her hair in a bun to hide it under the hat.

"Better?" she asked, turning around to face them again.

"Way better."

"Mavis, are you sure you want to do this? It's dangerous," Dustin said.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "You sound just like Steve." Steve... God, she could only hope he was alright. "I got this, don't worry. You still remember the plan?"

He nodded. "Yes. You will walk in there and pretend someone sent you."

"We will use that green liquid to cause a distraction, and therefore alert the rest of the guards," Erica proceeded.

"I'll get Steve and Robin and you guys will meet us in the hall with the vehicle," Mavis finished. "See? We got everything planned out. We'll be fine."

Famous last words.

Dustin and Erica stayed behind, ready to commence their part of their plan, as Mavis walked towards the room Steve and Robin were in. How did she know where they were? Well, she had overheard a few Russian guards talking about two Americans and their funny clothes, so... there was no doubt it was them.

She greeted a few guards on her way there, trying her best not to stand out. How come she always ended up in a situation where she needed to disguise herself?

Once she made it to the room, she took a few deep breaths in front of the door before knocking and opening it; her heart immediately sank at the sight.

Steve and Robin were each tied to a chair, their backs facing each other. Robin didn't look like she had been beaten up but Steve... Oh, Steve. His left eye was swollen and red, starting to get bruised, and there was dry blood down his nose and mouth.

Mavis wanted to go to him and hug him, show him everything was going to be alright, but she couldn't. She needed to contain her feelings if she wanted to free him and Robin.

"State your business," the Russian guard spoke to her.

She cleared her throat. "Lieutenant Petrov sent me. He said there was a problem in the comms room," she spoke in a deep voice, trying to speak the best Russian she had ever spoken.

But as the guard looked at her meticulously, she started to get worried. Had he seen right through her disguise?

"Very well. Tell him I'll be there soon." Mavis wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but she just nodded. Great, she was safe.

Or so she thought. Because at that moment, Steve looked over at her and the biggest smile appeared on his face.

"Mavis! That's crazy, I was just talking about you." Damn, he had recognized her. He looked down at her outfit and laughed. "You do love disguises, don't you? You look pretty, though."

The guard looked at her with wide eyes. "This is the girl you were talking about?"

"Yes! She'll kick your ass."

Screw saving him. He would need a funeral either way if they made it out of there alive, because she was going to kill him.

She got ready to fight the guard, but he was faster, punching her straight in the nose, sending her against the wall. Her hand went to her nose as her body slid down the wall, and when she brought it back down, it was filled with blood. She gulped. Not only was she bleeding, but her eyes were watery, and her head hurt.

Just as the guard was about to hit again, the alarms went off. Thank God for Dustin and Erica. He muttered something to the other man in the room, who appeared to be a doctor, but Mavis couldn't understand what it was. And then, the guard ran out of the room.

The supposed doctor approached Mavis with a weird utensil in his hands, and she tried to slide away from him, but her back hit the wall, leaving her with no way out. She closed her eyes, waiting for the worst, but then, unexpectedly, Dustin and Erica rushed inside the room, and Dustin aimed the deadly weapon at the doctor, whose lifeless body fell on the ground.

"Mavis, are you okay?" Erica rushed over to her side and helped her up as Dustin went over to Steve and Robin.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. But we need to get out of here. Now."

『••✎••』

ahhhhh, mavis finally realized she liked steve!! 🤩 i wonder how long it will take him to realize it he has feelings for her as well 🤪 also, i told you mavis would cosplay again, & here you have it😌 & don't you think it's hilarious how mavis won her first ever fight & steve hasn't? because i do find it hilarious lol

anyways, don't be a ghost reader & i'll see you next chapter! 💙

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PUZZLE © storyofanotherpaola, 2022.