DYNAMITE ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [2]

NINE

"COMMENCE OPERATION CHILD ENDANGERMENT," Erica's voice rang clear through Robin's walkie, making the blonde teen let out a huff of hot air.

"Can we maybe not call it that?" Robin pleaded, her noise twitching with discomfort as Steve nodded in agreement next to her.

"I mean, she has a point," Jasper chuckled drily, earning another meaningless eye roll from the older teens. The Hopper girl had made it clear throughout the day that she disliked this plan, partially because of Erica's involvement and partially because there was somewhere else she wanted to be.

The five waited impatiently under the starless sky, Robin occasionally checking in on the Sinclair girl and, unsurprisingly, earning a snarky comment back. "All right, nerds. I'm there," Erica announced after some time.

"Do you see anything?" Robin asked eagerly.

Erica's voice remained consistently unimpressed, which Jasper found ironic considering she was the only one who could get into the room. "Yeah, I see those boring boxes you're so excited about."

"Any guards?"

"Negative."

"Booby traps?"

"If I could see them, they'd be pretty shit traps, wouldn't they?" Erica answered sourly, and a quiet laugh ricocheted from Jasper's lips.

"Man, I really like her," the redhead mumbled to no one in particular.

"Thank you for that," Robin groaned, impatience wearing thin on the freckles that dusted her face.

The radio fell silent for a moment, until Erica spoke up once again. "I'm in," she said, and the sound of two metal doors scraping the ground followed. The others watched as the strange room opened, with Erica strolling sassily out of it, donned in her special equipment.

"Free ice cream. For. Life," the young girl emphasized once again, waving a finger at the teens on the roof as she stood solely in the small lot.

Jasper's mouth curved upwards in slight amazement, gawking at the Sinclair child. "Holy shit. She did it. She did it and we didn't become guilty of actual child endangerment," Jasper cried with a small chortle of laughter.

"Well, technically—" Katie began.

"Hey," Jasper interjected, playfully shoving her elbow into the Crawford's side. "Let me have my moment?"

"C'mon, I wasn't going to say what you thought I was gonna say."

"Really?" Jasper raised a mocking eyebrow into an arch. "'Cause I believe you were gonna say something about how she still crawled through the vents and it's still child endangerment."

"Nope," Katie grinned, and it was her turn to prod the redhead's flank. She shared the same bemused shine in her eye as Jasper, which fell short as the other three followed them in focused silence. "I was actually gonna say since Steve and I are the only legal adults, this really is child endangerment."

Jasper barked out a laugh at that, but when her gaze caught Dustin's it instantly halted from the frost slick in his eyes. She knew what he was thinking. They really were in danger, but if anyone could get them out of it, it was Jasper. And her powers.