CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SECRET MESSAGE

        "Henderson!" Steve bursts out of the backroom door with gusto and points to him.  Dustin lets out a joyful laugh as he points back.  Abby raises her eyebrows in amusement as she emerges from the backroom.  The entire morning, Steve's been in a much sunnier disposition than he has all morning as he awaited the arrival of his friend.  Abby's certain that he's missed Dustin much more than he lets on. "Henderson!  He's back!" Steve exclaims as he jumps and maneuvers around the counter.  "He's back!  He's back!"

"I'm back!" Dustin agrees before he gestures to the glowing Scoops Ahoy menu above him.  "You got the job!"

"I got the job!"  Steve cheers, imitating a trumpet fanfare.  Abby joins Robin behind the counter and watches bemused as they enact some sort of secret handshake.  They imitate lightsabers clashing before Dustin's invisible lightsaber stabs Steve in the gut.  Steve lets out a groan and the two burst into laughter once more as the older boy uses his hands to imitate his guts spilling out ... at least, that's what Abby assumes he's doing.

Robin, slightly open-mouthed turns to Steve with a bemused expression.  "How many children are you friends with?"

"Hey, Henderson, what gives?" Abby speaks up.  "You and Steve have a secret handshake, but you and I—the person who has known you for significantly longer—still don't have one?"

"Good to see you too, Abby," Dustin says with a good-natured smile. 

"Bring it in, Curly-cue," Abby says with a grin as she circles around the counter.  Dustin allows Abby to ruffle his hair, knocking the Camp Knowhere cap askew before she brings him in for a hug.  "So, what can we get you?"

Abby finds herself in a booth, sitting between Steve and Dustin as he digs into his U.S.S. Butterscotch Sundae, he excitedly narrates his summer adventures at Camp Knowhere.  Then he begins to describe his girlfriend.  Abby smiles that the excitement that clearly shines in his eyes when he talks about her.  Through his mouthfuls of ice cream, she's able to learn that her name is Suzie (with a 'z'), she's from Utah, she's a genius, and she's hotter than Phoebe Cates, which through Dustin's eyes, Abby doesn't doubt.  Steve, on the other hand, does not step into Dustin's shoes and instead lets out a scoff.

"No, no.  No way!" He exclaims.  "Hotter than Phoebe Cates?  No."

"Mhm!" Dustin nods.  "Brilliant, too!  And she doesn't even care that my real pearls are still coming in.  She says kissing is better without teeth."

Steve stares at him for a few long moments, nodding along with his mouth slightly agape as he tries to formulate a response to this.  "Wow," he finally manages.

"I think you've got yourself a keeper, Curly-cue," Abby encourages, patting Dustin on the back.

"Yeah, that's great," Steve agrees.  "Proud of you, man.  That's ro—that's kinda romantic.  That's like ... wow!"

Dustin lets out a small grunt of pleasure as he takes another bite of his sundae.  He gestures down at it and looks back up at Steve and Abby.  "So, do you guys really just get to eat as much of this as you want?"

Steve shrugs.  "Yeah.  I mean, sure."

Abby scoffs.  "Not that he eats any of this stuff, anyway.  A real waste of the perks if you ask me."

"Hey, I gotta keep in shape for the ladies," Steve defends.

"Yeah?  And how's that working out for you?" Robin calls from across the parlor.

"Oh yeah, the ladies are just swooning left and right," Abby comments sarcastically.

"Come on, don't be like that, Abby.  You know I'm irresistible," Steve teases with a wink.

Abby only lets out a scoff and tears her eyes away from Steve.  She supposes that she can't deny it.  After all, when all was said and done, when the Gate was closed and some degree of normalcy was returned to Hawkins she could have returned to the lunch table in the corner of the cafeteria alone with Isla.  She didn't have to regard Steve with a second glance.  But instead, she allowed Steve to become a more permanent part of her life.

"Uh-huh," she remarks.  "You know, I could probably point out five people more attractive than you."

Steve scoffs.  "Good luck with that."

"Please, you say that like it'll be hard."

"Hey!"

"Robin seems cool," Dustin interrupts.

"She is," Abby agrees with a nod.

"She's not," Steve argues.  "So, uh, where are the other knuckleheads?"

Dustin frowns and swallows.  "They ditched me yesterday."

"No," Steve gasps.

Dustin nods.  "My first day back.  Can you believe that shit?!"

"Whoa.  Seriously?" Steve exclaims.  "I mean, Alex, I can get behind.  She's a little shit.  But the rest of them?  Really?"

"Mhm," Dustin nods.  "But they're gonna regret it, though, big time, when they don't get to share in my glory."

Steve cinches his eyebrows together and shakes his head.  "Glory?  What glory?"

"This doesn't sound good," Abby mumbles through a sigh. 

Dustin grins and scoots closer to Steve and Abby.  He cups a hand to the side of his mouth and whispers, "So last night, we're trying to get in contact with Suzie ... and uh ..." he glances over at Robin who obliviously takes orders from the newest customers who had stepped up to the counter, and then to the girls at the nearby table who are in deep conversation.  Once he concludes that all potential listeners are distracted, he lowers his voice even more.  Abby leans in closer in an attempt to catch the words that tumble softly out of Dustin's mouth.  They're so quiet that they manage to get lost in the nautical music that broadcasts throughout the parlor and the chatter of the other customers.  Something, something, something, intercepted, something, something, communication.

"You think you can say that any quieter?" Abby retorts.

The boy lets out a sigh and clicks his tongue.  "Uh ..."  he takes a deep breath and repeats the same thing, still aggravatingly indiscernible.

"Speak louder," Steve instructs.

"I intercepted a secret Russian communication!" Dustin exclaims too loudly.  The chatter that fills the parlor instantly ceases as all heads turn toward Dustin.  Abby lets out a small groan and rests her face in her palms.

"Jeez, shhh!" Steve exclaims.  "Yeah, okay, that's what I thought you said." 

They stew in silence for a few minutes.  Dustin anxiously drums his fingers against the surface of the table as he glances around.  Nobody in the parlor had given him a second glance, playing his exclamation off as some sort of game.  Steve breaks the silence as he turns back to Dustin, "What—what does that mean?"

"It means, Steve, that we could be heroes," Dustin responds.  "True American heroes."

"Huh," says Steve with an indulgent smile as he leans closer to Dustin.  "American heroes?"

"Just think," Dustin describes, flourishing a hand through the air.  "You could have all the ladies you want and more.  Not to mention this would be a really good thing to put on a college or job application."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Abby interjects.  She's learned time and time again that wherever Dustin Henderson is, there's bound to be trouble running right behind him, and usually, there's no simple way out of the web that he catches himself in.  The kid is a magnet for all things strange and unholy and as much as Abby strives for anything that could aid her in the future out in the world, she knows that whatever Dustin is formulating in his head will only lead to an even bigger problem.  "Whatever you're thinking is not worth it.  We're supposed to be having a normal summer, doing normal things.  And besides, there's gotta be a catch."

Dustin shakes his head.  "There's no catch.  I just need your help."

Steve raises his eyebrows.  "With what?"

"Oh my god, Harrington please don't tell me you're seriously considering this," Abby groans.  "Do you not remember the last time asked for your help?  Here, let me remind you: almost becoming the meal of Demogorgons." 

She shudders slightly at the memories that surface, the rows upon rows of teeth, the ear-splitting roar.  She still remembers the night on the bus clearly with the fog that had rolled in and covered the ground, the way the Demogorgons had circled the bus like sharks who had caught the scent of blood.  It's taken her a long time to not freeze up when the lights turn off, to expect the worst.

Dustin unzips his backpack and holds up a tattered dog-eared book up for Steve and Abby to see.  "Look, it's nothing dangerous, Abby.  It's just translation.  Nothing we can't handle."

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*

By the end of the day, when the mall was left deserted, the interior empty, the silence overbearing, the escalators immobile, and the moon high in the sky, the first half of the Russian transmission had been translated all thanks to Robin, who had intervened an hour into Steve, Abby, and Dustin's failed attempt to translate the message themselves.  All of the other shops have long since been deserted, their steel guards pulled down to protect the store from any potential thieves, but the lights in Scoops Ahoy remain on.  They've stayed well into the night, but their determination to crack the Russian code had carried them on.

The week is long.  The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west.

"It just ... it can't be right," says Steve as he pulls down the gate to Scoops.

"It's right," Robin hums.

"Honestly, I think this is great news," Dustin adds.

"How is this great news?" Steve questions.  He scoffs.  "I mean, so much for being American heroes.  It's total nonsense."

Abby scoffs.  "Steve, this is a secret Russian transmission we're talking about.  Anyone can translate it if they try hard enough.  Of course, it's going to be in some sort of code."

"What do you mean, a code?" Steve questions as they walk through the empty halls of the mall.  There's something eerie about the mall after hours.  The main lights have shut off, their path is only illuminated by the faintly glowing neon signs that line the shops.  Their voices and footsteps echo through the deserted pristine tile-lined hallways.

"Like a super-secret spy code," Dustin replies.

"That's a total stretch," Steve dismisses.

"I don't know, is it?" Robin muses.

"You're buying into this too?"

"Listen, just for kicks, let's entertain the possibility that it is a secret Russian transmission," Robin says spreading her arms.  "Abby was right.  I mean, what'd you think they were gonna say?  'Fire the warhead at noon'?  My translation's correct.  I know that for sure so ... 'the silver cat feeds' why would anyone talk like that unless they were trying to mask the true meaning of their message?"

"Exactly," Dustin hums.

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

"Exactly!"

Robin glances sidelong at Dustin.  "So I guess that confirms your suspicion."

"Evil Russians."

Robin glances over her shoulder at Steve and Abby who walk side-by-side.  "I can't believe that I'm about to agree with this strange child, but, yeah, totally.  Evil Russians." 

They continue their trek down the hallway, Dustin and Robin trading theories as they near the exit of the mall.  Abby doesn't notice that Steve has fallen short until Robin calls his name.  Abby stops in her tracks and turns around to see Steve standing in front of the miniature horse ride that parents often dragged their wailing toddlers past as he digs frantically through his pockets.  Coins clatter to the ground as he looks back up at them.

"Are you okay, dude?" Abby wonders. 

"What are you doing?" Robin questions.

"Uh, it's a quarter," Steve mumbles.  "I need—do you have a quarter?"

Abby reaches into her pockets and withdraws a quarter as Robin lets out a chuckle as the three jog over to Steve.  "You sure you're tall enough for that ride?"

"Quarter!" Steve shouts, ignoring Robin's quips, and takes the quarter from Abby's outstretched hand before he frantically shoves the coin into the ride.  Abby furrows her brows as the horse begins to move and the familiar cheerful music fills her ears.  She's heard it so many times somewhere, but she can't seem to place exactly when and where. 

"You need help up, little Stevie?" Robin quips.

"Want a picture too?" Abby can't help but add, "It would look good on your mantelpiece."

"Shh!" Steve hisses as Dustin lets out a chuckle.  "Would you two just shut up and listen?"

They stand there for a few moments as the music continues to play, echoing against the walls.  The longer the music plays the more familiar it sounds.  "Holy shit," Dustin murmurs from beside Abby.   He points the horse as she and Robin glance at him questioningly.  "The music.  The music!" 

Dustin drops his backpack to the ground and eagerly digs through it, producing the tape.  He holds it up and presses play.  And that's when it hits Abby.  The music that plays from the horse is the same music that Steve had fixated on when Dustin had played the transmission.  He had been certain that the music meant something, and he had been right, but this could only mean one thing.

"Oh my god," Abby mutters.  "Harrington, you were right about one thing."

"I don't understand," says Robin with a shake of her head.

"It's the exact same song in the recording," Dustin explains.

"Maybe they have horses like this in Russia," Robin suggests.

Steve shakes his head as he stares at the horse.  "'Indiana Flyer'?  I don't ... I don't think so.  This code ... it didn't come from Russia."  He shakes his head and looks back at his companions.  "It came from here."

"I told you this kid's fucking magnet for trouble," Abby mutters. 

She frowns at the horse as it continues to rise up and down.  It seems to stare forward ominously, and suddenly, the music doesn't sound so cheerful anymore.

author's note: ironically, alex (along with will) stayed with dustin the longest before they "ditched" him.