"This is really frickin' heavy, Stiles," Scott whined. "Are we even supposed to have it?"
"Well, my dad got a new one, so we're really just borrowing it from the police station," Stiles said, patting the old police radio that Scott was carrying. The two continued walking through the woods, dragging the old machine in the direction of the Hale house. The rolled-up sleeves of Scott's red jacket continually slipped down his arms as he lugged the ancient piece of technology through the woods. Mud flecked the hems of his jeans and his red converse, kicked up from beneath the leaves covering the forest floor; these annoyances were slowly testing Scott's patience as he helped his friend.
"Why do you even want this old piece of junk?" Scott asked impatiently.
"Would you just shut up and carry it?" Stiles snapped back. "We're almost at Derek's house."
"Good, I don't want to be here at night," Scott said, nervously eying the setting sun.
"Aww, is the big bad wolf scared of the woods?" Stiles teased. He saw the decrepit silhouette of the Hale house rising in the distance, a dark figure set apart from the red sun. It looked almost spooky, like something out of a horror movie. The gaunt trees surrounding it added to the effect. He realized that the perceived threat of the house was real, since a werewolf lived within it.
"Do you think Derek will be, uh, mad if we keep this in his house?" Stiles asked, suddenly nervous remembering the fact that the monster within the house could easily kill him. Despite the fact that he was wearing thick jeans, a sweater, and a t-shirt in the tepid spring night, the pale boy shivered.
"Yeah… probably," Scott said, stopping. He, too, wasn't keen on the idea of angering the Alpha of his werewolf pack.
"Huh… Well, I mean, we can't keep it at my house, and if your mom found it, she'd probably tell my dad. But," Stiles looked at the house looming on the hill, "maybe we could find somewhere else."
"I have an idea," Scott said, deviating slightly from their course toward the house. He led Stiles to a little stone structure that was built into the ground like a hovel. There were metal bars preventing entry, vines wrapping around the metal, reclaiming it for nature. Leaves nearly covered the small arch, making it difficult to notice if one wasn't aware of its presence. Scott pulled on one of the bars, opening a small door.
The two crouched low, climbing into the underground tunnel. The floor was covered in dirt, with leaves spilling in from the opening, but dissipating as the path progressed. The walls were made of ancient-looking stone, with a thin wire holding up a string of small bulbs running the length of the ceiling. The new technology clashed with the Medieval-looking passage, making it seem like an excavation site. "Woah," Stiles said, marveling at the new found area, "is this your Batcave?"
"It's where I found Derek when Kate Argent kidnapped him," Scott said, opening a door at the end of the tunnel. Stiles continued to follow him through more creepy stone hallways, lit only by the dull glow of the bulbs. The intermittent sources of light left a few spaces of shadow between them, making the boys' shadows dance and disappear. Stiles found the overall effect very unsettling, feeling as if someone else were in the tunnel with them. Eventually, they reached a huge metal door, and Scott slid the old piece of rusted iron to reveal a room.
It was a small room made of stone, with a few wooden tables and some bars stretching between the ceiling and floor. A set of wooden steps led up one of the walls, and dust covered every surface. There were some metal tools on several tables, and Stiles realized with a sick drop in his stomach that they had been used as torture devices on Derek. The shadows in the room jumped and disappeared as Scott supplemented the small bulbs with a giant floodlight standing in a corner.
"Dude!" Stiles exclaimed, circling the room. "This is perfect! It's our Wolfcave."
"I'm still not sure why we need a Wolfcave," Scott said, setting the heavy radio down on a table.
"Because, we can solve crimes before the cops get there with this!" Stiles said excitedly. "Just think of us: Beating up bad guys with your superpowers and getting all the glory. Add some excitement to this crappy little town!"
"I think excitement is the last thing I need," Scott said, thinking about the dangers he knew lurked in Beacon Hills, including himself.
"Dude, you've been given a gift. With great power comes great responsibility," Stiles said, looking him in the eyes.
"So you want me to be Spiderman?" Scott said, making fun of Stiles' movie quote.
Stiles rolled his eyes, turning on the old radio. The machine looked like it was from the seventies, with faux wood covering it, and that odd cream color adorning the plastic parts. It was in poor condition, with many scratches and nicks, clearly something that had been used for too many years. He leaned in close, tuning the frequency so he could pick up the messages that the police officers of Beacon Hills sent out. After a lot of static, he found a clear channel.
"-we've got a prowler at 645 Litchfield Road, suspect seen by neighbors entering second-story window-" the radio crackled and became static again.
"Did you hear that?" Stiles said excitedly, turning to his friend.
"So what?" Scott said.
"That's Danny's aunt's house!" Stiles said. "Remember, he said he was house-sitting at practice? He invited Jackson over?"
"You really need to stop eavesdropping," Scott said.
"Fine, but what if Danny is in trouble?" Stiles said, eying his friend. "Wouldn't you feel responsible if you found out anything happened to him? Knowing that you had the knowledge and ability to help him, but you sat by and did nothing?"
Scott hated when Stiles twisted logic. He figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out, though. "Fine, we'll go," Scott said, rolling his eyes and lackadaisically shuffling out of the door. Stiles hopped ahead of him, excited to be living out his superhero dream.
They wound through the tunnels, emerging in the nearly-dark woods. They trudged through the leaves, heading toward the edge of the woods where Stiles' car was parked. A question had been bugging Scott. "So, why do you want to do this? I mean, you don't have any 'powers', so why do you feel responsible?" Scott asked, keeping his eyes down.
"I dunno," Stiles said. "I guess I feel helpful by doing this. Like, I'm not always the Robin to your Batman."
"Well good, now you can have your little Batman fantasy, and I'll be your Robin," Scott said, unhappy to hear this analogy once again. "Besides, I liked Robin."
"It sucks to be the powerless sidekick. Did anyone have a Robin poster in their bedroom? Nobody exactly aspires to be second best," Stiles said.
"I didn't exactly ask to be Batman," Scott said. "It's only because I have these weird… wolf powers."
"Thank you, captain obvious, I wasn't aware," Stiles said sarcastically.
"Oh no," Scott said, "you're the hero here. You're Captain Obvious. I'm just the sidekick."
Stiles rolled his eyes at his friend. "You know, I should have an awesome name. Like, The Shadow. Or you could be The Wolfman and I could be The Moon."
Scott now rolled his eyes at his friend. "Whatever… Captain Obvious."