Ah sorry for the longggg hiatus life happened very hard lmao we all know that anyway I will finish this smh I've had the last chapter written for well over a year or two now so I just gotta get there!
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Natalie gulped feeling her hands slick with sweat. This was now or never honestly and she had a nasty pull in her gut that things were somehow going to go wrong.
"C'mon," Jim said, his voice thick with what one could only assume was determination laced with some fear.
Natalie nodded, trailing behind him and Joyce as they lead the way towards the room to turn off the gate. She blinked as they rounded the corner. Suddenly aware of the alarms the had started to go off around them, bathing the steel walls in red light.
"Damn it, get over here," Jim hissed as he lightly grabbed Natalies arm and pulled her up by him and Joyce as they jogged through the corridors passing numerous soldiers.
"Just try and stay calm," Joyce added, huffing loudly as her eyes danced between Natalie and the soldiers racing by them.
"I am calm," Natalie replied quietly but quickly came to a sharp stop when she came face to face with a large Russian soldier blocking the door to the key.
The Russian solider narrowed his eyes taking in all three of them before speaking rather harshly.
The three of them glanced at each other before nodding and pressing their lips into a thin line.
Natalie held her breath, her grip tight on the back of Jim's shirt as the Russian guy said something to them again and chuckling before letting them through the door. "That was way too close," she hissed, eyes darting back to the door as it shut behind them.
"I know," Jim said with a heavy sigh and all three of them quickly made their way towards the lock box. All they needed was the code to get in and this would all be over...hopefully.
Jim pulled out his walkie and pressed the sides with his fingers, eyebrows furrowed with concentration, "okay what's the code, Murray."
"It's Planck's Constant which is..." Murray trailed off, the walkie now crackling with static.
"Is what?" Jim growled in the mike, "Planck's Constant is what!"
"I don't know!" Murray hissed into the walkie, clearly sounding stressed, "I can't remember the damn thing."
"Oh my gosh," Natalie said incredulously, slapping her hands down against her sides in frustration, "this is how we're gonna die cause you could remember a damn number, Murray!"
"I don't do well under pressure!" Murray retorted.
Joyce yanked the walkie over to her, brown gaze shifting between Jim and Natalie, "okay, Murray, try and think okay?"
"Okay, okay," Murray took a deep breath, "49 uh 3?" He took a deep breath, "I don't know it."
Jim yanked the walkie back towards him, a nervous sweat starting to slick his forehead, "does anyone else know Planck's Constant?"
There was a brief static over the line till Dustin's voice chimed in, "Suzie does."
"You've got to be kidding me," Jim snapped, now massaging the bridge of his nose.
"Just give me a second," Dustin said quickly, his voice squeaky with nerves.
"Your imaginary girl friend is not going to help us!" Jim shot back.
"I think Suzie is real," Natalie cut in quickly, roughly elbowing Jim I'm his arm, "go ahead and get her on the like, Dustin."
"Thank you, Natalie, see guys why can't you be more like her? All she ever is-"
"Dustin!" Jim harshly hissed, "get your damn girlfriend on the line right now, we're running out of time!"
"Fine! Let me just," he grumbled and the line crackled before another voice came on.
"Dusty bun?" Suzie's voice rang clear over the line.
A chorus of snickers quickly sounded and you glanced up at Joyce and Jim to see they both were holding a chuckle.
"Suzie poo," Dustin said, his voice tense, "can you do me a favor? I really need to know Planck's Constant."
"Planck's Constant?" Suzie echoed over the line, "you already know that, silly. I want to know why you haven't called me in a week, and then at almost midnight you call me asking about Planck's Constant?"
"Yes and I'm sorry, but I really really need that number!" Dustin said, urgency heavy in his voice.
"Alright," Suzie began with a sigh, "I'll give you the number as long as you sing our song with me."
"Ah, okay fine, yes," Dustin hesitated before taking a deep breath.
Natalie's eyes widened in almost shock as they both started to sing. She shared a bewildered look with Jim and Joyce.
"The hell is this?" Jim whispered, rolling his eyes as he Suzie and Dustin harmonized.
"I think it's cute," Joyce added, bringing her hand up to her mouth the cover her chuckle.
"It's something," Natalie added with a small laugh.
Once they ended their song there was a brief silence before Suzie sighed, "thanks Dusty poo and Planck's Constant is-"
Jim raced over to the keypad, breath baited as his pointer finger hovered over the buttons.
"- 6.62607004," Suzie finished.
The light on the keypad blinked green and the metal doors creaked open. A feeling of relief flooded over Natalie as she side stepped Jim to look into the door.
"We got it, thanks," Jim said, glancing towards the door.
"Who's that?" Suzie interjected quickly
"Uh, nobody! I've gotta go! Bye I'll call you later!" Dustin quickly said before disconnecting her from the line.
Natalie blinked as Joyce and Jim came to a stop next to her. There inside of the door past the lab was the gate. Just like the one before. A sense of dread sat in her stomach like lead as she watched the gate pulse with a deep humming sound. She could only hope that this would be finally over when they closed this gate.
YOU ARE READING
Smoke -- Jim Hopper
Hayran Kurgu"Jim," Natalie whispered as she clung to his jacket. Specks of who knows what floated around them as they walked deeper into the upside down. She tugged again on his jacket, "Jim." Jim Hopper wrapped a heavy arm around Natalie and pulled her close...
