𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴 ~ 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen:
Easily Distracted
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"The week is long. The silver cat feeds. When blue meets yellow in the west." Ramona hummed, brushing her fingers through her raven locks. "Yeah, okay, what the fuck.."

Steve nodded in agreement as he pulled down the metal gate. "Yeah, I mean it's just.. it just can't be right."

"It's right." Robin said confidently, watching as Ramona leaned on the wall, waiting for Steve.

"Honestly, I think it's great news." Dustin shrugged, glancing back at Ramona and Steve as she sent him a smile when he stood up.

"Good new?" Ramona rose her eyebrows, "Dusty roads, we literally don't know what the fuck any of that means."

"Yeah! How is this a great thing?" Steve agreed, lowering his voice and rolling his eyes. "So much for being American heroes.. It's total nonsense!" 

"It's not nonsense." Dustin defended, "It's too-"

"You'd understand if you spoke Spanish." Ramona snickered, "You know, because they have the same properties."

"Why won't you teach me Spanish?" Steve whined, causing Robin to roll her eyes from beside them. Dustin shook his head in annoyance, sharking a look with Robin as he watched Ramona and Steve's interactions. In his opinion, Robin and Ramona were scientifically the perfect women. Both for Steve and in general.

"Because." Ramona said stubbornly, yanking her arm from his hands and readjusting the bright orange button up she wore. "We'd get distracted 'cause you can't pay attention for shit."

"Oh.." Steve trailed off, a smirk playing against his lips, "How distracted?"

Ramona's cheeks reddened as she gently elbowed him in the ribs, "Deja de ser un pervertido, Harrington."

"¿Te estás sonrojando?" Robin rose her eyebrows, her lips curving into a knowing smile.

"I was trying to say something." Dustin interrupted Ramona's sentence. Ramona shot him a look, but gestured for him to continue. "As I was saying, before you rudely interrupted, it's too specific. It's obviously a code."

"A code?" Ramona trailed off, "Huh.. a code."

"What do you mean, a code?" Steve asked, glancing over at Ramona as she shrugged.

"Like a super secret spy code." Dustin answered.

"That's a total stretch." Steve waved his hands around dramatically. Ramona shook her head in disagreement. 

"I don't know, Harrington.." Ramona shrugged, "If the Spanish speaking Russians are attacking America.."

"When are you gonna let that go?" Steve groaned, raking his hands through his hair as he turned his attention to her.

"In about fifty-three days."  Ramona hummed, "Still think it's a stretch?"

"Si." Steve nodded, "See! I can speak Span-"

"I don't know, is it?" Robin cut him off, causing Steve to shake his head in exasperation.

"You're buying into this, too?"

"Listen, just for kicks, let's entertain the possibility that it is a secret Russian transmission." Robin continued, looking back at Ramona and raising her eyebrows. "What'd you think they were gonna say? Fire the warhead at noon?" 

"Exactly." Dustin pointed at her.

"And my translation is correct, I know that for sure." Robin nodded slowly, trying to mentally piece everything together. "So.. The silver cat feeds, why would anyone talk like that unless they were trying to mask the true meaning of their message!"

"Exactly!"

"And why would anyone mask the true meaning of their message unless their message was somehow sensitive?"

"Ex-act-ly!" 

"So, I guess your suspicions are confirmed."

"Evil Russians." Dustin sighed, a smile forming on his face. Steve looked over at Ramona in shock that she was believing this. 

"I can't believe I'm about to agree with this strange child, but, yeah totally."

"Shit, Russia needs to get better at this code shit." Ramona mumbled. "We cracked it and we're in high school.."

"We haven't cracked it, yet, 'Mona." Dustin pointed out. "So.. how do we crack it?"

"Well, I guess we translate the rest and hopefully a pattern emerges."

"A pattern! Right! Like, maybe 'Silver cat' is a meeting place." Dustin hummed to himself.

"Or a person!" Robin said.

"Or a weapon."

"Or a warning." Ramona hummed, snickering to herself at Steve's facial expressions.

"It's probably gonna take a super genius to crack it but.." Robin trailed off, "Where'd Steve go?"

Ramona spun on her heel, tilting her head when she saw Steve standing beside a mini carousal, his hands in his pockets as he fished for loose change. "Steve? What the hell are you doing?" 

"Hey! Steve!" Robin shouted, her voice echoing back to her from around the empty mall. "What are you doing?"

"Uh.. It's a quarter." Steve said absentmindedly, "I need.. Do you have a quarter?"

Ramona rolled her eyes, letting her head fall back as she walked forward towards him. She dug into her pocket, pulling out the silver coin. 

"You sure you're tall enough for that ride?" Robin asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Quarter!" Steve shouted, causing Ramona to jump as she tossed him the coin

"Here." She said, shaking her head as she watched him insert the coin into the slot. "Wow, how impressive, Harrington."

"Sh!" Ramona licked her teeth and crossed her arms as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"You need help getting up, little Stevie?" Robin said sarcastically. 

"Sh!"

"Would you three just shut up and listen?" Steve shushed them again, causing Ramona to scoff under her breath as she shook her head in annoyance.

"Wait-" Ramona's arms dropped as she looked at Steve, "Isn't that.."

"Holy shit." Dustin muttered, slipping his backpack off of his shoulders. "Holy shit."

"What?" Robin pursed her lips, looking from the horse to Ramona and Dustin.

"The music." Dustin said, pressing the red button on the recorder. "The music!"

Ramona nodded her head slowly, crouching onto the ground beside Steve as the familiar tune of Daisy Bell played. Robin shook her head slowly, "I don't understand."

"It's the exact same song on the recording." Dustin explained, gesturing to the two items.

"Maybe they have horses like this in Russia?" Robin reasoned, crossing her arms as she looked over to the darkened mall stores.

"Indiana Flyer?" Steve pointed to the name, "I don't.. I don't think so. This code, it didn't come from Russia.. it came from here."

Ramona felt her heart sink as she looked away from the horse and towards Steve. She gulped as her eyes met his. "Steve.. I can't believe you got me into this."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

{ A/n: scoops troop has so little screen time im so sad }

{ Translations: stop being a pervert harrington, are you blushing, yes }

{ Edited: No }