"The way he looks at her. Like she's the most important thing in the world to him." "I think she is."
Experiment X - that's was she was known as. A dangerous weapon that belonged to a lab in the Soviet Union. An assassin. A spy.
A seventeen year old...
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- ELUCIDATION -
IT SEEMED LIKE Dustin was just leading the group to nowhere. His compass was flickering like crazy and they'd been out all day. It was actually growing dark as they all still chased after Dustin through the woods.
"Dustin? Can you slow down?" Eddie whined.
"I think we're getting close!" Dustin called back to them as he stopped in front of lovers lake.
"You gotta be shitting me." Steve groaned.
"Lovers lake." Robin observed.
"This is confounding." Dustin whispered.
"There's a gate in lovers lake?" Max questioned.
"Whenever the demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening. Maybe Vecna's the same way." Nancy said.
"Yeah, only one way to find out." Steve sighed, looking at the rowing boat that had been moored besides them. Eddie pulled the tarp off of it and him and Steve pushed it out a little.
"I'm just gonna do this." Robin said, placing her hands on the boys' heads for leverage as she climbed into the boat, then followed by Eddie. Irina stepped forwards next, but Steve grabbed her arm.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you think you're doing?" He asked.
"Getting into the boat." Irina replied as if it was obvious, since she did have a foot in the boat.
"Uh, I don't think so. Vecna already tried to get you once, and I'm not about to give him the perfect chance to try again." Steve told her.
"Steve, I'm the one that is cursed. I'm not going to stand around and wait for everybody else to... uncurse me. I have to help." She said and climbed the rest of the way into the boat. Steve sighed and looked over to Robin for back up but she just shrugged. Nancy climbed in after Irina and Dustin tried to follow.
"Whoa, are you trying to sink us, man?" Eddie asked. "This thing holds four people tops, okay?"
"It's better this way. You guys stay here and keep and eye out for trouble." Nancy said.
"You keep and eye out." Dustin exclaimed. "It's my goddamn theory!"
"You heard Nance." Robin said.
"Who put her in charge?!" Dustin questioned.
"I did." Robin smirked and Dustin reluctantly handed the compass over to Nancy. Steve began pushing the boat out before he hopped in it too.
"You said four!" Dustin shouted.
"Sorry." Steve shrugged.
"Bed time at 9, kiddos!" Robin yelled as they rowed further and further away. "Miss you already!"
***
There was very little light in the boat. Just a torch. And that wasn't providing much vision in the middle of a pitch black lake. It didn't provide much security for the group either, knowing that there's a gate below them somewhere.
"Wait, wait, guys, slow down." Nancy ordered as the compass began swivelling rapidly. Robin and Eddie stopped rowing and turned to look at the compass too.
"What's going on, guys?" Dustin's voice came through the walkie.
"Your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital ahhhh." Robin hesitated as Steve began taking his shoes and socks off.
"Steve, what're you doing, babe?" Irina asked.
"Someone's gotta go down there and check this thing out. And unless one of you guys can top being a Hawkins High swim captain and a certified life-guard with three years then it's gotta be me." Steve told them. Irina was about to open her mouth and protest but Steve saw and beat her to it. "No complaints, alright?" She was about to open her mouth again but Steve just repeated himself. "Alright?"
"Fine." Irina huffed. "But when you're down there don't do anything more stupid that going down there in the first place, okay? Please." She pleaded.
"I'll try." Steve smiled at her.
"Well I'm not complaining. I do not wanna go down there." Eddie said, getting a plastic bag out of his pocket to wrap around the torch for Steve, who pulled his shirt off and took the torch. He turned back to Irina, who he knew would be staring at his chest, and smirked at her.
"Caught you." He chuckled, referring to their challenge of him to being sneaky enough to stare at her chest without being caught, only this time it was the other way around.
"Shut up." She blushed. "And be careful."
"Hey, good luck, man." Eddie said to Steve.
"Thanks." Steve said before letting out a deep breath and diving in. Irina was straight to the edge of the boat to watch him and bounced her leg nervously. Steve wasn't there to place his hand on her thigh to calm her down because he was underwater heading straight towards a gate to the upside down.
"How long has he been down there?" She asked, beginning to panic.
"Almost a minute." Nancy responded.
"If he's not up in twenty seconds I'm going in too." She whispered.
Just then, Steve's head burst out of the water with a loud splash, startling everyone in the boat.
"I found it." He said and gripped the side of the boat. Irina placed her hand on top of his wet hand while Robin informed Dustin through the walkie.
"It's pretty wild." Steve said. "It is more of a snack-sized gate than the momma gate, but still, it's pretty damn big." He told them but just then his head dunked back under, but it quickly re-emerged.
"Steve?" Irina questioned the confused look on his face. He looked up at her before he was dragged down again, this time not re-emerging. "Steve!" Irina exclaimed. The rest of them screamed too but Irina waisted no time pulling off her sweatshirt and baggy t-shirt - which would slow her down - leaving her in her jeans, sneakers and bra.
"You're not going in there, are you?!" Eddie questioned.
"Just wait here." She said before diving into the water and swimming down.
"Shit." Robin cursed. "Shit!"
Both Robin and Nancy were next up from their seats and pushing their hair out of the face, taking deep breaths before going in after Irina.
"Ah! This is so stupid, this is so stupid, this is so stupid!" Eddie groaned before forcing himself into the water too.
