July 4th, 1985

Underground Russian Base

"So is this like your day job or... just like a hobby?" Steve questioned the doctor who hadn't spoken a word since entering the room. The Colonel had been quick to investigate the problem that lingered in the center of the base, taking the guards that remained in the room with him, leaving us behind with the silent but threatening doctor.

The doctor's eyes narrowed behind his spectacles at the boy's question, Steve only continued to grin up at him while Robin tried to contain her laughter, she ultimately failed in the end.

Humming in response, the doctor directed his gaze back onto the pliers that were still latched onto my nail. "Don't even think about it..." I scoffed, struggling to pull my hand out of his grasp. My struggle was ignored, his grip tightening on the pliers that he clutched.

Before the doctor had the chance to rip the pliers away from my finger, his action was brought to a halt as the sudden buzz of the door alerted him of the Colonel's return. Only rather than the harsh voice of his boss hitting our ears instead, we were met by a shrill scream.

Pulling away from me and turning to face the unexpected party, the doctor and I came face to face with a screaming Dustin Henderson, who held an electroshock weapon, and an annoyed-looking Erica as she glared up at the boy.

Without a second thought, Dustin charged in the direction of the doctor, stabbing the crackling electrodes that emitted a blue glow into the center of his chest. The screaming boy had quickly fallen silent, his eyes widening as the color drained from his face before a blood-curdling scream fell from the doctors lips.

Dustin kept a tight grasp on the weapon for a few seconds before dropping it to the ground, the doctor following close behind with a dull thud. A hole the size of the electrode was left in the center of the doctor's chest, the melted plastic and embers of his lab coat still sizzled loudly in the now silent room.

"Shit..." Dustin mumbled before quickly turning to untie Steve while Erica helped release Robin. "Hey! Henderson! That's crazy, I was just talking about you." Steve's voice wavered off as he suddenly found himself freaked out by the boy's sudden appearance. "Oh my God!" Robin grinned widely as she looked over at Dustin.

Shaking his head at the two teens, shooting them a rushed but confused glance, Dustin hurried away from Steve and towards me. "Get ready to run." He instructed as he undid the straps that held me down.

Rather than questioning the younger boy on what exactly his plan was to get us out of the compound, I quickly pushed myself off of the metal table and followed close behind him and Erica as they quickly retreated to the locked door. The panicked voices of the guards still sounded far but seemed to be moving closer.

"Where are we going?" Robin whispered in my ear causing me to quickly back away in surprise. "We're getting out of here," I mumbled watching as Steve yawned before rubbing his eyes, flinching once he made contact with his bruised eye. " Come on..." I groaned, latching a hand onto both of their wrists before quickly following Dustin and Erica out of the room.

~~~

"Jesus, slow down!" Steve yelled out as the cargo car tipped to the side due to an extremely sharp turn on Dustin's part. The boy had insisted on driving after stating that he knew the way out while Erica took shotgun after having refused to sit in the back with the two teens who continued to act strange.

Gripping tightly onto the grated wall that rested behind me, I closed my eyes tightly in the hopes of fighting off the nausea that washed over me. "Yeah, what is this, like, the Indy 500?" Robin slurred as she shot a glare at the two kids that sat up front.

"It's the Indy 300." Steve corrected the girl causing me to roll my eyes. "No, dingus, it's 500!" Robin shot back, moving closer to Steve so that he could take note of the glare in her eyes. "It's 300!" He yelled at her, holding three fingers in front of her face.

Robin stayed quiet for a moment, her glare faltering before she spoke. "Let's say a million..." She concluded the argument with a wide smile before the two hunched over in laughter.

"What is wrong with them?" Erica questioned, turning around in her seat to glare at the two teens before locking eyes with me, waiting for an answer. Shrugging awkwardly I turned to look at the two who continued to laugh loudly at the lame joke. "I don't know... Maybe they're just seriously concussed?" I concluded causing Dustin to shoot an odd glance in my direction.

Turning back around in her seat, Erica let out a loud scream before tugging on the sleeve of Dustin's shirt. "Dustin, watch out!" She yelled causing Dustin to quickly refocus his gaze on the path in front of us. Only a few inches away were the metal doors of the elevator. Dustin was about to crash into our only means of escape.

"Shit!" Dustin panicked, quickly yanking the steering wheel to the side before stomping on the brakes a little too late as the front of the car collided with the wall that rested next to the elevator doors. Steve and Robin crashed onto either side of me, all three of us holding onto the side of our heads that had smacked into the metal grate behind us.

"Uh... You guys all right back there?" Dustin questioned, turning around again in his seat to shoot us an apologetic grin.

Robin and Steve only groaned in response to the boy's question, rubbing the back of their heads while I moved to the locked back door of the car. "We're fine. Can you get us out of here, please?" I called out, slamming a hand against the metal door. "Yeah, see? They're fine." Dustin mumbled to Erica before hurrying to the back of the car.

Unlatching the lock, Dustin threw open the door to stare at the two teens that rested behind me with a worried gaze before quickly shaking it off. "Come on, let's go!" He yelled at the two while I tugged on their hands in the hopes of pulling them out of their place in the car. But the two teens continued to slump against the wall behind them.

"Alright... We don't have time for this." I groaned, pushing myself out of the car before turning back around to grab onto the front of Steve's sailor uniform. "Let's go!" I groaned as I pulled him towards me. "Ow... We're coming, jeez." Steve complained, pulling my hands off his shirt once I got him out of the car. "My turn!" Robin chuckled from her place in the car earning a slight eye roll from Erica and me.

While I helped Robin out of the car, Dustin quickly approached the elevator before pulling the key card from his pocket. "Here goes nothin'..." He mumbled to himself before inserting the card into the lock, the light instantly turning from red to green and emitting a quiet beep as the doors slid apart.

Without having to utter a single word, the five of us quickly piled into the elevator; Dustin and Erica hurrying to the control panel while Robin and Steve distracted themselves with a platform cart. "Tell me you guys know what button to push?" I questioned, holding onto the shelf beside me as Erica hovered a finger over one of the buttons. "It's this one." She stated, turning to Dustin for approval.

Quickly nodding his head in response, Erica slammed her finger into the button causing the doors behind us to close and the ground beneath our feet to shake violently. Though that didn't seem to have any effect on whatever Steve and Robin were doing. "Wait! Wait! Push me!" Steve yelled at Robin who stood behind the cart while he clumsily stepped onto the platform.

While the room continued to shake around us, Steve and Robin cheered happily at whatever it was that they thought they were doing while Dustin and Erica watched the two in bewilderment.

"Hey! You look like you're surfing!" Robin yelled over the racket with a wide grin. "Surfing! Yeah!" Steve agreed as he held his arms out in an attempt to balance himself.

Having had enough with the two, Erica carefully walked along the wall until she was beside me. "They seem drunk." She stated with her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would they be drunk?" I tried to blow off the idea but couldn't seem to construct one of my own. And it didn't help that Steve decided to yell out, "I'm a natural!" Before falling off of the cart and crashing into a pile of boxes placed next to a worried Dustin.

"Wipeout!" Robin yelled, the two continuing to laugh at what had just happened while Dustin kneeled next to Steve, quickly placing a hand on his forehead. "He's burning up." He stated while Dustin pushed his hand away. "You're burning up..." Steve mumbled, continuing to fight the boy as he tried to pry open his eyelids. "No... Ow!" Steve yelled once Dustin finally got his eye open.

"His pupils are super dilated." Dustin informed us with a frown. "Maybe he's drugged?" Erica questioned. Nodding in agreement, Dustin turned to face Steve once again only to earn a tap on the nose, Steve muttering a "Boop!"

Pushing his hand away, Dustin quickly questioned him. "Steve, are you drugged?"

"How many times, Dad? I don't do drugs. It's only marijuana." Steve scoffed before booping Dustin on the nose once again.

I wasn't able to suppress my laughter at Steve's words and actions, causing Dustin's head to snap in my direction. "This isn't funny! We need to know what they did to them." He called out, his frown deepening. "What do you want me to say? Maybe they got drugged?" I groaned, before rubbing my temples. "You were there, so yeah." Dustin scoffed.

"They knocked me out. How am I supposed to know what they got drugged with or even how much?" I stated, unable to control the annoyance that dripped from my tone. "Snitch!" Steve shouted, pointing a finger in my direction. Rolling my eyes, I carefully approached the two before sitting beside Steve.

"He could die on us." Dustin's words made my blood run cold while Steve laughed it off, turning to boop me on the nose, I quickly clutched his hand in my own after the action.

Robin's soft laughter quickly reminded us of the second drugged teen as she sat in the corner of the elevator while playing with two locks of her hair. "We all die, my strange little child friend. It's just a matter of how... and when." She spoke as if she was in a trance, her words spiking Dustin's fear.

"They're gonna be looking for us up there, so I need you to tell me where you parked your car." Dustin quickly turned to Steve whose eyes widened at the reminder of where we were. "Oh, can we make a pit stop at the food court?" He questioned, earning Robin's attention. "I would kill for a hot dog on a stick." She groaned in agreement.

Nodding his head in agreement, Dustin entertained the request. "All right. Yeah, food. Yes, you can have as much food as you want," He mumbled, earning a cheer from the two. "But only if you tell me where your car is parked."

"Uh-oh..." Steve mumbled, turning to me with wide eyes. "Uh-oh?" I questioned in confusion. "The car's off the board." He informed us with a small frown. "What?" Dustin questioned while Steve flipped his pockets inside-out. "They took the keys. The Russians took the keys. Like, forever ago..."

Robin continued to laugh in the background while Steve looked up a Dustin with a small grin. "That's a bummer, right?"