Madison's legs ache every step, it felt like they were walking for hours. She would rather be at home with Max, talking about her day, while listening to Billy's loud music in the next room.

"I mean, you have to admit, as a feat of engineering alone, this is impressive," Dustin said, his voice laced with awe.

Madison let out a scoff, the sound escaping her mouth

"Impressive?" She repeated, her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Steve faced the young boy, his brows furrowing. "What are you talking about? It's a total fire hazard. There are no stairs, there's no exit, there's just an elevator that drops you halfway to hell."

Erica rolled her eyes and looked around the chaotic structure of the base.

"They're Commies." She muttered. "You don't pay people, they cut corners."

Robin nodded, and she glanced around the base as well. "To be fair to our Russian comrades, I don't think this tunnel was designed for walking. Think about it, they developed the perfect system for transporting that cargo."

Dustin raised an eyebrow. "So It comes into the mall like any old delivery? His voice is toned with curiosity.

Robin nodded once again in agreement. "And then they load it onto those trucks and nobody's the wiser."

Steve's brow furrowed once again. " You think they built this whole mall so they could transport that green poison?"

Dustin shook his head, a slight smile tugged on the corner of his lips, clearly amused. "I very seriously doubt it's something as boring as poison. It's got to be much more valuable, like Promethium or something."

Steve blinked; his face scrunched up in confusion as he stared at Dustin. " What the hell is Promethium?"

"Read a DC comic, you'll understand," Madison said, swinging her arms side to side, not being able to put it into words to explain Promethium in a way Steve would understand.

Robin raised an eyebrow at her, a slight smirk formed on her face. "It's what Victor Stone's dad used to make Cyborg bionic and cybernetic components,"

Madison points to Robin, her eye lighting up as she backed her up " Exactly"

Dustin's jaw practically hit the floor as he stared at Madison and Robin, his wide eyes bouncing between the two of them. "I didn't know you read comics."

Madison offered a slight smile, her gaze softening. She ended up shrugging. "Max, mostly, she loves Wonder Woman."

Érica grabbed onto her stomach, dramatically. Her face scrunching up like she was in actual pain. "You're all so nerdy, it makes me physically ill."

Steve shook his head, clearly offended, he pointed a finger at Erica. " No, no, no. No, don't lump us in with them. I'm not a nerd and neither is Maddie"

Robin smirked, tilting her head a bit as she delivered her comeback. "Why are you so sensitive Harrington? Afraid of losing cool points to a ten-year-old."

Steve raised his hands defensively, he shot a look at Robin "No, I'm just saying I don't know jack shit about Prometheus."

Dustin threw his hands up, in belief, his face full of pity as he turned to Steve "Promethium. Prometheus is a Greek mythological figure, but whatever."

Madison pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out an exhale as Steve and Dustin started to bicker. "Can we get back on topic?"

Dustin focuses his attention on the dimly lit path ahead, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considers the situation. "All I'm saying is, it's probably being used to make something."

Robin's eyes narrowed as well as she took in his words.

"Or power something,"

Dustin's eyes widened slightly as he proceeded with Robin's theory, his mind racing with possibilities. He tilted his head, and a look of realization crept on his face. "Like a nuclear weapon?"

Robin nodded, her expression turning more serious

"Totally,"

"We're walking toward a nuclear weapon. That's great. That'd be great." Steve muttered sarcastically

Robin continued to walk with the rest of the group explaining her thoughts

"But if they're building something, why here? I mean, Hawkins. Seriously. Of all places. At the very best, we're a toilet stop on your way to Disneyland, but maybe that's it."

"Maybe it's our very..."

Dustin and Steve stood frozen for a moment. He glanced at Steve, then back at the base.

"You think the Russians know?" Dustin lowered his voice

Steve's voice cut in, confused. "About the?"

Dustin just nodded. "They could," he muttered

Steve's face shifted to more confusion "So, it's connected,"

Dustin stood with his hands on his hips. "Maybe"

Steve turned to Dustin, his expression serious "How?"

"I don't know, but it's...Possible." The two said in unison

Robin, Erica, and Madison stop walking, noticing the two were behind. Robin had a raised eyebrow, she raised her voice in a teasing tone. "I'm sorry, is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

As Dustin was about to say a word, there was static, they looked at Érica's bag as a man started speaking in Russian on her radio.

"Walkie"

They rushed to Érica to get the radio. The Russian man didn't stop, it sounded like a loop. Robin's eyes widened, as she proceeded with what she was hearing. "A trip to China sounds nice. If you tread lightly. It's the code."

Dustin's eyes lit up with a spark of realization as he connected the dots. "Wherever that broadcast is coming from."

Robin nodded, her face turning serious, "It's close."And if there's one thing, we know about that signal."

Robin's eyes flicked upwards, "It can reach the surface," she muttered

Robin smiled, her confidence rising as she looked at Dustin "Let's go."
————————————————-

Steve glanced at the group, his instincts kicking into overdrive. "Okay, clear. Clear, come on, let's go."

Robin let out a shaky breath. "Okay, that was close,"

Dustin muttered under his breath. "Way too close,"

Steve kept his pace steady, trying to reassure the group, "Relax. All right? Relax. Nobody saw...."

The sight of armed men in green and red suits sent chills down their spines. Steve quickly motioned the group to stop, his breath catching in his throat. Steve looked around just to hear the guards echo through the corridor. They saw the woman and men in lab coats, The group crouched down low behind the storage box, their backs pressed against the cold metal. Madison grabbed onto Steve's arm, he felt a slight jolt from her grip but it served as a reminder that he wasn't alone in this. His eyes met hers for a second, fully aware of how they almost got caught.

" Jesus," Steve muttered.

Dustin's eyes widened as he peeked at the end of the storage box,  "Red Dawn,"

Erica's voice is barely audible, her eyes scanning the scene. "I saw it. First floor, northwest."

He felt a subtle squeeze from Madison's fingertips.

Steve's brows furrowed, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "Saw what?"

Erica shot Steve a sharp look, her patience was running thin. "The comms room."

Steve's eyes widened as he proceeded with Erica's words. "You saw the comms room."

Erica nodded, her expression staying serious. "Correct,"

Dustin's brows furrowed, his voice was low but urgent. "Are you sure?"

Erica nods again, more defensive. "Positive. "The door was open for a second, and I saw a bunch of lights and machines and shit in there."

Dustin threw his hand up, his voice hushed. "That could be a hundred different things,"

Robin turned to Dustin and Erica. "I'll take those odds"

Steve shook his head and sighed. Madison took her hand off his arm. He glanced at the others and motioned the others to follow, his voice was low. "All right. We're going to move fast; we're going to stay low."

The four replied Okay.

Steve went out first as the other followed, trying to keep a low profile. They take cover under large containers, waiting for some Russian shoulders to pass. The five exit their new spot and make their way across the Comms room. A Russian scientist exited the room, and Steve motioned the rest inside.

He holds the door and shuts it. A Russian soldier spots them, red-handed. He took off his headphones and stood up bewildered. The soldier's hand inched towards his gun. Robin stepped forward, holding her hands in surrender, spilling out Russian from her mouth. "Tread lightly!"

The Russian guard looked at her confused
"Who are you?"

Robin's hands flicked through her back, mimicking the motion of a cat's tail, in an exaggerated way."Silver cat... Silver cat."

"China?"

He reaches for the gun again until Steve yells and charges at him.

Steve pushes the Russian Guard off the table, but he fights back. The guard swung at him but missed. He proceeds to grab his collar and throw him. Steve lands on his stomach, and as the guard is about to beat him, he elbows him in the gut. Before the guard can return to his normal activities, Steve grabs onto a microphone and swings it, hitting the guard's head, making him pass out.

He got up and ran his hands through his messy hair. Dustin's eyes were wide with awe. He couldn't help himself; his voice was a little too loud. "Dude! You did it! You won a fight!"

Steve stood there, still processing the rush of what happened. His chest is heaving with adrenaline. His hands were still clenched into a fist, and the tension in his body started to ease. He let out a slow breath, trying to mask the disbelief with a chuckle, "Jeez"

Madison stood frozen for a moment, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. She had expected chaos, like last year in the Byers House, maybe him getting unconscious again. But seeing the shoulder on the floor, crumpled up on the floor completely knocked out left her in admiration. She let out a slow breath trying to process that Steve Harrington just took down a Russian guard like it was nothing. Her heart skipped a beat, and before she could stop herself a smirk spread across her face.

That was kinda hot

There was something about the way Steve handled the whole thing, so confidently, it just made her pulse quicken. "Oh My God, you did it" she finally managed to say, her voice full of genuine awe.

Erica narrowed her eyes at Dustin as he bent down to grab something "What are you doing?"

Dustin fingers dart to the guard's belt, where a key card dangled from a clip. As he unclipped the card, a grin spread on his face, the small piece of plastic reflecting on the dim light. "Getting us our ticket out of here. " he declared like he won a prize.

Erica raised an eyebrow, Her tone was full of disbelief.

"You want to walk all the way back?".

Dustin just shrugged, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "Well, we can hang out for a little bit, relax, have a picnic maybe,"

Erica rolled her eyes, and she let out a scoff. "Have a picnic? We came here for the radio.".

Dustin smirked, his hands on his hips as he gestured towards Steve, who still looked a little dazed.

"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..."

Robin stood on the narrow staircase; she squinted at the dim light in the distance. She tilted her head slightly, her brows furrowing in co.

"I think there's something up there."

As the four go up the stairs, Robin ducks down and motions the rest. They walk to the window, looking through what seems to be The Control Room. Two scientists are sitting down while the others take notes. The men in hazmat suits are working on a laser.

They carry the green liquid into the laser, and it turns on. The beam is aiming straight at the gate. Steve, Dustin, and Madison are completely speechless.

A/N: Hwy yall it's my bday - so I'm turning 21. Whoop, whoop shots time.