Alice the Amazing ⇒ STRANGER THINGS

[42] Strange Things Are Afoot at Starcourt

{The Sauna Test, Part I}

Another day, another spy plan.

After the rainy rooftop rendezvous from the previous night, Alice, Dustin, Robin, and Steve were sitting in the back of Scoops, trying to think of how to get into the secret room the Russians were using in the warehouse.

"A keycard opens the door," Dustin explained, "but unfortunately, the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun."

"Whatever's in this room, in those boxes," Robin said, "they really don't want anybody to find it."

"There's got to be a way in," Dustin said, scratching his chin.

Alice crossed her arms.

"Maybe there isn't," Alice said, "and we should just end it here."

"End what?"

"End this mission!" she said. "I've said since the beginning that we should tell Hopper about this. We're not the authorities, we're just kids."

"We're American heroes, remember!" Dustin said. "Do you really think Hopper will believe us?"

"He might!" Alice said.

"Since when are you so buddy-buddy with the police chief?" Robin asked, looking back and forth between Alice and Dustin with a raised eyebrow.

"Since people in this town started going missing and turning up dead," Alice shot back, eyes blazing. "I don't want any of us to end up like Barb."

An awkward silence fell over the room. Alice hadn't thought about Barb in a while.

Well, that wasn't true. Alice thought about Barb all the time. When she heard a funny joke, or had a bad day, or just wanted to talk to someone, Alice's mind wandered to her old friend Barb. She wished Barb was still around, because she would know how to keep Alice sane even when everything felt like it was going to shit.

Steve cleared his throat, trying to diffuse the tension.

"I could just take him out," he said cheekily, winking at Alice and making her roll her eyes.

"Take who out?" Alice asked, playing along.

"The Russian guard," Steve said. "I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard. It's easy."

Alice snickered and Dustin narrowed his eyes.

"Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" Dustin asked, annoyed.

"Yes, Dustin, I did. And that's why," Steve said, walking two of his fingers across the tabletop like legs, "I would be sneaking."

Robin looked at him disdainfully and Alice laughed.

"Last time I checked," Alice said, "you don't have the best track record when it comes to physical fights. Didn't Billy Hargrove beat the shit out of you?"

"That was one time," Steve protested.

"Twice," Dustin said. "Jonathan. Year prior?"