Wrong Place, Wrong Time

-13-

"It's nice to meet you, Robin," I shake the girl's hand.

"Excuse me, if you're not going to buy any ice cream can you like move?" I hear behind me. Turning around a little girl stares up at me, a sly smirk on her face. Rolling my eyes I head in the back, seeing Steve trying to shove Dustin into an air duct. The sailor hat Steve was wearing was kicked off of his head by Dustin's foot.

"Woah," I put my hands up. "What did I walk into?"

"About time you show up," Dustin climbs down the ladder. "Can you try to like fit in there, you look like you would fit."

"Wow. I can't believe you just said that to me. Steve, smack him."

I glance over at Steve to see him sizing me up before glancing at the air duct. Scoffing at the male I climb up the ladder, looking at the size of the air duct myself. Weighing the odds, I think I can fit. Nodding at the two males they laugh in victory, high-fiving each other.

"Why are we climbing through the air ducts like freaks?" I ask them.

"Because we think that Russian spies are like hiding weapons of mass destruction," Dustin says like it's a common thing. "Come on (Y/n), act like you know what is going on. Saves us a lot of time."

"Oh yeah right. Climbing in an air duct into booby traps is something that I want to act like I know what is happening."

"Geez (Y/n). I'll give you a quick rundown then. Tonight you are going to climb in there and pop out in a closet that has been heavily guarded for the past few days. When you get in the closet you will open the doors for us so we can see what the Russians are hiding."

"Right, I swore that was what you were referring to before."

Steve's hand smacks my back, "There is nothing to worry about. Okay?"

"This is child endangerment."

"You're not a child though."

"My age is still in the teens, so I am still a child. Get it, eighteen?"

"You're something special, you know what?"

"Why do you keep me around then, hmmmm?"

"Yeah, Steve," Dustin butts in. "Why do we?"

"Shut it Henderson, you were practically crying when the doctors told us she is only allowed one visitor."

"Well, you were practically crying when you weren't the one that was able to be that one visitor."

I stop their conversation, "Uh....."

"Plan happens tonight when the mall closes, okay?"

'What's in it for me?"

"Valuable time spent with your two favorite people."

"Oh, Max and Eleven? Awesome!"

"You're mean."

Dustin shakes his head as he leaves the Scoops Ahoy backroom, leaving Steve and me alone. I look back at Steve, "Does he know that I was joking?" Steve shrugs, "You tell me, are they your favorite?"

"Steve."

"I'm joking......"

"Yeah right."

----------

"Alright," I say into the walkie. "I'm here."

"Do you see anyone?" Dustin responds.

"Any booby traps?" Robin adds in.

Rolling my eyes I respond, "If I saw the booby traps then they are some pretty trash booby traps."

"(Y/n)," Dustin groans out.

I shake the vent door, pushing it out of its place. A loud thump came along with the vent door hitting the floor. Rolling out of the vent was hard without a ladder or something, like how I entered the vents. Like the vent door, I hit the floor with a loud thump. Groaning, I slowly get up off the floor. Hitting a button on the panels on the wall the door that Dustin was talking about opens.

Walking outside I see three heads over on the roof of a building. Placing my hands on my hips I shout, "Child endangerment." Dustin shakes his head in disappointment as the other two celebrate. Within seconds they rush down from the roof, looking inside the closet I just trespassed in.

Steve stands over a box, "You guys might want to stand back. We don't know what this is."

Robin and I listen to him while Dustin stays put, "If you die. I die."

Everyone watches as Steve opens the box in front of him, pulling out a vile of a green liquid. We stare at it, trying to think of what it could be. The moment was cut short when the doors we walked through slammed shut. Quickly I run to the panel that I used to open the door, pressing every single button.

"Look," Robin says. "We need a key card to open the doors. This is a stupid elevator, not just a room."

Our footing falters as the room started to move quickly. Steve throws the vile into Dustin's backpack before the younger boy trips due to the room moving. My hands find Robin as we cling to each other for dear life.

"Booby trap," I whisper to her, making her groan at the obvious comment.

The moment passes quickly once the room stopped moving. A few boxes fall on Steve due to the speed the room moved in. Working together, Dustin and I get Steve back to his feet. Silence falls upon us as we search the room for any other clues or other traps.

"Now, how do we get out of here?" Dustin asks looking around the small space.

-----

We all hold our breath as a few Russian guards enter the room we spent the whole night in. From on top of the room/elevator, we waited with anticipation. Looking at Dustin I see the liquid peeking out from his backpack. Quietly grabbing it I hold it tightly, continuing to watch the guards.

They grab a few boxes from the room before leaving. The doors shut slowly behind them, making me move quickly. Dropping from the top of the elevator I place the vile under the door, stopping the door from shutting fully. Robin understood what I was doing and follows me, sliding under the opening.

Dustin soon follows what she was doing, throwing his backpack first before squeezing through. Glancing at Steve I nudge him to go, at first, he didn't move. Then with a final push, he quickly slides under the door to the others.

"Hurry!" Dustin yells.

Dropping to my stomach I crawl through the opening, the two boys grab me and quickly pull me through the opening. Within a second of me being safe the vile collapses under the weight of the door, exposing the liquid. We watch with curiosity as the liquid seeps through the floor like toxic waste or something. Very dangerous in my opinion, not safe at all.

Turning around at the same time we look down a long corridor, nothing but the road in front of us. Steve slaps Dustin on his back, "Hope everyone is in shape."

Robin and I take the lead on the hike while the two boys bicker behind us about something.