𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗 - knockout!

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 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 change. It was the same stretch of space, the same monotonous walls and the same creaking pipes trailing to and fro. Even after twenty minutes of walking... nothing changed at all. Their legs ached, and their feet felt as though they'd done the Irish Jig atop a rug made of splintered glass.

 Scarlet could feel her stomach rumble, she could see the painfully sluggish pace that Robin had fallen to behind her — even with the longest legs, the poor teenager was simply too spent to keep up.

 Steve tried his best to keep himself at the head of the group, to plaster a look of nonchalance on his face, but it hadn't worked. Scarlet had spied the wary glances he tossed around, the way his back and shoulders tightened with every echoing creak from the pipes and machinery... He was tired, and he was terrified.

 It took them all another ten minutes of whining beneath their breath and cringing at every little patter their shoes made until finally, something did change. It should have brought some form of solace to find something diverse, to escape the seemingly endless tunnel that had their hopes of freedom sizzling away with each second, but it didn't. 

 Scarlet only felt her stomach constrict as though a coiling snake had twirled around her body. Lights finally shone their way, the sound of hammering steps scampered back and forth and the drone of active machines hummed in their ears like a swarm of bees.

 Scarlet and Steve paused immediately, their backs falling against the wall as their arms stretched out, preventing their company from proceeding further. They spared a single glance between one another, and with that, Scarlet steeled herself.

 With a slow and cautious movement, she peered around the corner of the wall that had finally come to an end. Flashing lights gleamed, Russians dressed in murky green paced across the pristine floor — each of them carried a gun strapped across their back.

 She waited a moment, and once the coast was moderately clear, Scarlet ushered them forth, behind the cover of forgotten crates and barrels; they all crouched, adding further pressure to the ankles that were already protesting their weight.

 "Okay," Breathed Robin, a certain shakiness to her voice, "That was close."

 Dustin nodded, swallowing harshly, "Too close."

 Scarlet couldn't tear her eyes away front he scene before her, nor her ears away from the sound of thudding footfall. The Russians were just metres away, each one with gleaming weapons that would be sure to find targets within herself, and her friends. She had to think.

 "Just — Just stay calm, okay?" It was a stupid — meaningless — thing to say, for even Scarlet herself couldn't calm her shaking hands and furious breathing. There were over a dozen Russians perusing the floor, some in lab coats that were so very white and so very familiar that she felt her stomach twist.

 There was a light tap on her arm, Erica.

 The young girl's brows had curled together, her eyes trained on the room swarmed with people who would kill them on sight. But she'd seen something. In the mad scramble to cower behind crates, she'd seen the very thing they needed, "I saw it." She muttered, "First floor, northwest."

 "Saw what?" Steve asked.

 "The comms room."

 "You saw the comms room?"

 "Jesus, are you a parrot?" Erica hissed, her dangling beads clinking together, "Yes. The comms room." She jutted her chin, and all eyes followed her line of sight, "The door was open for a second. I saw a bunch of lights and machines and shit."

 Steve and Dustin immediately shot her down. They exclaimed that she could have seen anything, that she had probably imagined it. Of course, Erica struggled to stop herself from wrangling both their necks... she knew what she had seen.

 Scarlet said nothing, her eyes remaining fixated on the very room Erica had pointed out. The door was made of gleaming metal, much like the rest of the damned place, so there was absolutely no way to see through, no way to take a peek. But what else did they have?

 They couldn't wander and search for a room to hide away within. They couldn't just take their time. They couldn't turn tail and head back to the elevator — they'd been lucky enough not to get caught already.

 So, if all they had was a potential safety net spied by a ten-year-old... then they'd have to take that chance.

 Scarlet nodded, unaware of the eyes on her back. They'd gone silent behind her, waiting with bated breath to see what she thought; Steve and Dustin knew that her decision would be the one they followed. They trusted her, and they knew that if things truly went awry... she'd be their only chance of survival.

 "It's the best we have."

 Steve knew she'd say it. He knew she'd take the only glimmer of hope they had, and yet he still couldn't scramble to bite his tongue, "Seriously? We don't even know if it actually is a comms room!"

 There was a surge of pain as Scarlet clamped her teeth together, "What do you suggest then?" Scarlet knew there was no use in giving into the terror within her, for all that would manifest was nothing but pure anger... but as she looked at her group, the youthful faces of two kids looking to her for answers. Robin, who was still entirely in the dark about everything...

 "Shall we wait here?" She added, unable to stop, "Shall we go back to the elevator? Should we just — I don't know — hop out and give ourselves over, Steve?" His face had fallen, and guilt already doused the fire within her gut while her eyes stooped to the ground, "Look, I don't know what else we can do."

 Steve wanted to argue, he always did but what was there to say? It felt like the tunnels around him were no longer made of metal and pipes, but rather vines and spores. This was the same fight they'd had before; they both wanted to save those around them, yet neither could agree with the other's method.

 Only this time, Steve didn't have a plan of his own.

 So he relented. His chin dropped, hair falling to his eyes, "Yeah, right, right. Okay, comms room, then. Let's go."

 Steve took a moment, swallowing a hearty breath that chilled his throat. He could feel the slight buzz of adrenaline cover his skin like a sheen of sweat, coating his shoulders like a blanket. His fingers shook, yet still he patted Dustin's shoulder, eyes moving to Erica. He had to make sure that they were okay first, "We're gonna move fast, and we're gonna stay low, okay?"

 There was a sea of bobbing heads, each one firm and eager to conceal any trace of fear. It was good enough for Scarlet and Steve. A beat passed and finally, there was a small path laid before them; clear and somewhat concealed from any wandering eyes. Scarlet took the first step, hastily weaving across the floor and towards the safety of yet another crate.

 They repeated the action time and time again, hastily scuttling across the floor like a gaggle of cockroaches. They never allowed themselves out of the safety of cover for more than a few seconds... if they were spotted, even for a beat, they'd be forced to rely on Scarlet — but could she take down an entire army?

 They had a close call when Dustin stumbled over his own foot, his shoelace tumbling free and slivering across the ground like a hungry little snake; Steve had seized his arm, dragging him to the cold ground. He'd find a bruise on his ribs, but at least they'd be free from bullet holes.

 Scarlet's heart was in her throat when the door was just an arm's length away. They had to wait for somebody to slip through and they'd have to run before the door sealed shut once more. It was torture to watch as people passed by, heavy guns weighing their hands down. Just one peek and it would have been over.

 But finally, the door cracked open and a man dressed in white trailed onwards, his eyes fixated ahead. Steve took the moment in an iron grip; without thinking, his sneakers drew him to the door, fingers clamping around the very edge, his other hand waving wildly, ushering his companions through.

 The door locked behind them with a click.

 They hadn't even the chance to catch their faltering breaths, for the moment Scarlet had peered upwards, hoping to catch sight of a panel of buttons and flashing lights... she met the eyes of a Russian.

 There was a pause. The air was warm, tightening around them like a coiling rope. The Russian removed his headphones, settling them down ever so slowly, eyes never moving from Scarlets.

 Then, his hand inched towards the gun holstered at his leg and surprisingly, Steve Harrington was the one to jump into action. Gangly legs sprinted forth, twitching fingers outstretched as he barreled forth. His shoulder was sent into the man's side.

 The Russian groaned, his arm throbbing, and yet still he swung his tightened fists. Steve had clearly learnt his lesson from Billy Hargrove's ruthless assault, for the teenager ducked and dodged, feet moving in time as he backed away, sure to keep as far as he possibly could from the group behind him.

 Scarlet had frozen, watching with wide eyes as a punch finally collided with Steve's cheek. Blood and saliva slipped from his lips and still, he surged his arms forth, pushing the Russian man far enough away so that he could hop to his unsteady feet once more.

 Pink fingers curled around a phone upon the comms table. Steve swung as hard as he could, wincing as the muscle in his arm was pulled painfully taut. The phone connected with the Russian man's cheek and he slipped to the ground in a pile of limbs.

 They waited. It was entirely silent.

 He was out cold. Steve had done it.

 Scarlet couldn't quite smother the elation within her gut as Steve tossed his head skywards, fingers trailing through sweaty hair as he willed it away from his flustered features. He grinned, catching her eye. There was a buzz as she laughed.

 "Dude!" Dustin cried, the gap in his teeth on full display as he practically hopped through the air, "You did it! You won a fight!"

 Scarlet stepped forwards, her hand moving to cup his cheek without a single thought running through her mind. Brows furrowed upon the sight of the gleaming bruise he'd received, still, he looked as pretty as ever as she smiled, "You were great."

 The bob at his throat was easy to spy, as was the heat radiating from his blistering cheeks, "Thanks."

 Her hand lingered there for a moment longer, feeling as though she'd been suddenly struck with a blow to the chest. She spied his flushed cheeks, his eyes that were blown wide, flickering to her lips... Then Erica cleared her throat.

 "Yeah, yeah!" She huffed, hands planted on her hips, all weight leaning upon a single cocked leg, "He's your knight in shining armour, we get it! So if you're gonna kiss him, do it quickly 'cause we need a plan."

 Scarlet blinked. Then, for just a moment, she let those feelings blossom. They crawled from beneath the dirt as though searching for streams of sunlight, utterly delighted that she didn't bury them with another pound of soil. Her lips pecked his cheek, sure to avoid his marred skin.

 "Thank you, Stevie."

 Steve was done for. He was certain his heart had lept from his chest and scurried away. Hell, he couldn't even tell if he was breathing at all. Was he? He choked, stuffing air into his lungs as Scarlet turned her back, trailing towards Robin who looked like the cat who got the cream.

 He shook his head, ignored the pounding at the base of his skull, and grinned to himself. A kiss on the cheek, that wasn't very 'best friends' of them, was it? Or... was it? He almost deflated, until Dustin pierced through the silence.

 He'd rushed towards the guard, sliding to his knees whilst his fingers rummaged through pockets. A little invasive, but this was Dustin Henderson. He wouldn't know personal space or boundaries if they throttled him. He rose his arm in the air, a keycard pinched between two fingers, "I have a plan, this will be our ticket out of here!"

 Erica's brows met her hairline, judgement smothering her tone like butter over toast, "You want to walk all the way back?"

 A sarcastic smile hung on his lips, "Well," He chimed, his voice shrill like a whistle, "We can hang out for a little bit? Relax? Have a little picnic, huh?"

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

 It always seemed to go this way. The group Scarlet had found herself trapped within a Russian underground base with all posessed very strong personalities. Nobody liked to be wrong, and they all wanted to leave as fast as they possibly could... but the bickering was grating. Their moods were slipping and it was becoming more and more intolerable as time slipped through their fingers.

 Scarlet could feel her gaze cloud over, her shoulders slump as their voices continued to assault one another. A nudge broke her free. Robin had trailed to her side, eyes fixated on something... on a light streaming into the room. It was pale blue, and as Scarlet focused, she could hear buzzing, crackling... as though electricity was tickling her skin.

 They shared a look, promptly notifying their companions. They were dutifully ignored as Steve did his utmost to silence the bickering children like an old crone.

 Scarlet and Robin chased the light, tentative footsteps carrying the duo up a staircase and towards a thin corridor. The light grew brighter, searing their skin and alighting their iris'. At the very top of the staircase was a plain old door. It was made of metal, glistening as light rained down upon it... and through the little window, the duo spied the source.

 There were men swamped in labcoats all sat at another desk smothered in lights, buttons and documents... but just ahead, through a screen of glass was something neither of the two had ever seen before, something they couldn't quite comprehend. A massive machine, and a tear in the wall just before it. The scar looked as though it was laced together with thick vines, each one squirming like worms amidst the rain.

 Scarlet's eyes never left as she called for their companions once more, satisfied enough when their footsteps soon echoed behind her.

 The warmth of breath tickled her neck, fingers lightly curled around her arm, "No way..." Steve breathed.

 The machine was gigantic and streams of electricity and jolts of pale-blue light seared from the very end, colliding with the wall it faced. There was a crack. A dull red glow emitted from within, a low buzz echoing as though fruit flies had spied rotten fruit. Scarlet felt something trail her spine, something slip into her mind.

 There was that chime again; the sound of a grandfather clock clawing at her ears... and there was a chill unlike anything she'd felt before. The hairs on her neck stood at attention. This was... Scarlet swallowed.

 It was a gate. She was certain.

 It wasn't some weapon, some stupid gun or bomb like they'd been guessing. No. The Russians had been building a key to unlock their way into the upsidedown.

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14-03-2020

edited version: 24/10/2022

:･ﾟ★ oop? a little peck on the cheek? i've literally got like... nine chapters left to rewrite and that is it! keep sending love my way, i need it! pushing through these last few chaps is a CHORE

don't forget to let me know what you think; and remember that i now require a particular number of comments and feedback before i consider releasing the next part (this is just to ensure people remain engaged and supportive, as well as to allow me to see what you all enjoyed most!), and please do NOT leave comments telling me to update; they'll be ignored and you'll be muted, much love <3