Jailbird || Stranger Things

sixty-nine ➵ aye, aye, cap'n

Having followed Dustin and Erica's directions, as begrudgingly as he did so, Murray let out a sigh of relief once he managed to push up the so called trap door to the service corridor the kids had used to escape before. With both arms above ground, he lifted the radio and pressed the button to talk. "Bald Eagle has landed. Repeat. Bald Eagle has landed."

    Meanwhile, Jim had started to pace after hearing of the news of how the kids were faring in the mall, worried for his daughters as he tried to keep his head on task. Having heard Murray's confirmation that he found the room, he lifted his own radio and impatient spoke to Murray.

    "Come on, how much longer?"

    "I don't know, I've never done this before!" came Murray own stressed response, not managing to put anybody at ease.

    He continued to look for the panel as he'd been instructed by Alexei, the instructions ringing fresh in his mind. After the turning the drawn diagram a few times (too many), he managed to finally orientate himself, and allowed himself to smile as he spotted the panel.

    "Okay, okay!" he wrenched open the metal door to the fuses, grin brightening up his face as he felt, finally, that they could do it. Hope returned to its place in his chest. "Get ready, lovebirds, you're almost up to bat."

    Letting loose, Murray reached for the wires in front of him with reckless abandon, plucking each out from its place and socket at will, causing several issues and headaches for the scientists in the Russian base. Alarms rang out, warning soldiers and academics alike of the issues and intrusion, mobilising comrades across the lab.

    Way down the winding corridors, the sound reaching them just as well, Jim and Joyce turned onto a hall and blended right into the rushing commies. Easily passing another group, they hustled up the stairs to the safe they'd been instructed to but came to a quick halt at the top of the stairs. After a brief exchange where they remembered Murray's instruction to smile and nod, they made it through, managing to find the number pad and a safe.

    "Okay. Give me the code."

    Opening her note, Joyce began. "Six-six-two, six-oh-eight, oh-oh-four," she spoke, keeping in time with Jim keying in the digits. No dice.

    Shocked, knowing full well time was not on their side, Jim tried again. No luck. Again.

    "Murray?!" he almost growled into he receiver of his walkie. "Your goddamn code... is wrong," he finished delivering the bad news.

    "What?!" came back Murray's answer, equally shocked. "Are you sure?"

    "Yeah, I'm sure."

    "Well, I... I suppose it could be wrong."

    "How could it be wrong?"

    "The code is a number, a famous number. Planck's constant I... I thought I knew it," he tried, but Hopper immediately argued back.

    Overhearing the difficulty the team under the ground were having, Dustin's little brain started whirring once again. "Planck's constant," he muttered under his breath.

    "You know it?" Erica asked.

    "Not by heart. You?" he turned to her, but was unsure if even Reese may know it.

    "I'm not a nerd, nerd," came the ever-so-helpful reply.

    "He told me it was Planck's constant, which I know," Murray continued to argue with Hopper over the radio, "Why would I need him to give me a number I already know?"

    But Dustin reached forward, tuning the radio and letting the static fill their space.

    "What are you doing?!"

──────

Rubber soles slapped against the tiled courtyard of the entryway of the mall, Lucas, Will, Nancy, Jonathan, with Reese pulling up the rear picking up their pace until they had the new car in their sights. Reese lifted a hand to catch the ignition cable.

    "Get in!" Jonathan commanded, urging the boys as Nancy stood beside the side of the hood of the car, Jonathan arriving abruptly as Reese found the correct spot. "Here," he reached out, taking it from her as he noticed her hesitation.

    "We're not alone," she spoke, barely discernible over the revving of the Camaro's engine that hit at the exact same time.

    Nancy and Jonathan immediately looked to the source, but Reese already had eyes on the blinking headlights. Jonathan made very quick work of his task before he and Reese slammed down the cover.

    "Get the car started," Nancy spoke, walking around to the front and lifting her gun. "Go!"

    "I like this Nance," Reese muttered under her breath, smiling to herself as she did as told and opened a door to the backseat.

    The car just wouldn't start. On the other side of the lot, however, Billy put his own car in drive and pressed on the gas pedal.

    Reese, with one foot in the car, turned around at the sound of the stark difference in the engines. She watched Nancy cock and ready the gun, but her eyes were soon on Billy, with no signs of using the break.

    "Come on, we gotta go!" she could hear the boys inside the car encouraging Jonathan or the car, she wasn't sure if they even knew. But she realised what was about to happen.

    She saw it happen before it had time to unfold. She stood beside Nancy, ready to pull her away at a moment's notice as she heard Billy's foot increase its pressure until the car shrieked in protest. Just as Nancy ran out of ammo and Reese had come to accept their fate, she grabbed onto Nancy's sweater and yanked her aside.

    In the same precise moment, a whitish yellow blur screeched past them as the TODDFTHR crashed into the car Reese had too many treasured memories tied to. Forcing Billy and his car out of the way, and sending him unconscious briefly as both cars spun out until Reese's eyes landed on the familiar face of a severely beaten up Steve Harrington and his relatively new sidekick Robin Buckley.

    Steve looked up, breathing hard from a mix of fear and adrenaline, eyes landing on Reese's as she felt some sort of relief overtake her body.

    Fire sparked over Billy's engine, while the creature that had been terrorising the kids in the mall let out a screech and appeared above them, interested in the noise and commotion. Steve and Robin pushed themselves out of their seats to look at the thing without obstructions, but soon regretted it.

    But if there was one lucky thing about the earlier situation, it was the distraction that allowed Jonathan Byers to start the Wheeler car.

    "Get in!" Reese yelled through the open trunk door, encouraging the two sailors, Robin first, then Steve, before she let Will and Lucas give word that they were good to go.

    "You okay?" Steve breathed, taking Reese's hand and giving it a squeeze as he noticed no new injuries. Completely ignoring the fact that the Mindflayer really set off after them with ear piercing screeches and growls.

    "Please, ask me any other time," she let out, Robin's head snapping to her.

    "That's what I said!"

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hear me out...
I know it was a
super long wait
for a short chapter
but this is a
clear sign that
I am back to work
here!

another new chapter coming
soon! august was a hellscape,
bear with me here please x