Chapter Text
Mike dragged his hands down his face as Derek recalled the events from yesterday.
“And so, I woke up this morning and convinced my mom to drive me allllllllll the way down here, to tell YOU that this discovery could make us rich”
Mike could see the glint in his eye, like Mike would be happy that his sister had stolen his (technically Dustin’s) cerebro, was talking to some boy, AND had somehow intercepted a secret Russian code.
This was his life apparently.
“No.”
Derek’s eyes widened, Mike could’ve sworn he saw some sort of betrayal in his face before it was covered with annoyance.
“Mike cmon!, you can be mad at me but you have to admit this is a legendary discovery!”
“And you had to come to ME about it!? Why not anyone else! Dustin, Lucas, hell even MAX would probably indulge in your stupid-“
“What about me?” Max’s head popped through the two sliding windows and Mike clicked his mouth shut.
“Nothing.” Mike grumbled, glaring at her.
Max just smiled, which was already putting Mike on edge because she NEVER smiled at him if there wasn’t an ulterior motive. Whatever it was, he didn’t know. Blackmail, a threat, maybe she’d even leap out from the break room and attack him or something to get the truth out of him-
“Oh, so the secret Russian code thing isn’t of any importance?”
He knew it. Max was the devil, and this was hell.
*******
The Scoops Ahoy sign was now flipped to closed as Mike listened to Derek recount the events from yesterday again to catch Max up. Knowing Max, she probably had heard the whole story and was only doing this to piss Mike off.
“Wow, I wouldn’t have ever thought sweet little Holly would be such a rule breaker” Max smirked at Mike as he gripped the table so hard his knuckles were turning white.
“She’s not, she just has very terrible influences.” Mike eyed Max as she sarcastically clutched her heart.
“Mike! Don’t speak about yourself that way! You’re a great big brother!”
Her and Derek howled in laughter as Mike gaped at her like a fish out of water, folding his arms over his chest without a retort, a scowl remerging on his face for the 30th time that day.
Max wiped a tear from her eye, “so, how do we even figure this whole code thing out? I mean you said you heard it but I doubt you remember it.”
Mike rolled his eyes, was she seriously playing into this?
“That’s the other thing,” Derek muttered, taking his own walkie out from where they were clipped on his shorts. “I was going to talk to Holly when I got here, inform her that I was going to tell Mike and if she didn’t want to help with making us rich then she can just suck my fat o-“
Mike cut him off with a cold, hard glare.
Derek cleared his throat nervously before continuing.
“But, when I went to turn my walkie to connect to hers..” Derek pulled the antenna up, static started to emerge from the device before voices began to speak.
"Неделя длинная. Серебряный кот ест, когда синий встречается с желтым на западе. Поездка в Китай звучит неплохо, если ступать осторожно."
“Holy Shit..” Max whispered, Mike didn’t even bother with a response, his mouth slightly agape as he listened before Derek pulled the antenna back down.
“So I went down to that one radio store where those two people you guys are friends with work”
“Steve and Robin!? You got Steve and Robin involved in this!?”
“Shut up Wheeler!!” Max turned to smack the back of Mikes head, which was not helping his growing headache.
“They don’t know anything, I told them it was from some old people movie my dad watched and I wanted to surprise him with his favorite line recorded” Derek exclaimed, pulling out a mini cassette recorder.
“That’s the stupidest lie I’ve ever heard, did they actually believe that?” Mike was so, incredibly done with this conversation.
“Clearly! Or he wouldn’t be here telling us! Stop being such an asshole.” Max kicked him in the shin underneath the table, resulting in Mike kicking her back.
“Says you! You threw ice cream in my hair the other day, do you know how long that took to get out!?” Mike used his hands to emphasize just how frustrated he was by flapping them around his body (in a very manly way; thank you very much.)
“Because you deserved it! You do nothing but slack off and mope about El” Mike gawked,
“I do not!!”
“Do too!”
“Do not!!”
“Do TOO”
Max practically spat it in Mike’s’ face, and before he could kill her, Derek cleared his throat, staring at them with a blank expression on his face.
The two teens awkwardly sat back in their chairs again.
“Anyway, I was really confused on why my walkie could pick up the code because that would mean-“
“-that they have to be close.” Mike finished Derek’s sentence as Derek smiled, nodding.
“Meaning, that there has to be secret evil Russians in the mall as we speak!!” Derek slammed his hands on the table, practically startling Mike out of his seat, Max of course remained unfazed.
Mike rolled his eyes, settling back into his chair before facing Derek, “Well, how are we going to crack a code in an entirely different language? I mean, seriously this “plan” of yours has all types of flaws-“
“Ikemay eelerwhay isyay ethay umbestday ersonpay aliveyay” Max leaned back in her chair, proud as Mike’s eyes widened. Why hadn’t she let him know that she could speak Russian!?
“That was pig Latin dumbasses.”
Of course, why would Mike expect anything different.
“But, I did dabble in Russian when I was in California, I got grounded often so I had to find some way to occupy myself” Max continued on, as Derek lit up.
“Perfect! So you can translate right?” Derek tossed her the cassette recorder.
“A bit, I picked up something about a.. silver cat?? But that’s about it” Mike groaned, this was so stupid. I mean seriously, the fact that Holly found this out by accident and now Derek was trying to profit off of her discovery was so-
Wait.
“What about Holly!?”
********
Holly had a weird feeling in her gut.
She had just finished hanging out with Mary, biking back to her house as the breeze swept through her hair.
It was warm out, not unbearably hot but a nice warm with a subtle breeze. The birds chirping and the sky was a very pretty blue today.
And it was quiet. Too quiet.
Derek hadn’t radioed her all day, normally, he’d be bothering her about something stupid. Like video games or math.
But it’d been quiet, all day. It was odd and Holly didn’t like it.
Before she knew it, she was at Derek’s house and knocking on the door. I mean, she was just checking to see if he hadn’t died or something, they hadn’t gone home together last night…
Derek’s sister opened the door, (what was her name again?? Tiffany..? Tiara..? Tina..? Tina.)
Holly never really liked her, she was mean in a different way than Derek was, bratty. Holly’s lack of enthusiasm for her skyrocketed when Tina rolled her eyes at her, crossing her arms and leaning on the door.
“What do you want? Derek’s not home.” Holly raised her eyebrow at that. Derek wasn’t home? Shit, did he make it home last night?
“Where is he?” Holly asked, a hint of worry in her tone. Tina only huffed, “Mom took him to the mall earlier, for what, I don’t know; and I don’t care.”
The mall? Why would Derek be at the mall?
“Oh, and by the way, if you see him, tell him to give me back my cassette recorder. The brat stole it and if he doesn’t give it back I’m going to kill him.” Tina scowled before slamming the door in Holly’s face.
Why would Derek need a cassette recorder? And why would he be at the…
Mike. Scoops Ahoy. Mike worked at the mall. The Russians.
Oh, Holly was going to kill that dipshit.
*********
Derek had calmed Mike down about Holly enough to where the three of them were now in the break room trying to figure out whatever the hell these Russians were saying.
They had been listening to this tape for the past 30 minutes and Mike wanted to rip his ears off.
So far, they had “blue and yellow”, “silver cat”, and “China”.
So yeah, Mike wasn’t entirely too optimistic.
Also, this decoding crap was reducing his pay.
“Yeah, I’m done.” Mike said, standing up and groaning at the headache that wouldn’t go away.
“What!? Mike cmon” Derek pleaded, Max just shook her head, “let him go, he’s a party pooper anyway”
Mike going to tell her that she was a piece of shit, but before he could the break room doors swung open like The X-men themselves had broken it down.
But, instead of Wolverine or Storm, Mike found his 5’1 little sister, she looked mad. Scratch that, she looked pissed.
“Derek.”
Mike found himself gulping and the anger wasn’t even directed at him.
He turned to Derek, whose eyes were wide with fear, and a hint of amusement.
“Holly! Hey..” he seemed sheepish as she walked over to him and smacked him in the back of the head.
“I told you not to tell him!” She screamed as Derek yelped from the smack Holly had given him. He looked up at her, scowling.
“I’m trying to make myself a billionaire! When I’m rich and living on the beach I don’t want to hear anything from you!” Holly rolled her eyes, “oh please, like someone would ever pay you”
Derek looked bewildered, “what is that supposed to mean!?”
The two began to bicker and Mike began to feel a strange sense of Déjà vu, looking toward Max who had a very similar looking unamused face, the one Derek had a few moments ago.
“Okay, okay! Calm down.” Max said, her voice slightly elevated. Holly and Derek shut up quickly, which never happens when Mike tries to get them to shut up- but whatever.
Holly looked bewildered, “wha- Max!? You got Max involved!?” Max simply shrugged, Holly’s wrath toward Derek must’ve made her not realize Max was also in the room. “you are just like your brother.” Both Wheeler siblings wrinkled their noses.
“Holls, I’m your favorite, right?” Max batted her eyelashes as Holly crossed her arm, “not currently.”
Mike snorted.
Max flipped Mike off before turning back to Holly, “well, even if I’m not your favorite right now.. humor me. What do you know about Russian?”
Mike rolled his eyes, “Max she’s eleven, why would she know-“
“I know enough.” Mike’s eyes widened and Max shot him an I told you so look before she continued. “I know deep down, you still love me” Holly rolled her eyes, but nodded. “So.. do you think you could..?” Max held out the cassette recorder, hesitantly, shaking it a bit as if that would urge Holly to grab it.
Holly eyed it, looked up at Max, and sighed before swiping the recorder from her hand. Holly turned the recorder on, listening for a minute before rewinding it and listening again.
She does this five more times. Mike counts. “Holly, stop trying to be nice for the big bad demon that is Max, it’s okay if you don’t know it” Max launches a pencil at Mikes forehead.
Mike turns back to Holly, whose brow is furrowed and tongue stuck in the corner of her mouth. Shes messing with the Holly The Heroic necklace Mike had gifted her.
“The week is long.” She muttered, and Mikes eyes practically bulge out of his head. Derek whoops and Max gives Mike the stupid smug grin she gives whenever she right.
“The silver cat… feeds? When blue and yellow meet in the west.” Holy shit, she was actually doing it. Holly actually knew Russian and Mike had never known. Jesus, was he a bad brother? He feels like he should know this.
“A trip to China sounds nice.. if you tread lightly.” She turns the recorder off, placing it on the table. Max gives her a slow clap and Derek practically leaps from his chair to hug her. Holly grimaces and pushes him off.
“Gross” she says and Derek realizes what he’s doing and practically leaps off of her.
“So.. what does that mean?” Mike asks, everyone now turning his direction.
“No clue”, Holly shrugs “but it’s clearly a code.” Mike looks over to Max, who looks deep in thought.
“Uh.. Max, any ideas?” Derek asks, though Max ignores him, her brow furrowing deeper.
“Silver cat….blue and yellow….the west….” Max practically springs from her chair, knocking it over in the process. Mike jolts in place, Holly and Derek with equally matched confusion.
“Max! What the hell-!?” Max runs past him, grabbing from the tip jar.
“MAX!? THATS HALF OF MY PAY YOU ASSHOLE!!!” He screams as she bolts out of the door, “if I’m right about this, then we need this money! Trust me!!” Mike groans as Holly and Derek scramble after her, realizing he has to run too because of Holly gets hurt his mom will kill him.
A lot of things scare Mike, and the wrath of Karen Wheeler is up there.
Max weaves through the crowd of the mall, Holly and Derek hot on her trail and Mike lagging behind.
Max hops onto the fountain, which is placed in the middle of the mall. She turned to the delivery company, “silver cat..” she looks around, “blue and yellow.. in the…” she turns toward the clock, “the west.” Max huffs out a laugh of amusement before continuing, “a trip to China sounds nice” she started again, looking at the Chinese restaurant. “If you tread lightly..” the shoe store.
Holy shit.
Holly and Derek ran to the fountain, Mike in tow, huffing with his hands on his knees. “Max, whatever you figured out better be good because I did not run all the way over here for nothing-“
“I cracked it.”
Derek’s eyes gleamed, Holly and Mike shared an identical look of confusion. “Wha-?” Holly started before Max cut her off,
“I cracked the code.”