Head Over Heels » Steve Harrington

chapter six

Chapter Six: The Lair

Lydia wasn't entirely sure what she'd expected to find at the end of the corridor, but it definitely wasn't a full blown Russian lair.

They'd been walking for miles and Lydia's sneakers were rubbing uncomfortably against the back of her heels. In a way, she was glad to have finally stopped. Though, she wasn't looking forward to avoiding being spotted by the hundreds of Russian workers milling around.

Lydia joined the others, pressing her back against the wall. Steve leaned forwards, slowly peering around the corner. "Clear." He motioned them ahead with his hands. "Come on, let's go."

They followed his lead, diving from corner to corner to remain out of sight. Lydia couldn't quite believe it was actually working.

She reached the next wall, ushering Erica and Dustin to safety. Robin and Steve hurried over, ducking down to avoid detection.

"Okay, that one was close," Robin breathed out, tilting her head to face Lydia, who nodded in agreement.

"Too close," Dustin added.

"Relax," Steve spared a glance at them over his shoulder as they continued on. "All right? Relax. Nobody saw."

A woman's voice started to announce something in Russian over the PA system. Lydia looked up in interest of where it was coming from, but was suddenly shoved behind a red metal box.

"Shit!" Steve swore as he pushed her backwards. He had one hand on Lydia's waist, whilst the other arm rested beside her head on the box to break her fall. She glanced up at him, breathing heavily. Their stares met, only breaking once the others had joined them in diving for cover.

"I saw it," Erica stated. "First floor, northwest."

"Saw what?" Steve asked, hands lowering back to his sides.

"The comms room."

Steve did a double take. "You saw the comms room?"

"Correct."

"Are you sure?" Dustin checked.

"Positive," Erica assured. "The door was open for a second, and I saw a bunch of lights and machines and shit in there."

"That could be a hundred different things," Dustin pointed out.

Excitement danced in Robin's eyes. "I'll take those odds."

Steve looked at Lydia for confirmation, who simply shrugged. "We're gonna die anyway."

"Great. Thanks for the optimism," Steve said sarcastically. "Real helpful."

"You're welcome."

Lydia peered around the edge of the box, finding her eyes drawn to the red flashing lights that Erica had described.

"All right," Steve turned to address them. "We're gonna move fast, we're gonna stay low. Okay?"

"Okay."

He was the first to sneak forwards, hunching down to remain out of sight. The group scurried across the open area, pausing behind the large metal boxes occasionally when they were forced to wait for workers to pass.

They halted outside the comms room, watching the door intently. A man, oblivious to their presence, walked out, eyes transfixed on the clipboard in his hands.

"Let's go," Steve directed. He reached for the door inches before it closed, allowing them to quietly slip inside. "Shh," he whispered, finger placed to his lips.