Chapter Text
Waking up in a Russian lab, bleeding and tied to a chair was not an idle situation.
Mike wished the Russians would have just killed him. Wait no… he wished they had killed Max. He wanted to be alive.
He lifted his head and took in the room around him. It was dark with greyish blue walls and medical equipment everywhere. Stuff you’d find in a dentists office.
“Hey dumbass, you good? Looked like they beat you up a bit,” Max whispered her voice sounded breathless and scared. She waited for his response, a slow nod, before saying “I think I have an idea…”
“That’s new.”
“Shut up. The commie idiots left the scissors in the room,” Max gestured with her head, “Over there. If we could get them we could cut our binds and get out of here, find the others.”
Mike grinned. But the plan had one major flaw.
“And how are we gonna get them?”
The silence was deafening. Great. Amazing.
He felt Max try to squirm behind him again. It gave him an idea.
“What if we move our bodies together to like… jump over there?”
“That’s not an awful idea,”
“Ok on cue then?” Mike said, he didn’t wait for her response before saying, “3,2,1”
He pulled his body upwards and pushed from the ground in sync with Max. They shakily landed a second later about an inch away from where they started.
“Oh my god Wheeler this actually worked!”
“Ok, ok, let’s do it again,” if Mike was right they were about 3 more jumps from the scissors.
They repeated the jerky hop motion on beat we ith Mike’s counting 2 more times. It was really working, they would get out of here.
“Ok, 3,2,1,-“
*Splat*
They hit the cold metal floor under them hard. Mike began to bleed again.
“Fuck…” Mike murmured.
“We’re really gonna die now.” Max stiffen behind him.
Once again silence filled the room. Mike really didn’t have energy to comfort her.
“I wish I never took this stupid summer job.” Max said, “I should’ve known you’d get us into some bull shit.”
She was seriously blaming this on him.
“We wouldn’t be in this situation without the help of Mike Wheeler who just really needed to prove he was the worst boy friend the worlds ever seen…”
“Walk me through this one cause I have no clue how ANY of this connects,” Mike snorted.
“Oh I don’t know maybe cause you’re so FRAGILE in your relationship with El after she dumped you that when we picked up the Soviet signals you just HAD to solve the code before Dustin. Then you dragged me, Lucas and Will down here without him because you’re JEALOUS of how he and El are getting closer.” Max said bluntly enunciating words to make them sting, “And your plan is so faulty it left Dustin and El alone together.”
“Mhm sure, If you want to frame it in that bullshit way. But I did just get tortured because you wanted to play hero right? And save Lucas by blocking the door so he and Will could get away,” Mike replied, “If we wanna play the blame game.”
“So saving our friends is considered selfish now?” Max spat. Then she added, “I thought we were all about saving Will especially.”
Mike went completely silent. That comment was super unnecessary. He wasn’t always focused on Will was he? I mean, he was. He felt a blush on his face and felt glad Max couldn’t see it. Sure he thought about him a lot, but not like, abnormally. They were best friends, the thoughts and feeling about Will were all normal. And so much had happened he should be worried. What was she even implying? He still felt anxious despite all his really logical reasoning, I mean he hadn’t thought things about Lucas or Dustin the way he thought about Will. That doesn’t mean anything! We just aren’t that close! Will is more special…. That was entirely the problem though. He was scared of what the “special” meant. He felt himself get defensive.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He spoke trying to hide his panicking voice.
“El told me about how you’re always talking about him,” She spat, “And never even paying attention to her! Face it Mike, you were not a good boyfriend.”
“I’m was a great boyfriend!” Mike began to get annoyed, but at least they weren’t talking about Will, “Sorry me and El’s relationship wasn’t to your liking.”
The door behind them slammed open.
“Stop bickering.” A thick Russian accent entered the room. “Now where were you two going. Tsk tsk” He made a shrugging motion. He then walked over to the scissors and placed them in his pocket.
Two men pulled their chairs back right side up. Mike noticed a new man walk in as well in a lab coat and goggles. This man was preparing something Mike couldn’t quite see. He looked particularly evil Russian scientist.
The man Mike assumed to be in charge leaned in front of him.
“Let’s try telling the truth this time?” He rubbed his hand against Mikes bloody face, reopening a wound. Though, it hadn’t really closed, “Make this doctor’s trip less painful?”
Mike flinched and quietly yelped as he pushed harder on Mikes wound. The man smiled, enjoying his distress. Mike spat on him. The man rubbed it off.
“You’ll regret that American.” He snapped his fingers.
Before Mike could react the evil Russian doctor came from behind and seized the chair holding it still.
He felt Max start to squirm and yell, “What the hell are you doing? What is that?”, before her body went limp.
He then felt himself getting held down and stabbed in the neck with a needle, his eyes flittering asleep.