Chapter 26, Behind Closed Doors
(Ep. 6: E Pluribus Unum)

Hours could have passed and there'd be no knowledge of it. The days could be transforming into weeks and there'd be no recollection. It was a constant cycle of wondering how much time had transpired. If somehow, there was a minimal chance of the light at the end of the tunnel resurfacing.

But no light came.

Not a single ounce of hope became present.

Gwen had been tied to a chair for what appeared to be an eternity. She searched for ways to untie herself and find her way back to Steve and Robin, but the guard outside her door always kept an eye out. He constantly peeked into the room and ensured she wouldn't acquire a taste of liberation.

The floor was stained with red and brown -- an indication that she hadn't been the first one here. It only let her know about her imminent demise and the improbability of escaping. She didn't want to dwell on the worst, but through every hit and constant mock given, the worst was the only certain thing.

A clock hung above the door, but it remained stuck at 10:04 pm. No matter how much time passed, the hands remained in place. She stared at it attentively, as if attempting to keep herself sane by reciting the numbers like a prayer. Its ticking still remained, but time remained frozen. It was trapped in place... just like she was.

Through her daze, Gwen pushed herself to remain awake. She couldn't allow her exhaustion to prevent her from acquiring an idea on how to escape. Even if she was hopeless, her strength relied on finding her way back to him. She could be laying in the grave and not even in death would she accept the travesty.

As she attempted to untie the knot, the door suddenly swung open. The colonel entered, his face both stoic yet expressive. He removed his hat and handed it to the guard outside, and walked at an unhurried pace toward her. His bony finger removed her hair from her face to then slowly lower to raise her chin.

His breath grazed her face as he asked, "Who do you work for?"

"I already told you. Scoops Ahoy," Gwen's response was far from what he wanted. She didn't have time to perceive what happened until feeling his harsh hit against her stomach.

"Who do you work for?!"

She gasped, the air slowly returning to her, "I'm not lying! I work at an ice cream shop! Just look at my clothes! Do you think I'd willingly wear this?!"

The colonel remained unconvinced and called out to the other guard. He told him something in Russian and a few seconds later, a long device that had an electric light at the end was now in his grasp. She wasn't stupid not to know what this was meant for, so she tried to scurry away as far as possible in hopes of somehow avoiding its graze.

"I am going to ask you again," he threatened, his grip on her hair forcing her to stay still. "Who is your master?"

Anything she says would be useless. She was telling the truth and they still didn't believe her. If she were to lie and claim she worked for the government, they would still torture her. Nothing would be enough, so it left her with no choices.

"My master?" Gwen nearly staggered back when the other soldier took a step closer. "What do you want me to say? That my family is Catholic, so my master is Jesus? I already told you I work for an ice cream shop!"

Her comment only angered him much more.

The device was placed against her side and the most agonizing sensation tormented her body. Electrifying currents burned her skin and prompted loud screams to escape. She begged them to let her go and made the promise to not say anything, but her pain was their enjoyment. It replenished them, more than providing hits or mocks. This device was their most treasured gift and nothing would stop them.

"WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?! TELL ME!!!"

The room slowly began to spin. Their voices were nothing but muffled, but she understood they were asking the same question. She tried to plead her case again, but it was rendered useless. Her same response was taken as an offense and earned her another hit against her temple.

"TELL THE TRUTH!!!"

She wanted to defend herself, to fight back, or find any strength to use against them, but she was now left at their mercy. The pain was becoming greater and less bearable to withstand that she was soon weakened. Her sight became blurry and black dots proceeded to cover her vision. In defeat, she slumped back against her chair and it was only then when the guards took a step back.

Words in Russian were said.

And then, the world turned dark.

The guards untied her hands and legs to take her to another room. They held her by the arms and dragged her to the corridor. It was eerily silent, except for their chatters and laughter. Her legs scrapped the floor as they turned the corner, now standing in front of the designated location.

The door was unlocked and harshly, her unconscious body was dropped in front of their two prisoners.

"Gwen!" Robin called out in a panic.

Steve couldn't breathe.

His world had become tilted.

No -- it had been destroyed.

Everything was on fire. Flames burned him from the inside out with no means of being extinguished. The ashes gathered underneath and mercilessly combined into an abysmal darkness.

This was now his hell.  

His heaven was laying on the ground, unmoving and wounded. He reached out to her, but his futile attempts were corrupted by the entrapment. He trembled, his wide brown eyes and the combination of anger and pain joining forces.

"I'm going to kill you!" Steve threatened, "You will pay for everything! I'll make sure of it-"

The guard stormed to him and punched him in the gut. Upon the forced silence, he commanded his comrades to tie her onto the third chair placed next to Steve and Robin.

"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to fucking kill you, you son of a-" Steve suddenly felt a grating hit against his temple. He flailed in his chair, but it wasn't until feeling her shoulder against his when the rest of the world disappeared. "Hey, hey, Gwen!"

The guards smiled at her silence and walked out.

"Wake up! Come on, please!" Robin begged, and shook her shoulder in an attempt to awake her.

She remained unmoving.

"Gwen?" Steve called out, and tried reaching her hand. "Stay with me! Stay with me, please!"

"You can't leave me alone with dingus, so you better say something right now!" Robin yelled. "Open your eyes and give me anything!"

"Gwen, please," he pleaded, his voice now breaking.

Silence remained.

But then, the faintest movement was felt.

He felt the life returning to him, "Gwen? Can you hear me?"

"Are you okay?" Robin asked.

The blinding lights were the first thing she saw. The room was no longer spinning, but the pain remained, causing her to let out a wince.

"Can you guys shut up?" Gwen mumbled, raising her head to acquire a better look.

Steve's world made sense again. He breathed in relief and slumped further into his chair. Mainly to acquire a touch of her warmth. "Oh, my God. Thank you. Thank you," he whispered, as if saying a prayer.

"Are you guys okay?" Gwen craned her neck to try to obtain a better view -- an unsuccessful attempt.

Steve faintly shrugged, refusing to admit his ears were ringing and he could barely see from his black eye. "I'm alive, so that's something."

"And I'm doing handy dandy," Robin replied, and began looking around the room for anything that could help.

But it seemed those guards left them with no resources.

Robin had always been an optimist. She was a glass half-full kind of girl and surprisingly did good under pressure. It was one of the traits she prided herself with, but it was now when that trait began disappearing and faltering into a disbelieving one.

She wanted to cling on to hope, but all she could think of was that she was going to die in this sailor uniform with Steve freaking Harrington and his miscreant girlfriend. That thought alone was enough to make her start laughing.

Gwen and Steve tensed, concerned their friend was breaking down.

"Hey, it's okay," Steve tried to reassure her.

"We're gonna get out of here. Don't cry, Robin," Gwen attempted to cheer her up even though she was never good at offering comfort.

But then, she realized it was laughter and not crying.

Steve narrowed his eyes, confused, "Are you laughing?"

"Yeah," Robin breathed out.

Gwen couldn't refrain from smiling, "Wow, you're more disturbed than I thought."

"I'm sorry, but it's just that I can't believe I'm going to die in a secret Russian base with Steve Harrington and Gwen Henderson!" Robin was now laughing uncontrollably, her words rushing and tumbling against the other. "It's just too trippy, man!"

"We're not going to die, Rob," Gwen told her.

"We're gonna make it out. Alive," Steve added.

Gwen slowly nodded, staring ahead, "I mean, we are going to die."

Steve's brown eyes widened, "Hey, Gwen? You're not helping."

She nonchalantly shrugged, "I know, but I'm just saying that we are going to die someday. It's not going to happen today or in a few months. Hopefully many years ahead, because we're going to live long and happy lives."

(Like mentioned, Gwen wasn't great at comforting people.)

"Do you guys remember Mrs. Click's sophomore class?" Robin suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Us, band dweebs called her Mrs. Clickity-Clackity," Robin began to reminisce. "It was first period, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so Steve was always late and Gwen was always the first one there. Steve would always have the same breakfast. Bacon, egg, and cheese on a sesame bagel, and Gwen would always manage to steal it when he wasn't looking."

Gwen didn't say anything. She merely just listened, her mind now recalling those moments years prior. There were many insults exchanged between her and Steve, but it was always the most exciting part of her day.

"I sat between you guys for two days a week for a year. Between Mister Funny and Miss Know It all, between the king of Hawkins High and the outcast everyone was so afraid of."

It was then when Gwen realized she couldn't remember having shared a class with her.

How didn't she notice?

"Do you guys even remember me?" Robin's voice was anything but a whisper.

They swallowed thickly, not wanting to admit the harsh truth, because how could they say it without sounding so terrible?

Sure, it was expected of Steve since he was a total douchebag back then, but Gwen, she wasn't supposed to be like him. She was supposed to be welcoming, because it was the one quality she wished the popular crowd had. They would always exclude anyone who didn't meet their standards... and there she was. Just shutting everyone out because she was too keen on keeping her inner circle small. So in reality, she wasn't all that different.

"Of course you don't," Robin then glanced at Steve. "You were a real asshole, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know," he said.

Steve's entire high school career had been filled with regrets. He was disappointed in the awful person he was and who he chose to surround himself with. It wasn't like he could blame Tommy H. or Carol Perkins for his behavior, because he chose to be an asshole. He chose to torment people for years who didn't deserve it. Now, he regretted not having become friends with Robin sooner and barely getting together with the girl he loved since middle school.

"And Gwen, you were this tough girl who didn't seem to care what anyone said," Robin glanced down to the floor, her bright red converse becoming dull. "You always defended Jonathan whenever Steve and his crew made fun of him, but you were no different than he was, because you excluded everyone too."

"I know," Gwen couldn't deny the truth. It just ached her that it was barely now when her eyes were opened. If she had judged Steve for having taken years to change, how could she hold the past over him when she was the same?

"But it didn't matter that you two were pricks, because I was still obsessed with you two," Robin tilted her head, gently resting it against theirs. "You were popular, Steve, and even if us losers try to act like we're above it all, we still want to be popular. And Gwen, you were fearless and confident. You didn't care if the entire school talked shit... and I badly wanted to be like you."

Freshman and sophomore year had been terrible. Her middle school reputation had followed her like a shadow, insisting on reminding everyone about the troubled girl who lost her dad and fought for the smallest reasons. She couldn't claim all the fights were made to defend Jonathan, but it was the most selfless and valid reason to justify her outburst... to justify having become a girl who missed her dad.

Even if she found the love of a father in Hopper, the aching was still present. Years could pass, but some pains never cease.

"If it makes you feel better, having all those things isn't all that great," Steve's voice fell below a murmur, as if speaking to an unknown deity. "I missed out on having an incredible friend and I spent years hating on the girl I loved because I was afraid of what Tommy and Carol would say."

He paused, the words hanging on a thin line.

"I said terrible things that I still regret to this day and when she gave me shit for it, I acted all hurt and like I didn't deserve it," he took a shaky breath, carefully glancing in her direction. "But I was only hurt because I hated ruining my chance of having something incredible with her."

Oh, how Gwen missed his brown gaze.

She turned her head to the side, hoping to acquire a glimpse of paradise, but the barrier placed prevented the gates from opening. For now, his rough yet delicate touch would be just as replenishing.

"I never actually hated you," she softly spoke. "Well, I did dislike you, but it's beyond the point. I just couldn't bring myself to truly hate you. Ever since you were so nice to me when I hit you with a volleyball in 7th grade, I loved you since then. Yes, you did say hurtful things and I disliked you at one point, but it was never hatred."

"I'm so sorry for everything," he apologized once again, almost too pleadingly. "I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I promise."

She shook her head, denying his oath, "You don't need to, because I already forgave you a long time ago."

Robin smiled at her friends, "Seems we're all messed up in some ways."

Their laughter was a melody reverberating throughout the cold room and filling it with warmth.

"At least it can't get more messed up than this."

"I wish I had known you in Click's class," he admitted.

"It would've been a lot of fun making it hell for him," Gwen added, earning a playful shove from Steve.

Robin's smile grew wider.

"And if I hadn't been such a douchebag, you guys could have helped me pass the class and I'd be on my way to college right now," Steve was haunted with the knowledge that came as to what the next month would hold for him and Gwen. If he had tried hard enough in school, maybe he could have joined her in New York.

But it was too late.

"Then that means we would've never known about the Russians and I'd be slinging ice cream with other schmucks."

Steve chuckled, "It was fun while it lasted."

"If we do die, I'll see you guys on the other side," Gwen tried to sound firm, but her voice cracked in the middle.

"On the other side," Robin and Steve said at the same time.

The haven found with each other was a momentary respite. It took a few minutes for the moment to be disrupted and the door to be slammed open. In came the guard from earlier, but there were others. One of them held an authoritative stance, as if he believed himself to be above everyone. It sure didn't help that he was dressed as a doctor, which meant he'd be extremely arrogant.

"Have fun chatting with each other?" the general mocked, moving closer to Gwen, who had been avoiding looking at him. He then raised her chin with his cold finger, "No words to say?"

She hastily leaned away, "How about 'go fuck yourselves'?"

The Russian raised his hand to provide another hit, but seeing her flinch was just as gratifying. He loudly laughed and lowered himself to match her height. His malicious green eyes looked her up and down, as if studying every corner of it, "No more hits for you, because we have something that will make you talk."

He stood up to approach the door, whispering something and prompting the doctor to head to one of the trays placed earlier.

Gwen tensed at the sound of the metal clanging.

Steve did as well.

But Robin stood her ground.

The doctor acquired a silver weapon and placed a blue vial inside. Gwen was reminded of the green substance from earlier, which definitely didn't make this better at knowing how poisonous and deadly it had been.

If that substance had burned through the floor and powered the machine, this blue one could do much worse.

The general coursed past her toward Steve, pausing a couple centimeters in front, "Try telling the truth this time, yes? It will make your visit with Dr. Zharkov less painful."

The doctor was given a nod, indicating the procedure was about to start.

"Wait a second. Wait. Hold on!" Steve pleaded, flailing uncontrollably in his chair. "Okay! Wait, wait, wait! What is that thing?"

"It will help you talk," Dr. Zharkov nonchalantly said before grabbing Steve's hair and yanking his head to the side to place the needle inside his neck.

"What are you doing to him?! Let him go!" Gwen moved erratically in her chair, hoping to do something, anything, to prevent the end from occurring. His gut wrenching screams suddenly came to a stop and it was then when the doctor approached her. "Get that away from me! Stop! Please stop!" 

Nothing but screams filled the room after.

__________________

This was... strange.

For a poison, she felt very much alive.

Shouldn't she be dead by now?

Or was she dead?

Gwen glanced up at the ceiling lights, admiring their vibrancy and the way one of them was hanging loosely. She narrowed her eyes and tried shielding what she believed was the sun with her hand, but then remembered she was tied upon feeling the tight leather straps against her wrists.

She then considered if Steve had placed them there. Maybe they were grasping her for some kind of sexual pleasure. Just thinking about it brought a smile to her face as she yearned for a passionate night with him.

But alas, she was restrained.

With her cellmates still unconscious, there wasn't much to do except sing a few songs. She looked down to her legs and noticed a large purple bruise. Wondering how she obtained it, she attempted to raise it for a better look, but was astonished by how heavy it was.

"Have I always been this heavy?" she thought aloud, a sudden giggle escaping her lips.

Something was definitely off, but Gwen wasn't in the right state to care. In all honesty, she was thoroughly enjoying this odd sensation running through her veins.

Steve suddenly jolted awake and frantically looked around, "Am I dead? Is this heaven?"

Robin followed after him, eyes narrowing in confusion and mouth hanging open, "Woah, how in the world-"

"Hey! You're all awake now!" Gwen smiled widely and shuffled in her seat excitedly. "Now I don't have to talk to myself!"

Steve felt his heart skip a beat, "Robin, you see her? Right there? That's heaven."

Gwen blushed under the lights.

"Don't make me sick, dingus," Robin raised her finger that only she could see. "I thought they were gonna give us poison."

"I thought the same thing!" Gwen agreed, and tried ignoring the prickling feeling in her body. "Do you guys... feel anything?"

They paused, as if trying to sense anything abnormal.

He then responded, "I mean, I feel good."

"I do too," Robin added.

Gwen knew there was definitely something wrong. She shouldn't feel this great. If anything, she should be in pain or puking her guts out, but all she sensed was a flutter in her stomach that felt like she was about to drop down from a rollercoaster. Her eyes felt heavy, as if she hadn't slept in days, but oddly enough, she wasn't the slightest bit tired. If anything, she felt extremely energized.

She tried peering through her shoulder at them, but her neck throbbed with the slightest movement, "You guys?"

"Yeah?" both of them said.

She blinked sharply, staring ahead, "I don't think I need my neck."

A fit of laughter emerged from them.

None of them understood why since there was nothing funny about this, but it was impossible controlling their laughter.

"Wanna know a secret?" Robin giggled. "I really like this!"

"I do too!"

"Those guys are total morons," Steve commented, and both girls couldn't help but agree. "They messed up the drug!"

Gwen's lips pursed into an O-shape. If this was some kind of drug, then was she high? She had never been high before, but based on what she heard from the metalhead dealer at her old high school, it was supposed to feel as if you were on top of the world.

And she definitely did.

"Whatever they gave us, I want some to take home," her voice faded into a burst of laughter. "You morons, you messed everything up!"

"You morons can't do anything right!"

"Morons!" Robin hollered.

"Can you pack me some on a to-go bag?" Gwen laughed hysterically, but began feeling her face turning extremely warm.

There was uncertainty as to why since they weren't outdoors in the summer heat. They were inside with the temperature at about 60 degrees, so her warmth was now a strange mystery.

She turned serious, now concerned about this, "Are you guys hot?"

Steve scoffed, offended, "Of course I'm hot. Can't you see it?"

"I am too!" Robin eagerly replied.

Gwen wheezed incredibly hard that it felt like her lungs had been punctured. She leaned her head against Steve's shoulder, noticing he was burning as well. "I think we have a fire inside us because we're hot!"

Robin's loud cackling echoed throughout the room, "Now that's another plus! We feel extremely good and we're also very hot!"

They laughed much harder, but their enjoyment was disrupted once the familiar buzzer was heard and the guards from earlier along with the doctor barged in.

Gwen's eyes widened at their uniform and the way it was not well designed. Her scoops uniform was definitely way better and held the needed pop of color the Russians needed in theirs.

She then glanced to Dr. Zharkov, who was an extremely tall man with an abnormally large head that made his round glasses look even more ridiculous. His stoic expression was unnerving, because if he didn't feel anything, how would she be able to convince him to let her style him and his comrades?

"Excuse me? Mr. Clean," Gwen laughed at his resemblance to the mascot of the purpose cleaner. "Whatever you gave us, can we just have some more?"

Her eyes widened even more when seeing him place various tools onto the tray. She swallowed hard once he turned around and held a saw-like device in their direction.

"Let's try this again, yes?" the general interrupted, earning an eye roll from Gwen for having ruined the one-sided conversation with the doctor. "Who do you work for?"

"Scoops," Steve immediately said. "Scoops Ahoy."

"We all do," Gwen added, chuckling through her words at how funny it was that they worked for a freaking ice cream shop. "I just work there because I wanted to spend time with him. You know, 'cause I'm leaving for college."

Her response went unnoticed and the questioning continued, "How did you find us?"

Steve sighed, annoyed at having to repeat himself again, "Totally by accident."

The general said something in Russian to the doctor, who immediately grabbed a pair of pliers and then walked over to Steve.

"Oooh! What is that thing?"

"What is that shiny little toy?" Steve smirked, but his jolly attitude disappeared upon realizing what the pliers were for. He shuffled in his chair and yelled in a panic, "Whoa, whoa, hey! No! Wait! Wait!"

"Don't touch him! Let him go!" Gwen flailed in her chair to try to get their attention, but she was ignored just like Steve's pleas. She was uncertain on what they wanted to hear, so she settled on starting from how they got involved in this. "We heard a code! There was a code!"

The Russians exchanged a few looks, prompting the commander to stand in front of them, "What code?"

Gwen groaned in disbelief, shocked at their stupidity that surely must be fake, "Are you guys actually stupid or are you just pretending? You guys know about the code, so stop this whole charade."

Robin nodded profusely, "The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west... blah, blah, blah."

"You think you're so smart, but you idiots broadcasted that shit all over town! We easily picked it up from our Cerebro-"

"That her brother made," Robin pointed out.

She eagerly nodded, "Exactly! My 14 year old brother picked up your stupid spy shit with a homemade Cerebro!"

Robin babbled more about how they were a bunch of incompetent guards that couldn't even spy correctly, "A couple of kids, who scoop ice cream for a living, cracked your code in a day, and now, people know you're here."

The Russian's lip twitched in anger. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "Who knows we are here, suchka?"

Gwen shot him an offended look, "No need to be rude to her! Where the hell are your manners, imbecile?"

"SHUT IT!!" he yelled at her face, making her turn to the side to avoid his spit from getting all over her.

"I have two words for you," she then said. "Breath mints."

His face turned a deep shade of red and his fists tightly clenched, "Who knows we are here?!"

"Uh, well, Dustin knows," Steve calmly replied.

Oh, how much she missed her little brother.

Gwen's lips formed into a saddened pout, "Aww, little Dusty!"

"Yeah, Dustin Henderson, he knows," Steve repeated, and lazily lay his head against hers.

She looked up at the guard and nodded excitedly, "He's my little brother. You'd love him if you get to meet him. He's extremely smart, I think smarter than me, which is scary because I'm older so shouldn't I be smarter? Anyway, he has the curliest hair you'd ever see on anyone!"

"Dustin Henderson," the guard repeated, and walked back in front of Steve. "Your curly haired friend?"

She scoffed, "That's what I just said! Isn't that what I said, Steve?"

He nodded at her, "You did! You mentioned he has very curly hair. It's small though, kind of like a 'fro."

The guard seemed to have lost all patience. He shot them a glare and proceeded to ask in a louder voice, "WHERE IS HE?!"

"He's long gone, you big asshole!" Steve laughed, his shoulders jumping up and down from his uncontrollable cackling. "And he's probably calling Hopper, and Hopper's calling the US cavalry. They're gonna come in here, commando-style, guns a-blazin', and kick your sorry asses back to Russia. You're gonna be two pieces of toast."

The commander growled as he leaned down, his face mere inches from his as he stared directly into his eyes with a smirk. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," he said, ignoring his attempt to intimidate him by bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Obviously," Gwen mocked his tone and laughed hysterically. She had to admit, this was the most she laughed in quite a while.

Who would've thought it'd be thanks to the Russians?

Alarms blaring from outside and frantic yells offered a jarring interruption.

She smiled deviously at the guard, "You were saying?"

The commander headed to the door and gestured at the others to follow him. The doctor was the only one who remained, who ensured to remain in close proximity to the cart holding his beloved tools.

Gwen stared at him curiously, not finding him menacing anymore, "So, any plans for the Fourth of July?"

The doctor slammed his hands against the tray. He glared at her past his shoulder and proceeded to storm to her. He crouched to her height and leaned closer, his lips nearly grazing her ear with his whisper.

Steve and Robin stared at them, confused and slightly disturbed.

Dr. Zharkov then leaned away back to his cart.

"What did he say?" Robin asked. "That he was going to kill you if you asked any more questions?"

"Worse," Gwen took a sharp breath, staring ahead in deep thought. "He mumbled and I didn't hear it."

Steve's eyes widened.

Robin gasped.

Before any of them could say more, the door slammed wide open. Confused, they stared at the perplexing sight to then notice it was none other than Dustin freaking Henderson. He held what appeared to be a long apparatus that emitted sparks once it came in contact with Dr. Zharkov's chest.

Gwen's mouth hung open as she watched him fall to the ground with only a dark sizzling spot in the center. She wasn't exactly sure if he was breathing or not, but before being able to question his survival rate, she then noticed the two Sinclair girls running at them.

"Oh, my God! It's Daphne! It's been so long since I last saw you!" Robin excitedly said, her eyes beaming in delight while being attended to her leather straps.

"Dustin! Erica!" Gwen smiled widely. "You've grown so much!"

"Hey! Henderson!" Steve grinned at his curly haired friend, not batting an eye to the action performed. "That's crazy, I was just talking about you."

Erica ran to the door to check if there were any guards heading their way, "Hurry up, nerds! We don't have all day!"

Just when Robin was released, Daphne proceeded to unbuckle Gwen. She pumped her fists into the air once she was liberated, but her coordination was still unsteady. If it hadn't been for Dustin holding her upright, she would have fallen face down to the floor.

"I have so much to tell you," she enthusiastically said.

"And you'll tell me once we're safe and out of here," Dustin swatted her hand off his hat and acquired control of Steve. "Get ready to run."