Zack knocked on Perry’s door. After a few moments, a decidedly un-Perry-like figure opened the door. By now, however, Zack was used to seeing Blake. She wore a denim blue button-up over a mint green shirt, with tight blank running pants completing the ensemble. Her blonde hair was tied up into a bun.

“Blake,” Zack said.

“Zachary,” she said in a formal tone with just a hint of flippancy to it.

“You don’t seem that surprised to see me,” Zack noted.

“No,” Blake said, standing to one side to let Zack in. “Rachel just texted me.”

Zack spun around. “She just texted you? I just talked to her five minutes ago.”

Blake crossed her hands. “It sounded pretty bad, which is par for the course for you two.”

Zack sighed. “Don’t suppose I could ask what she said?”

“Sorry, chum,” Blake gave him a phony smirk. She took a seat on the couch. “Girl talk.”

“Figures,” Zack replied. “Is Perry here?”

“Zack,” Perry announced himself, emerging from the dorm’s small bathroom. Zack noticed how his eyes moved from Zack and then to Blake. “You two getting along?”

“Famously,” Blake said as her attention drifted back to her phone.

“Nice phone,” Zack said, noticing the shiny new phone in her hands.

“Thanks. I haven’t blown it up yet,” Blake said. “But then again, you are here so…”

Zack saw a sparkle in her blue eyes that told him he’d best tread carefully. He turned back to Perry.

“I was wondering if you were ready to go look at that,” he looked at Blake, her eyes still locked on her phone. “Ummm, that thing.”

Perry shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, ummm, that thing.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “I guess I need to…powder my nose or something.”

As she walked away, Zack heard her say. “Boys and their secrets. And you say we’re bad for it.”

Zack heard the bathroom door close as Blake disappeared from the room. He turned back to Perry.

“I was thinking,” Perry said.

“Usually a good start,” Zack said.

“If the power source is damaged, there might not be much I can do,” Perry said. Zack cursed under his breath. This is not the news he wanted to hear. He was counting on Perry having some answers.

“But isn’t the power core located in the sternum,” Zack said.

“Yes, but your father designed the suit with relays throughout the suit. If the suit sustained major damage, it might have already burned out the power core,” Perry said.

“Dammit,” Zack sighed. “I don’t suppose you have one lying around.”

“Not on me,” Perry said. Zack narrowed his eyes on that one.

“But you do have one?” Zack said.

“I might have built one in my garage, but I’m not even sure it works,” Perry said. “It might fry the entire suit.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“So not the best option,” Zack replied. “Got it.”

Zack really didn’t want to risk it, in any case. It would take all day to arrange transportation to drive into the suburbs of Chicago and get Perry’s amateur power core, all for something which might blow up in their face. He could ask Scott to do it - his super-speed could come in handy - but would it be worth it for such a flawed solution? Besides, he and Scott weren’t on the best of terms lately.

“Don’t suppose you know of anywhere else that has a power core?” Zack said, more thinking aloud than anything else.

“No, that’s one thing they don’t sell online,” Perry said. “Outside of the black market.”

Zack remembered all of Max’s souvenirs within his display case. Could there be something in there that could repair his suit? He did seem pretty eager to help him, and this would qualify right?

“What about Amp’s Power Amplifier?” Zack asked, recalling one of the items had seen in the display case.

Perry gave him an appropriately strange look.

“That would be difficult, especially considering Amp is a supervillian, and more importantly, dead,” Perry replied. “Unless you are proposing we take up grave-robbing.”

“Why do you suggest the weirdest ways to take things?” Zack shot back.

“Well, I really don’t know what hobbies and proclivities you’ve taken up in the last two years,” Perry responded.

Okay, I deserve that one.

“Have you been to the Alpha House?” Zack asked.

“Let’s not change the subject,” Perry maintained his steely gaze as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“There’s a display case in the Alpha House, with mementos of all the villains their alumni have busted over the years,” Zack said. “Amp’s Power Amplifier is one of them. Would that work?”

Perry scratched his chin as he began to think about it.

“Theoretically, it could work,” he said.

“So we just run over there and grab it,” Zack said. “Easy as that.”

“Oh hell no!” came a cry from the bathroom. Blake re-emerged, hands on hips.

“You were listening to us?” Zack said.

“Of course I was listening to you!” Blake said. “How else was I going to know what was going on?”

Zack turned to her. “Look, we’re just running an errand. We’ll be right back. Then you can have Perry all to yourself.”

“An errand? You’re talking about going to Alpha House!” Blake raised her voice.

“And…?” Zack shrugged.

“Do you know how many people get shanked in Alpha Row a week?” Blake said. “That place is one brawl away from Campus Security sealing it off and calling it a day.”

“You’re exaggerating right?” Zack said. “And besides, it’s the middle of the day.”

Blake removed her hair from the bun it resided in, and tossed it over her shoulder. “I help Rachel proof the police blotter before it goes to print. That place is bad news.”

Zack noticed Perry wasn’t saying anything, which meant if he needed to get this done, it would be on him. Still, he wanted Perry there with him to make sure the device worked. He didn’t want to get home and realized it was a dud or worse some kind of forgery.

“Look, it shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes,” Zack said. “Perry will have his phone on him the whole time. Won’t you Perry?”

Perry stood completely frozen. He looked at Zack. He looked at Blake. And then he didn’t say another word. Zack sighed and rolled his eyes.

Blake met his gaze. Zack could see his blue eyes grow more vivid. He knew from the experience this meant she was charging up.

“Perry’s not going,” she said. “Not without me to back him up.”

Zack chuckled. “Look, I do appreciate that. But he’s not going alone. I’ll be with him.”

Blake didn’t take her eyes off him. “And how’s your track record for being there when Perry needed you?”

That was a low blow. Zack shrugged to not to snarl back at Blake, but he miraculously managed to keep his cool.

“Look, I don’t even know if girls are allowed in Alpha House. It is a fraternity after all,” Zack said.

Blake’s eyes began to light up once more. “Let them try and stop me.”

Zack knew he was fighting a losing battle. Blake was going, whether he liked it or not. He sighed, raising his hands as he admitted defeat.

“Fine,” Zack said. “Let’s get this over with.”

“See, honey,” Zack heard Blake tell Perry. “You just have to know how to talk to people.”

“That wasn’t a talk. That was pure extortion,” Perry said.

“Well, extortion is in the eye of the beholder,” Blake said with a wide grin.