━━━━ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍
Mike abruptly snatched the pen from Argyle's hand, earning a grimace from the stoned teenager who sat cross-legged on the dirt.
"Hey, man, I'm using that," He protested.
Ignoring the older teen, Mike began to dissect the pen piece by piece to see if there was anything hidden inside of it.
"What are you doing?" Argyle questioned, his face sullen.
With one swift motion, the Wheeler boy shook the pen and watched as a slip of paper fell out, landing on the flattened pizza box. Argyle picked it up and carefully studied it.
"Something fell out of that pen, man," He uttered.
"No shit, Sherlock," Mike grumbled under his breath, seizing the paper from Argyle's grip to investigate it for himself.
"What is it?" Will asked, standing on his tiptoes to peer over the ravenette's shoulder.
Mike unrolled the paper to reveal a phone number: 202-968-6161. He glanced at Will and Jonathan, his lips curving into a crooked smile.
"It's the number," He beamed. "We've had it this whole time."
"We've got his digits, man?" Argyle gasped.
Mike just continued to grin at the slip of paper, his entire body filled with relief. This was great news. They would be able to contact Nina and rescue El from the dangerous situation she was trapped in.
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🎱 ꒱
The crew hopped back into the Surfer Boy Pizza van to search for a telephone booth, which proved to be a rather difficult task considering that they were stranded in the middle of nowhere. However, after nearly twenty minutes of driving, Mike spotted one.
"There's one. Argyle, slow down," He ordered.
"There's one what?" Argyle asked, scrunching his face in confusion.
"Argyle, slow down!"
"Stop barking orders!"
"Argyle! Slow down!"
The tires screeched as the long-haired teenager brought the van to a halt, nearly crashing into the telephone booth in the process.
"Christ!" Mike hollered.
The boys sprung out of the vehicle and scrambled over to the booth. Mike slipped a coin into the slot and began punching in the numbers as Will read them aloud.
The line began to ring as it normally would. After a few seconds, however, the ringing was replaced by an unusual trilling sound. Weird.
"Is it ringing?" Jonathan queried.
"No," Mike shook his head in frustration. "It's just making a bunch of weird noises."
"Busy?" Will questioned.
"Listen to this," The ravenette said, holding the phone up to Will's ear.
While bringing the phone to the brunette's ear, Mike's hand delicately brushed up against his, like the touch of a feather. It sent a shiver down Will's spine.
"Does that remind you of anything?" Mike asked, shooting him a knowing look.
Will scratched his head in thought, trying to remember where he had heard that sound before. And then it hit him.
"WarGames," He confidently responded.
"What?" Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows, plucking the phone out of his brother's hand and listening for himself.
"Oh my God, we're not calling a phone," Will remarked.
"We're calling a computer," His older brother announced, the realization hitting him like a rough slap across the face.
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🎱 ꒱
Seconds later, Mike was frantically scouring the van's glove compartment for the map they had brought. Luckily, he managed to find it under a messy pile consisting of newspapers, magazines, and Surfer Boy Pizza coupons.
"Aha," He smirked, holding the map in the air like a proud father.
"I don't know if Nina's a computer like Joshua or Owens' lab, but 'Unknown Hero Agent Man' gave us access to it for a reason," Mike spoke as the rest of the boys lifted the trunk open. "We just need to find the computer. We find Owens, then we warn him. Then, we warn Eleven."
"I just need a hacker," He continued, unfolding the map and smoothing the creases. "The only hacker that I know lives in Utah."
"Wait, Utah?" Jonathan questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Salt Lake City, to be specific," Mike responded matter-of-factly.
"Oh my God," Will gasped, putting his hands on his head and chuckling to himself. "Oh my God!"
"What? Why 'oh my God?'" His brother asked.
"Turn around," Will mockingly sang, placing his hands on his hips for comedic effect. "Look at what you see-ee-ee-ee!"
Jonathan facepalmed himself, the memories of Dustin and Suzie's corny duet crawling back into his brain. He had managed to wipe it from his memory for a few months, yet his younger brother had shoved it back into his head.
"NeverEnding Story! That scared the shit out of me!" Argyle exclaimed, fidgeting with a random yo-yo he dug out of his pocket. "The Nothing, man? That's some proper existential shit right there, dude."
"You can't be serious," Jonathan groaned.
"If we take the I-15 north, we'll get there by morning," Mike explained, tracing the route on the crinkled map.
"Oh, you're being serious?" The oldest of the Byers boys scoffed, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"I know it sounds insane, but Suzie saved the world last year," The ravenette reminded the older teen. "Maybe she can save it again."
And soon enough, the gang was back on the road. They hoped that the thirteen-hour journey to Suzie's house would be worth it. With all of the chaos happening in Hawkins, they didn't have time to waste.
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 !
i hate school
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✓ | 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 (BYLER)
Fanfiction｡･: ▍𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 Will Byers and Mike Wheeler were practically inseparable. They had been best friends for nearly a decade and planned to remain that way for eternity. Nobody was capable of destroying the unique bond they shared except for Will's step-s...
