Chapter Ninety-Nine: Espionage 101

(The Case Of The Missing Lifeguard)

***

Rowan's fingernails tapped erratically against the surface of her desk, eyes periodically going to the clock ticking away on the wall. Around her, patients hummed or silently did tasks while listening to music, Beethoven playing softly from a record player. Rowan worried her lip as she again looked at the clock, silently willing the minute hand to go faster.

After translating some of the code and the realisation that it had been broadcasted from here, Rowan could barely sleep. She could barely even do what she was supposed to do at Pennhurst, her body itching to return back to Starcourt and help translate the rest of the code and crack it. At the same time, a sense of dread churned in her at how the Russian code had come from here, from Hawkins. And given the truths lurking underneath Hawkins' small-town averageness, Rowan was worried about what that code could mean regarding those truths. She knew it wasn't possible—the gate was closed thanks to El, and Rowan hadn't felt a whisper of the Upside Down's frequency nor dream-walked into it for months—but a knot of dread still sat coiled inside her; it didn't help that given her secrets, the Russian code could mean it was about her family or at least a family like hers, the words Dr. Owens had said years ago about how the Soviets could use families like hers and the Cheongs as weapons, or even if it was about kids like El, kids experimented on and used as weapons due to their powers. That thought did wonders for her getting a full night's of sleep.

They needed to get that code translated and cracked as soon as possible. Rowan needed to know it didn't have anything to do with the Upside Down and its monsters or about people like her or El, that it was unrelated to something different, something with no supernatural ties. 

The clock ticked, seconds dragging on, almost taunting her. Rowan glared at it.

Come on, come on, just fucking tick over already, she silently willed.

Almost as if it heard her silent command, the clock finally ticked over to eleven.

Rowan tried to hold in her relief as she stood up, smiling and wishing goodbyes to the nurses and patients alike before she speed-walked to the doors, where her aunt was waiting and after a quick change she could head to Starcourt and finally help everyone with this goddamned Russian code—

"Miss. Graveswood. A word, please?"

Rowan halted in her tracks, staring at Dr. Hatch.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Rowan managed to say in a, thankfully, calm voice. The man nodded, and he began walking down the same way she was. Rowan followed, trying her best to hide her nerves—did she do something wrong? Did Hatch finally find a bullshit excuse to fire her? Was that college dream once more a pipe dream again?

Fuck, she shouldn't have looked so ready to leave. That was undeniably a bad look.

"Rowan," Dr. Hatch said, and Rowan pulled to attention.

"Yes, sir?" she asked in her best, authority-abiding voice. It rubbed against her like an ill-fitting jacket, but Rowan would do something as horrendous as bowing to authority—gag—if it meant keeping her hopes alive.

"When Sam first recommended you for the internship, I was at first skeptical," Dr. Hatch began. "You're not the type of person that we usually have for these internships. And when you came in for your first day, my skepticism increased."

It's okay, you can say you're sexist, Dr., Rowan thought, but kept the thought tucked behind a tight smile that didn't entirely reach her eyes.

"But, I wanted to give you a chance, and you proved me wrong," Hatch continued, and a flicker of surprise came. "Your diligence, your passion, the way the patients—especially Victor Creel—have been receptive to you, the talks I had with the nurses and Drs. Fredrickson and Sawyer, have shown me that what I thought about you being involved in this field was wrong. And that I can assure you, when I write my letter of recommendation to the dean and the psychology professor at Harvard, it will be nothing but glowing."

Rowan blinked, stunned. "I... thank you, sir. That means a lot."

"Yes, I know," Hatch said. "And, to reward your diligence, I want you to have the day off tomorrow."

Rowan forced herself not to gape. "Wait, seriously? Dr. Hatch, I can't, I—"

"No, no, I insist," Professor Hatch interrupted, before he smiled. "Your dedication is admirable, but you deserve some rest, Rowan. Take that time to enjoy your summer, and come back on Wednesday refreshed and ready."

Now Rowan was smiling. "Thank you, Professor. Really. It means a lot."

"Please, it's my pleasure," Hatch replied. "Now, go. Enjoy your summer."

Rowan beamed as Hatch opened the doors, keeping herself from running down the steps at the news, barely registering the electric thrill running through her at sensing the storm rumbling above her. Not only did Hatch confirm he would write that letter of recommendation and that it would be positive, but a day off meant she could help everyone with the code. It was great news.

Enough to mask the knot of dread still wound tight inside her.

***

When Rowan arrived at Scoops Ahoy, she noticed only Valerie and Robin were manning it. Robin had headphones resting around her neck, attached to the recorder, and a notepad was peeking out from behind the cash register, Valerie's writing clear on it mixed with Robin's and her drawings along with drawings that must be Valerie's as well. A dissatisfied Erica Sinclair and her group of friends were at the front before they stormed away, Rowan quickly moving out of the way before she made her way to her friends.

"Thank God. I thought the twerp was never gonna leave," Valerie muttered, before she smiled at seeing Rowan. "Hey, Rowan."

"Hey Val. Hey Robin," Rowan greeted back. She looked over, trying to peek behind the frosted glass of the window, but she couldn't see Steve or Dustin in the backroom behind it. "Uh, where are the guys?"

"They left a couple hours ago," Valerie answered.

"To do what?"

Robin and Valerie looked at each other before Robin grinned.

"Spycraft."

***

Steve gaped in disbelief at the sight happening before his eyes.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing, couldn't believe what was actually happening. He could barely keep from scoffing at the sight of Mark Lewenski lying about actually playing instead of just staying on the bench the entire season to impress Nancy Cobin.

Dustin, however, couldn't get his annoyance of what Lewenski was doing, as he only requested, "Dude, if you're not gonna stay focused, just give me the binoculars."

"Oh Jesus Christ, whatever happened to standards?" Steve said irritably. "I mean, Lewenski never even come off the bench!"

"Dude, you are the worst spy in history, you know that?" Dustin told him, just as irritably, as he made a grab for the binoculars. Steve gave a half-hearted attempt to keep Dustin away—especially as the younger boy's grabbing almost strangled Steve with the binoculars strap—but he managed to snag the binoculars, pressing them to his face as he looked for what they originally came here to do—looking for evil Russians in the mall, hiding behind a potted bush.

"Besides, I don't even get why you're looking at girls when you have the perfect one right in front of you," Dustin said.

Steve scoffed, rolling his eyes—he already heard this yesterday when he dropped Dustin off at his house last night. "Seriously, if you say Robin again..."

"Actually, I was gonna say Rowan," Dustin revealed.

That had Steve give pause, staring at Dustin in bemusement. "What? No! No way."

"Yes way," Dustin said right back, looking at Steve in his own bemusement. "Come on, Steve, you can't be this oblivious."

"Look, Henderson, me and Rowan... we're friends, okay? Just friends," Steve insisted, now in disbelief that Dustin thought he and Rowan had a thing for each other.

"Then how come you guys constantly flirt with each other?" Dustin asked pointedly, looking right at Steve as the older boy's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull.

"We don't flirt, Dustin! I—we just talk like that," Steve argued, glaring at Dustin.

"Okay, if you don't have a crush on Rowan," Dustin began, which had Steve gape and open his mouth to argue he didn't have a crush on Rowan, "then how come you said she was special from other girls, including Nancy, a year ago? Huh? I don't think a friend would call his friend special and not like any one else."

That left Steve speechless. 

He had called Rowan that—because that was, at the time, the best way for Steve to summarise all the complicated thoughts and feelings he felt toward Rowan Graveswood. He cared about her, which was odd considering how they were enemies for years before everything changed between them, and Steve knew she cared about him—they were friends, friends cared about each other. They argued and bantered, but they also talked, talked about things no one else knew, comforted each other after nightmares and broken hearts. Steve had said that because Rowan was special, and not just because of her powers—Steve never met a girl as loud, sarcastic, smart, ferocious, loyal and good as Rowan Graveswood, and he was certain he never would. Rowan was one in a million, a hurricane that only swept through once and left you either destroyed or alone in its wake. Her powers were just an addition to why she was special, not why she was. And just like he did months ago, Steve felt safety in her storm—she was his safe harbour, his light he would always follow, even though her storm should have destroyed him in its wake. He hoped she found safety in him, too.

She was Rowan. And no matter what ridiculous things Dustin made up from seeing them interact or what Steve had said when giving him advice, she was just his friend. That was what they would always be to each other. And he was okay with that. Because he didn't have a crush on Rowan, and he was pretty sure it was mutual.

"Look, I know what I said, Henderson, but it doesn't change anything. Me and Rowan are just friends. That's it," Steve eventually said after an agonisingly long minute of silence as Dustin kept giving him that look. "Besides, even if I did, she's not my type. She's not even in the ballpark of what my type is, all right?"

"Uh-huh, and what's your type again? Not awesome?" Dustin snarked.

Steve gave a flat look at Dustin and said dryly, "Thank you."

Dustin nodded and turned back to spying for Russians as Steve tried to reason, "For your information, she's still in school. And remember, Henderson, we used to be enemies, how well do you think we'd work if we used to hate each other? Plus, she likes horror and metal and shit."

Dustin only gave him a disbelieving look at hearing that.

"Now that you're out of high school, which means you're technically an adult, don't you think it's time you move on from primitive constructs such as popularity?" Dustin questioned, pinning Steve with a sharp look, seeing through the reasons Steve gave for what they were—excuses for why Steve shouldn't go out with Rowan or at least admit he had a big fat crush on her.

"Primitive constructs? That some stupid shit you learned in Camp Know... Nothing?" Steve shot back—or trying to, at least.

"Camp Know Where, actually," Dustin corrected. "And no, it's shit I learned from life. Instead of dating somebody who you think's gonna make you look cooler, why not date somebody you actually enjoy being around with? Like me and Suzie."

"Oh, Suzie. Yeah, you mean, 'hotter than Phoebe Cates'. Yeah, that Suzie?" Steve replied sarcastically. "And, uh, let's think about how exactly did you score that beautiful girlfriend? Oh yeah, with my advice. Because that's how this works, Henderson. I give you the advice, you follow through. Not the other way around, all right, pea-brain?"

"Yeah, doesn't change you like Rowan as more than a friend," Dustin muttered. "And she likes you back."

The glare Steve was about to give faltered. "What? Henderson, what the hell are you talking about?"

Dustin looked at Steve with a You're joking look. "Really? Are you really this dense? Rowan obviously has a crush on you, too."

"No, she doesn't. Are you forgetting who she is, Henderson? She's never liked anyone. She sees me as a friend," Steve shot down.

"Maybe, but you don't see it. She talks to you way differently than she talks to Robin or Jonathan."

"That could be because we used to be rivals."

Dustin rolled his eyes. "God, you're as oblivious as each other."

Steve scoffed, now rolling his eyes. "Or it could be you're just seeing things that aren't there, Henderson. Look, there's nothing between me and Rowan, okay? We're friends. Just friends."

"Just friends," Dustin repeated, sarcasm thick in his voice.

"Yeah, just friends. And you better believe it, because—"

"Believe what?"

Steve jumped, as did Dustin, as he turned and saw Rowan there, her confused expression breaking under her smirk.

"Will you stop doing that?!" Steve whisper-yelled, glaring at Rowan.

"I told you yesterday—never," Rowan replied, smirk widening, before her eyes looked at the binoculars in Dustin's hands. "No sign of evil Russians?"

Steve and Dustin looked at each other, before Dustin shook his head. "No, no sign."

"Okay. And what were you two talking about?" Rowan asked.

"Only that you and Steve are oblivious to how you both have cr—"

Steve slapped his hand over Dustin's mouth, looking at Rowan, who had a perplexed look on her face, as he ground out, "Ignore him, Graveswood."

"Okay?" Rowan said, brow arched in confusion, before she crouched down. "Now, scoot over and give me those, menace."

She held a hand out and Dustin surrendered the binoculars to Rowan. She put them against her face, squinting through them as her shoulder brushed against Steve's. A jolt shuddered through him at the contact and he looked at Rowan—and Dustin, who was giving him and Rowan a look like he could see the crush they presumably had on each other. Which they didn't—at least, Steve didn't.

Didn't he?

***

Rowan pressed her lips into a thin line as she stared through the fronds of the plant she, Dustin and Steve were crouched behind, looking for any signs of evil Russians. Dustin had taken the binoculars back, scanning through them while she and Steve relied on just their eyes to scope out the people in the mall. As she did, Rowan noticed Steve looking at her, which made confusion spring up in her, especially when he quickly looked away when he noticed her staring right back at him.

Why is he looking at me like that? Rowan wondered, which was probably hypocritical—because sometimes she looked back at him when he wasn't looking, either.

She looked at the food court, frowning. If Russians were in Hawkins, would they even head to the mall? Did the Soviets like to come here, order some burgers, and chow down among clueless Americans? Maybe even shop around? Oh, maybe she crossed paths with one while she was at Scoops visiting her friends and Steve, having ice cream over plans to take down America! Just the thing evil Russians liked to do!

Yeah, thinking of the Russians doing that was helping Rowan ignore the dread in her gut about Russians being here. But could you blame her?

"Target acquired," Dustin suddenly said, dragging Rowan out of her thoughts.

"What? Where? Steve demanded, Rowan nodding and saying, "You sure you saw one, Dustin?"

"Yes, I'm sure, look! Ten o' clock, Sam Goody's" Dustin insisted. 

"Give me that," Steve said, taking the binoculars back. He looked to Rowan and let her hold one side while he held the other, the both of them looking through it. 

The minute they did, Rowan felt her heart rate spike.

A man, dressed in black with sunglasses on his face and holding a duffel bag, walking like a man on a mission.

"Fuck," she hissed at the same time Steve said, "Shit. Duffel bag."

He looked at her, then looked at Dustin, and they said in unison, "Evil Russian."

Taking the binoculars from Steve, Rowan looked back at the Russian—and now that she did, she frowned. "Guys, are we sure that's a Russian?"

"Who else could he be? Let's go!" Dustin said.

"Go? Go where?"

"After him! We can't lose him!" Dustin explained, getting to his feet and following the Russian. 

Rowan frowned. "Dustin, wait—"

Steve grabbed her hand, tugging her up. "C'mon, Graveswood."

Rowan gave Steve a bemused look, before she sighed. "Fine."

Holding Steve's hand, Rowan went with him and Dustin, following behind the supposed evil Russian. They rushed up a, thankfully, people-free escalator, keeping pace, just a couple steps behind the Russian, and as they followed him, Rowan couldn't get the thought that maybe they pegged the guy wrong—that in the hype of finding a Russian, Dustin had latched onto the first person that may look like a Russian and assumed it was, while relying on stereotypes of what an evil Russian undercover was supposed to look like and seeing someone who perpetrated the stereotype so of course it had to be a Russian. Funny how the human brain worked like that.

Then again, it could be an evil Russian...

Whatever he was, the two boys rushing along beside her were convinced their target was a Russian, faces set in determination of not losing him amidst the crowds filling the mall. Rowan did her fair share of pushing and shoving, not bothering to mumble apologies as they all received dirty looks.

"Slow down!" Dustin hissed, to which Steve responded, "We're losing him."

"Yeah, Henderson, you were the one who wanted to chase after him," Rowan reminded as she turned back. Neither Steve or Rowan had let go of each other's hands.

As they closed the gap, Dustin's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "You're getting too close!"

Rowan's own eyes widened. "Shit, he's right."

Steve turned to look at her—which was the moment his shoulder collided with someone while Rowan nearly knocked someone down.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Rowan apologised as she helped the woman up, who gave her a dirty look and hurried away while the guy Steve bumped into shouted, "Watch it, dickwad!"

That shout alerted the man they were following, and the trio's eyes widened collectively.

"Shit," Rowan hissed as she hurried to lean against the wall, pretending to look at her nails while maintaining a bored expression as Steve stared into the window display of a book store and Dustin grabbed a pay phone, saying in a robotic, utterly unconvincing voice, "Hello. Yes, I am fine. How are you?"

Wow. What a great performance. Totally convincing. Worthy of an Oscar, Rowan thought sarcastically.

Rowan flicked her eyes to the supposed Russian, who stared at them before turning away and resuming his walk. Once he did, the trio peeled away from their spots and chased after him, coming to a stop behind an information guide as they saw the Russian enter a... jazzercise studio?

Rowan's eyes widened. Oh. Oh!

"All right, everyone, listen up!" the "Russian" shouted as he whipped off his sunglasses and unzipped his duffle bag, pulling out a stereo. "I just have one question for you. Who is ready to sweat?"

Rowan smirked, hiding her relief. as the women inside let out shouts of readiness to get exercising. This man was no Russian. He was a jazzercise instructor!

Thank fucking God.

Rowan looked at the two idiots as the lesson began, Wham!'s Wake Me Up playing, still smirking, before she noticed that their eyes were trained on the studio—specifically, on the women.

Rowan scoffed, rolling her eyes. Typical.

"Come on. Let's get back to base, super spies," Rowan said, injecting as much sarcasm as humanly possible into the nicknames, grabbing Steve and Dustin by their arms and dragging them away back to the escalators.

As they headed back to Scoops Ahoy, Steve and Dustin were quiet. However, the minute they entered Scoops, Steve said, "Yo Robin, Val, you're not gonna believe who Dustin thought was a Russian—"

"You did too!" Dustin exclaimed as Rowan stared at Steve in disbelief.

"No I did not!" 

"Yes you did!"

"No I did—"

"You both thought he was a Russian, you idiots!" Rowan yelled, before she frowned as she noticed Robin, who'd pushed past Steve and Dustin, running out of the store. 

"Robin, where you're going?" she asked, before looking to Valerie. "Val, what's up with Robin?"

But the curly-haired girl didn't give an answer before she was chasing after Robin, leaving the three of them staring in confusion.

"Hey, where are they going?" Steve asked, looking at Rowan.

"I don't know!" Rowan exclaimed, before her eyes widened as realisation struck. "Fuck, it might have something to do with the code. Come on!"

And now she was running after Robin and Valerie, Steve staring at her in confusion before he was chasing after her, Dustin a step behind. Rowan saw Robin in the middle of the food court, arriving just in time to hear her friend say, "... if you tread lightly. If you tread..."

Rowan skidded to a stop beside Valerie, the two girls sharing a look as Robin looked up and said with something like an epiphany, "If you tread lightly!"

Rowan looked in the direction where her best friend was looking, and saw the shoes shop. What?

"What's going on? Is it the code?" she whispered to Valerie, but the curly-haired girl's eyes were wide as she said, "Robin! Where's blue meets yellow in here?"

But Robin was already looking for it, mumbling under her breath the words, as Valerie looked at Rowan and whispered, "Robin thinks she's cracked it!"

Rowan's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah! Silver cat feeds is the Lynx Deliveries, trip to China is the Chinese food shop, and tread lightly is—" Valerie explained, but Rowan had come to her realisation as she finished, "The shoe store! So blue meets yellow in the west is..."

Rowan's eyes widened. There was only one thing in the mall that had blue and yellow meet in the west—she stared at it enough times that it was imprinted on her brain.

"It's the clock," she whispered. "It's the fucking clock!"

Robin had come to the same conclusion, staring at the clock as she grinned and said, "In the west." Valerie looked at it, her eyes still wide as a grin grew, of the code being cracked.

"Robin."

Rowan jumped, turning to see Steve and Dustin there, both confused as the older boy went on, "Rowan, Val. What are you doing?"

"I cracked it," Robin answered, Rowan and Valerie nodding in agreement.

"Cracked what?" Steve pressed as Robin hopped down from where she'd been standing, revealing, "I cracked the code."

"Wait, you did?" Dustin asked, eyes wide.

"Rowan and Val helped," Robin said, pointing to them as Rowan and Valerie grinned.

"You did most of it, super genius," Rowan returned, giving her best friend's shoulder a squeeze. Robin beamed.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have realised it without you, Robin," Valerie admitted. Robin's eyes widened and her smile turned a touch giddy as Valerie's own eyes widened, a look of shock that she hadn't made herself an idiot in front of Robin coming in clutch. Rowan smiled, glad to see the connection forming.

"What is it?" Dustin questioned, looking right at Robin and reminding Rowan of the two boys.

"It's the mall," Robin revealed, gesturing around. "The code's about the mall."

"Which means the Russians must be using it for something," Valerie added on, grinning. 

At that, the euphoric high Rowan felt crashed down.

The code was about Starcourt. And if it was about Starcourt, if the Russians were using Starcourt for something...

Then what the hell were they using this consumerist vampire-building for?

Apparently, Steve shared similar thoughts, because he asked, "To do what?"

But Dustin had the answer, a determined look on his face.

"That's what we're gonna find out."

***

AHHH!!

This chapter was a blast to write! And yeah, Rowan's getting a day off! (too bad Russians are gonna make that day off longer)

And yes, a wild Steve POV has appeared! And yeah, Dustin is one of the captains of the Stowan ship—he sees right through Rowan and Steve and how obliviously in love they are. Also, I loved writing Steve, Rowan and Dustin's dynamic in the "Russian" chase scene. Rowan was really holding the brain cell there

And the code cracking scene! I had to add Valerie and Rowan realising what the code was about, while keeping Robin cracking most of it—because I loved that scene so much with Robin.

Now, stakeout time baby!

Next chapter will be soon!

Please read, comment and vote!