The babysitters club|| Steve Harrington

22

The endless hallway did in fact have an end. Thankfully not a dead end.

It opened into a cross road, a connection of similar tunnels side by side. The farther in they walked, the more people they started to see.

Every few seconds, Steve would motion for them to hide and they would have to press against the pipes and metal lockers that were strewn here and there, until the danger passed. A couple times, Matteo could have sword there was no actual threat, Steve had just been close enough to Robin and so when he shushed them and told them a guard was coming, the two of them would be pressed close together.

Matteo hated it. He already hated not clarifying things with Robin and add Steve's flirting to the mix? All he was getting was a Molotov cocktail.

He remembered telling Steve to give up with Robin before he went to sleep that night, but obviously it only made him try harder.

Matteo wasn't sure why it was bothering him so much. Guys flirted with Robin all the time, and girls flirted with Matteo. Then they would look at each other and give their opinions on the people that had approached them, laughing about all the idiots together.

And while Steve Harrington was arguably one of the biggest idiots, everytime he so much as looked at Robin, Matteo would clench his jaw and look away.

"Okay, clear" Steve stuck his head out from behind a metal box of machinery. "Clear, come on, let's go"

He beckoned the rest of them so they followed. It wasn't that he was the leader of their little group, no matter how much Steve thought he was in charge. It was just that if Steve stuck his head out and got caught, Matteo and the others would happily watch him get captured.

Would they?

In any case, Steve liked feeling important so they let him.

"Okay that was close" Robin whispered.

"Too close"

"Relax" Steve held up a hand behind him as they sneakily rounded the corner, "Alright? Relax. Nobody saw..."

Whatever Steve was going to say next, the words died in his throat as his face went slack in confusion.

Matteo didn't understand why Steve had stopped until the blond held him back with a hand to his chest, both of them just gaping at the sight in front of them.

It looked like a scene out of a movie, something Matteo would expect to see on the Death Star. It was a bustling level Hub. People were scattered here and there, the biggest gathering of these Russians Matteo had seen up until now.

He knew whatever he was getting into was weird, but it hadn't occurred to him exactly how weird until he was staring weird in the face.

The little red golf cart lookalikes sped here and there. A few men were gathered in a corner in bright red uniforms like they stepped right out of a sci-fi movie. A few scientists walked by with clipboards, wearing white lab coats.

The sheer massiveness of the entire operation blew Matteo's mind.

All of this, under Hawkins and no one had any idea.

A female voice spoke over the PA system in Russian, but it wasn't the code so Matteo didn't understand her words.

More scientists, armed soldiers and men in hazmat suits travelled here and there, all of them walking with purpose. They looked like cogs in a giant machine, just pieces or parts of something much bigger.

One man on the upper floor looked down past the railing.

They were all dressed in bright colors except for Matteo, so it was a wonder he didn't spot them.