A short distance from the Dean’s office, Zack struggled not to panic. Just as Icer found the Magnometer, Amber Shaw showed up to get something. If Icer was caught, he’d turn on Zack in a heartbeat, and his whole plan would go up in smoke, unless he could salvage this whole mess somehow.

The cool air of dusk pierced Zack’s jacket as he paced around the sidewalks, while trying not to look like a crazy person. Zack glanced around his surroundings. There was no one else in sight, so at least that wasn’t a concern. A short distance away, the Dean’s Office stood in view, already cascaded by falling shadows of evening.

Icer clearly needed his help. He was close to being spotted, if he hadn’t already.

The problem was, what could Zack do?

He could try to distract Shaw somehow. That seemed the better course of action. But how?

Zack wandering into the Dean’s office in the middle of the night would only raise more questions. He needed something better.

He reached for his phone and called Perry.

“I need the Knightbrand armor,” he said.

“Zack. I’m not sure if you are suffering from temporary amnesia or something, but I’m working on the Knightbrand armor right this very second,” Perry answered calmly. “It’s down for repairs.”

“A situation has come up. Can I use the armor without it, you know, exploding?” Zack said.

There was a pause on the phone.

“A true meltdown seems unlikely,” Perry said. “But the battery life will be…unpredictable. A complete cease of function seems more likely.”

“I’m going to have to risk it,” Zack said. “Send it now.”

“How do I…” Perry said.

“Never mind. I got it,” Zack said, removing the small brick received from his bag. It was his fault. He hadn’t briefed Perry on how to send the armor. He hadn’t briefed Perry on a lot of things.

But that was a conversation for another day.

Zack moved out into the open. The Knightbrand armor descended from the night sky like some sort of fearsome bird of prey, grappling onto his body as it covered him in steel from head to toe.

He moved towards the entrance of the office. The Knightbrand armor already felt unwieldy and lopsided. He had trouble walking in it in the best of circumstances. He didn’t know how his dad did it. Then again, maybe his dad didn’t do that much walking. Maybe he only used the boot jets, only landing on the ground to stabilize before taking to the sky once more.

Clad in Knightbrand armor, he walked into the office. He could see Amber Shaw in the HUD. He noticed her belt wasn’t tripping his inner sensors any more. So unless something was still malfunctioning in his suit, it stood to reason the Magnometer was what had set off Knightbrand’s alarm bells in the first place.

Apparently Amber Shaw still carried it occasionally and kept it stowed away in her office. Is that way Kaine wanted it so badly?

Those were questions for another day.

“Amber,” Zack said through the Knightbrand coms. “We have to talk.”

Amber turned to him, surprised. “Zane? What are you doing here?”

That is a very good question.

What am I doing here?

“Do you have an update on your investigation?” Amber said. “Have you found Icer yet?”

Zack used the HUD to scan the room. A small targeting icon lit up on Icer, trapped under the desk like a turtle flipped over on his shell.

This was not good.

“I have made progress. I have reason to believe he’s close. I thought he might try something soon and…” Zack can’t believe he was saying this. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

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Was that too chatty? Apparently Dirk Saber thought he was chatty earlier. He knew his father was a man of few words.

Amber Shaw regarded him for a while. She could see her gaze into his masked, steel face searching for something. Then she reached up and pulled a tie from her hair, letting her wild brown locks fall down to her shoulders.

“Is that…all you wanted?” she said with a smile.

No. No. No.

That is not what I want at all.

He looked to see Icer had rolled over onto his side. He was slowly making his way out of the office. But given the awkward position he had found him in, Icer would need time to make a clean get-away.

“Maybe…?” Zack said, winching pain he said it.

“Well,” Amber said, moving close to him as she removed her black jacket and slung over a chair. “I can work with maybe.”

She removed the first button of her blouse.

“Amber,” Zack said. “This is serious. Icer is going to make a move tonight.”

“I think we can take him,” Amber wrapped her arms around his waist. “Do you remember Paris when we took down the Carver Brothers. I recall you were very…flexible…the night after.”

I really, really don’t need to know this.

Instinctively, Zack broke away. Amber seemed to notice this.

“Is something wrong?” she said.

Zack could see Icer slowly making his way to a nearby window. He needed to keep this going. Amber knew something was up. She drew in closer. Zack felt trapped. He said the first thing on his mind.

“I’ve been thinking about…the Extremers,” he said.

Amber’s expression darkened. “There’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.”

She turned to him. “You saw Max Mann didn’t you?”

“He’s off-campus,” Zack said instinctively. “Away on some trip.”

“No he’s not,” Amber said. “He never goes anywhere.”

Zack raised his eyebrow. Then why had Kaine told him Max was gone? Had Kaine lied to him? Had this whole mission been a waste of time?

Amber moved to the side of him, her arms crossing her waist as she leaned on the desk.

“I didn’t think about that. Having Max here wasn’t my call,” Amber said. “It was Weave’s.”

“He said you would help him,” Zack offered.

“You know Max,” Amber looked away distantly. “He says a lot of things.”

They were silent for a moment.

“After what he did, it can’t be easy to see him on the team, in a position of power again,” Amber said. “Who knows how far our team . . . how far we . . . could have gotten . . . if he hadn’t . . . “

What was this all about? What had Max done?

He wanted to ask more, but he spotted Icer slipping out of a nearby window.

“I should go,” Zack said. It was so easy to slip back into that stoic mode. And this entire conversation had been so awkward and wince-inducing, Zack was eager to leave.

“You sure?” Amber said. “You could stay . . . we could talk about the past . . . it wasn’t all bad as I recall.”

Her hand was reaching for her button again.

“Icer is out there,” Zack said. “I need to find him before he makes his move.”

Amber rolled her eyes. “It’s the same old song with you. Duty before pleasure.”

A red light caught Zack’s attention. He needed to move now.

“I’m sorry, Amber. I have to do this,” he said.

“Fine,” Amber said, clearly disappointed. “Just…don’t shut me out. Not like last time.”

Zack nodded. He awkwardly made it to the door and then blasted into the night. As he lighted into the air, he was ever so thankful he didn’t explode. He turned back to see Amber Shaw watching him as he blasted into the night, a sad expression on her face.

What happened between her and my father? And what happened between Max and his father?

More questions. There were always more questions.

***

Zack landed a short distance away in a treeline, dispatching the armor back into the sky. Hopefully it would reach Perry without raising any more questions.

He had enough of those from Perry as it stood.

When Zack reached his house, he opened the door, only for Icer to push the Magnometer right into his arms. He didn’t look happy.

“What the hell was that?” he said.

Zack stood firm. “I didn’t know she was going to be there.”

“Not that. That whole conversation,” Icer said. “I gotta say. You come by it naturally, kid. Awkward seems to follow your dad the same it does you.”

Zack struggled to reply but Icer was already leaving.

“Just remember your dad knows I put my neck on the line for him,” Icer said. “That was a close call tonight.”

Zack nodded, but by the time he looked up, Icer was gone.

Zack held the Magnometer in his hand.

At least now he had leverage to get some answers from Kaine.

But now it wasn’t Kaine he was worried about.

It was Max.