𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐭

xviii. SIXTEEN-BIT.

     

     THE van parked and they all got out of the van, their driver stretching and groaning. "I can't feel my butt. Can't feel my butt. Can you guys feel your butts?" He asked as he now follows Jonathan, Mike and Will. "I can feel my butt." The youngest Byers replies as Charles just scrunched up his face.

"Everyone needs to be on their best behavior, okay?" Jonathan asked, looking directly at Argyle and Charles way in the back. "Okay. Why are you looking at me when you say that?" Argyle chuckles as Charles wonders the same, furrowing his brows. "I--I didn't." The oldest Byers denies. "They're just really religious." Mike glanced back. "Yeah, and I'm, like, super spiritual, dude." Argyle says.

"Yeah, I think they're spiritual too." Mike said as they all stand together at the front door, glancing back. "Just in a different way." He says before turning back and knocking on the door. The door swung open to a little boy in shorts shorts, paint all over his face and body with a bow and arrow in hand. "Oh, hey. Is Suzie here?" Mike asked and the boy shireks, shooting his arrow straight at Mike's head.

Charles smirks, trying to hold in a laugh as Mike pulls off the suction cup arrow before entering the home. To their left was two kids on top of a table, sword fighting. They walk through the room as the two children shout at one another. Charles walks closer to Will, grabbing his arm as Argyle spoke, "this is my kind of party." They enter the next room where a girl falls to the ground, shouting for help.

She starts shaking her body dramatically as a boy came up to her with a camera. "Beautiful performance." He says as the girl starts pretending to choke. "Excuse me. Uh, hey, we're looking for Suzie." Jonathan says and the boy angrily snaps his fingers, looking over. "Can you not see that we are filming?" He asked as the girl rolled her eyes.

"Come on. Alright, stay in it, Tabitha. Stay in it." He said as the girl continued pretending to choke. They enter the kitchen now where two children were cooking. "Hi, we're looking for Suzie." Mike says and the girl looks over. "Don't know, don't care." Is all she says before grabbing a salt shaker from the boy to her side. "That's too much salt, Peter. Father's kidneys! Father's kidneys!" She exclaims at him, then the power then shut off.

"Cornelius!" A girl about Jonathan and Argyle's age came rushing over to the breaker switches. "How many times do I have to tell you?" She flips the power back on. "That is not a toy. Come on." She now drags away the boy with force as he tries to fight her off, heading past the five boys in the doorway, looking up at Argyle which Charles took notice of.

They follow Argyle up the stairs to the girl giving Cornelius time out. "Who the hell are you?" She asked, glancing between them all. Charles notices Argyle is just staring so he smacks his arm gently. "Argyle." The older says. "Uh, and you are?" He says, smiling. "Eden." She says. "Like the garden." Argyle whispers as Charles holds in a laugh.

"Wow. Hey, uh, we're looking for Suzie." Jonathan spoke up, peering past his friend. "Do you know where she is?" Will asked, peering over Charles' shoulder. "Third floor, second door on your left." Eden tells them. "You make sure to give that selfish little four-eyed shit a nice little shove for me."

The four were heading up the staircase to the third floor already, going to the bedroom Eden had told them. Jonathan sighs, "well, great, she's not here." He says and Charles looks around the room, hearing the cranking noises and immediately rushed over to the window, peering outside. "Suzie!" He calls out to the girl on the roof, fixing her Cerebro.

"Yeah?" She looks over her shoulder. "Who the heck are you? And what are you doing in my room?" She asked the five looking out her window. "Sorry, we--" "no, listen," Will interrupts, holding onto Charles' shoulder. "We're Dustin's friends." He says and Mike nods. "Yeah, and we really need your help." The Wheeler then grins as Suzie gave a look of disbelief, tilting her head to the side.

Inside the bedroom, Suzie sat on her bed with the five in front of her, Jonathan sitting at her desk, Charles and Will sit by side leaning against a cart by Suzie's desk as Argyle was sitting on a chair to Mike's right while the Wheeler tells them all about the apparent gift they're getting for Dustin.

"Okay, that is a lot to process. I mean, that might be seriously the craziest thing I've ever heard." Suzie says, her hands together on her lap. "I know, it's hard to believe." Mike says, his arms crossed. "But it's true. All true." Jonathan nods, making Suzie raise the piece of paper. "I dial in to this computer and find a location, and at this location is the Nina Project?" She asked as she glanced up at the five.

"Exactly." Will nods. "And the Nina Project is the code name for a video game?" She asked, lowering her hand. "Well, no, it's not just a video game. It's a video game console." Mike explains. "It's America's answer to Nintendo." Charles says, shrugging. "Americantendo." Argyle spoke up confidently as Charles side-eyed the long haired man.

"That's a stupid name." Suzie says. "You're right, it is a stupid name," Mike said pointedly at Argyle before looking back at the girl, "but, Suzie, it's 16-bit." He says. "Sixteen-bit?" She says, shocked. "Why have I never heard of it?" She asked. "Because it's top secret." Mike says instantly. "That's why we're doing this." Will says and Charles nodded.

"Yeah. For the promotion." He says and Mike nods. "The first people to find the secret location receive a--" "Americantendo?" Argyle pipes up. "Uh, an Americantendo." Mike gave in. "So, you drove 3,000 miles over your spring break so I can help you get a new video game console no one has ever heard of?"

"Yes." They all dejectedly say after one another and Suzie scoffs softly. "But it's not for us. It's for Dustin." Charles stood up straight, nodding and Mike glanced back at him and Will. "Right. Exactly. It's for Dustin. For Dustin's birthday, which is, um..." Mike paused. "In two months, three days, five hours." Suzie says and Charles raised his brows softly.

The door opens, "Suzie, I don't know what you're doing, but I am not spending my entire day babysitting." Eden had walked in, sounding angry. "Pull your damn weight." She shouted. "Language!" Suzie scolds the girl as Charles glanced between them. "Oh, no, am I gonna burn in hell now?" Eden asked with her hand to her chest. "Oh, you tell her, Eden." Argyle says as Suzie walks over.

"Out of my room."

"Don't touch me, you little shit!"

The door slams, "okay, so can you help?" Will asked as he leans closer to Charles and the girl spun around. "I would do anything for Dustybun, but I'm afraid there's been an unfortunate development. After changing Dusty's grade, I was wracked with the most awful guilt. Father could see my soul was tortuted, and he wrenched a confession out of me. Not only was I breaking the law, I was dating an agnostic. An agnostic! I've never seen father so angry. Naturally... after learning the terrible truth, he confiscated my computer. And father is not one to change his mind. I'm as likely to see it again as I am my poor Dustybun." She said as Charles just frowns.

"Where is it?" He asked and Suzie looks at him. "His study. He uses it for work now." She says. "And father's always working, and his door is, like, permanently locked." She added and Charles glanced away.

"I'm really sorry. Truly. But it looks like you came all the way here for nothing." She said as the power then shut off again followed by Eden shouting at Cornelius. The power comes back on. "Unless..." Suzie says. "Unless?" Mike says right away. "There might be a way. But we're gonna need help. And I mean a lot of help." Suzie tells them. "Alright."

 

 

 

 

authors note sorry it's been a month since i haven't updated this <3 i'm trying to get more inspiration for it especially with all the byler vs mileven scenes in volume 2 😭 it's just not fun to rewatch as a byler shipper, but i think i'm getting over it, i'm not as big as a byler shipper anymore i lowkey lost hope now lol