[ Location: Vivan's Bedroom ][ Date: April 20th, 1985 - Saturday Morning ]
My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool and broken glass.
I sat up, groaning. The adrenaline from fighting a cosmic clown had worn off, leaving behind a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.
'Mana check.'
[ Magic Core: 70% Capacity (Slow Recovery). ][ Physical Fatigue: High. ]
"Great," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. "I'm a wizard running on fumes."
I reached for the Stone of Avarice on my nightstand. It was pulsing with a soft purple light, warm to the touch. It was full of fear energy—a battery waiting to be tapped.
'I could drain it. Get a mana boost. Get some points.'
I hesitated.
'No. Save it. If Vecna or Pennywise comes back for Round 2, I need a options. This is my emergency fund.'
I put the Stone away.
'Check on the Idiot.'
I closed my eyes. [ Remote Viewing ].
The static cleared. I saw Billy's room.
Billy Hargrove was doing pushups. He was sweating buckets. The heater in the corner was glowing red. He looked manic, his eyes wide and bloodshot, but they were blue. Human blue.
"Burn it out," Billy grunted, collapsing onto the floor. "Burn it out."
'He's fighting. That's Good.'
I snapped back to my body. I needed coffee and maybe a weapon that didn't require mana.
I checked my Glock 19. Full clip. Venom-coated.
"Let's go steal some secrets."
[ Location: Starcourt Mall - Scoops Ahoy (Back Room) ][ Time: 1:00 PM ]
The mall was technically closed for construction, but the ice cream shop was stocking for the grand opening.
Steve Harrington was trying to juggle three tubs of Rocky Road. He dropped one.
"Dammit!" Steve hissed, wiping ice cream off his shorts.
Robin Buckley ignored him. She was pacing in front of a whiteboard covered in Russian characters.
"It fits," Robin muttered, capping her marker. "It fits perfectly."
"What fits?" Dustin asked, leaning over the table.
"The code," Robin tapped the board. " 'The Silver Cat feeds.' I thought it was a metaphor. But look at the delivery schedule."
She pointed to a clipboard hanging on the wall.
LYNX TRANSPORT. DELIVERY: SATURDAY 8:45 PM.
"Lynx," I said, leaning against the doorframe. "Silver Cat."
"Exactly," Robin grinned. "And 'East to West'? The loading dock faces the sunset. 'When Blue and Yellow meet'? The clock tower hands."
"So," Steve wiped his hands. "At 8:45 tonight, a truck arrives. We watch it. We see what they're delivering. Simple."
"Simple," I agreed. "Except for the armed guards."
"Guards?" Steve paled.
"They're Russians, Harrington," I said. "They aren't delivering shoes. They're delivering the End of the World."
[ Location: Starcourt Mall - Service Corridor ][ Time: 8:30 PM ]
We stood by the service elevator.
"Okay," I said, looking at the group. "Dustin, you stay here. In the shop.""What?" Dustin protested. "No way! We found the signal! I'm coming!"
"No," I said firmly. 'Technically, I found the base first, Henderson. But sure, you found the radio wave.'
"You're twelve," I continued. "If things go south, I need someone on the radio to call Hopper. You are Command Center."
Dustin frowned, but he looked at my face and saw I wasn't negotiating. "Fine. But if you guys die, I'm taking Steve's bat."
"Deal."
"Deal."
I looked at Steve and Robin. "You two ready?"
"I have a bat," Steve said, patting his bag.
"I have... fluent Russian and a healthy fear of death," Robin said.
"Good enough. Let's move."
[ Location: Loading Dock - Ventilation Shaft ][ Time: 8:45 PM ]
We were crammed into a massive, industrial-sized vent overlooking the loading bay. It smelled like dust and diesel fumes.
"My leg is asleep," Steve hissed, shifting his weight. Even the large vent was a tight squeeze for his hair.
"Shh!" Robin elbowed him.
Below us, the bay doors rolled open. A massive truck backed in. The logo on the side was a silver lynx.
Men jumped out. They weren't wearing military fatigues—that would be too obvious. They were wearing grey coveralls with the Lynx Transport logo. But they didn't move like movers. They moved with military precision.
And they were armed. Submachine guns slung under their arms, pistols on their hips.
"Guns," Steve whispered, his voice cracking. "Why do movers have guns?"
"Because they're bad guys, Steve," Robin whispered back.
The soldiers began unloading crates. These weren't cardboard boxes. They were heavy, metal containers covered in frost.
'Cryo-containment.'
One of the soldiers slipped. He dropped his end of a crate.
CRACK.
The seal broke.
A hissing sound filled the bay. Green liquid oozed out, smoking as it hit the concrete. It burned a hole straight through the floor.
"Acid?" Steve gasped.
'System. Observe.'
[ Item: Condensed Psionic Fuel (Promethium). ][ Properties: Highly Volatile. Power Source for Inter-Dimensional Rift Generator. ]
'Fuel. They're fueling the Key.'
Then, they unloaded another crate. This one was bigger. And it was moving.
Something inside slammed against the metal wall. THUMP.
A growl echoed.
I zoomed in with my vision. Through a small grate in the crate, I saw skin. Slimy, grey skin.
'A Demodog.'
[ Entity: Demodog (Captured). Status: Stasis. ]
"They aren't just opening the gate," I whispered, a cold knot forming in my stomach. "They're collecting."
"Collecting what?" Robin asked.
"Monsters," I said. "They're building an army."
Suddenly, Steve shifted. His elbow hit a loose grate screw.
CLANG.
The sound echoed through the warehouse like a gunshot.
Two guards spun around. They raised their rifles, aiming at the vent.
"Run!" Steve whispered.
"No," I hissed, grabbing his arm. "If we move, they hear us. If they hear us, they shoot."
The guards walked toward the vent. They were getting closer.
'I have 70% Mana. I need a distraction.'
I looked at the light fixture hanging above the guards.
'Telekinesis: Precision Twist.'
[ Ability Active: Telekinesis. ]
I focused on the bulb. Not to break it, but to unscrew it.
Twist. Twist.
The bulb fell.
SMASH.
It hit the floor behind the guards.
They spun around, rifles raised toward the noise.
"Now!" I ordered. "Go! Quietly!"
We scrambled backward through the vents, sliding away just as the guards started shouting at the empty corner.
[ Location: Mall Corridors - Safe Zone ][ Time: 9:00 PM ]
We tumbled out of the vent into an unfinished store. Dustin was waiting for us with a walkie-talkie.
"What happened?" Dustin asked. "I heard a crash!"
"They have guns," Steve wheezed, clutching his chest. "Big guns. And green acid stuff."
"We have to tell Hopper," Dustin said. "We have proof."
I didn't answer. I was looking at the floor.
It was vibrating.
'Do you feel that?'
My Magic Core flared.
Deep below us, miles down, something turned on.
HUMMMMMMM.
The vibration rattled the shelves.
"Earthquake?" Robin asked, grabbing a counter for balance.
"No," I said, wiping a fresh trickle of blood from my nose. "They turned it on. The Key."
The vibration stopped.
But the damage was done.
Across town, in his bedroom, Billy Hargrove stopped doing pushups. He froze. He stared at the wall.
His eyes went black.
I looked at the group.
"They aren't building a mall," I said, my voice hollow. "They're building a battery. And they just plugged it in."
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