When Zack arrived at the Alpha House the next day, the air felt both stale and stifling. Zack knew Scott was somewhere about, probably cleaning some ungodly mess left behind by some mixer or party the Alphas had thrown, but still, the place felt gross and uninviting. Zack reached into his shirt packet and felt the circular weight of the Magnometer.

Several frat brothers greeted him once he arrived. He nodded at them and briefly exchanged pleasantries. Zack observed his frat brothers’ sleepy expression and dark circles. They must have held some wild parties again and this was the result.

“There he is,” boomed a voice from the top of the stairs.

Zack glanced up to see Kaine standing triumphantly at the top of the stairs, his arm crossed, his expression strangely serene. Zack made his way up the stairs to meet him.

“Do you have what I asked for,” Kaine asked as he locked eyes with him.

“I do,” Zack said.

“Then let’s conclude our business,” Kaine said.

Zack followed the burly man up the stairs. When he reached the top of the stairs, he stopped. Kaine was clearly on his way to his office, or rather oversized makeshift dorm room. Zack had no desire to ever see the inside of that particular room again. More than likely, Kaine would show him another picture of Amber Shaw in her skimpy old costume, and Zack had seen enough of Shaw last night.

“What’s the hold-up?” Kaine asked. Zack returned his gaze.

“I think I should give this to Max instead,” Zack said. He read Kaine’s face, observing the momentary surprise before immediately recovering.

“Did you have a stroke last night or something?” Kaine asked. “Max isn’t here. You made this deal with me.”

“Uh huh,” Zack shrugged. “I think I’d like to talk to Max all the same.”

“Max isn’t here, dumbass,” Kaine growled. “Now do you want the Power Amplifier or not.”

“Oh I do,” Zack smirked. “It’s only a question how you want this…”

Zack removed the Magnometer and brandished it in front of Kaine. He returned the Magnometer to his pocket.

“Or rather, how much your boss wants this,” Zack said.

“Look, I told you. Max isn’t here,” Kaine said. “And you’re not going to get a better deal from him. If you want something from the display case, you gotta go through me. It’s how it works.”

Zack paused to consider his words, but it was only a front. Zack had planned this all out. He’d predicted Kaine’s response to a tee.

“I think I’ll take my chances,” Zack said as he moved towards Max’s supposedly empty office.

Kaine teleported directly in front of Zack, blocking his path. His fists were balled at his side, his figure primed for maximum intimidation.

Zack kept walking.

“You got some nerve!” Kaine said as he pulled back his fist for a punch.

“That’s enough, Kaine!” came a voice from the shadows.

As if on cue, Max emerged from just around the corner. Kaine’s face immediately balanced a bit, but he recovered a few seconds later.

“Boss! What are you doing here?” Kaine said. “I didn’t think you were due back yet.”

Max glanced at Zack.

“Let’s talk in my office,” Max said. “Thank you Kaine.”

He only gave a courtesy glance in the big man’s direction.

“But boss…”

“Thank you, Kaine,” Max said once more, an edge of annoyance to his voice. “That will be all.”

Zack walked into Max’s spacious office. He laid the Magnometer on Max’s desk and then slumped into one of Max’s plush leather chairs.

“Next time you want something, ask me directly,” Zack said. “Or get it yourself.”

Max returned with two gin and tonics. His expression remained warm and cordial despite Zack’s obvious dig.

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“From what Kaine told me,” Max handed him a drink. “You came to him for assistance.”

Zack regarded Kaine for a moment before he took a sip of the gin and tonic.

“Yeah, well, I just don’t like dealing with middle men,” Zack said. “Not when I can be dealing with you.”

Max nodded. “I understand that. I was off-campus.”

Zack leveled a gaze at Max. “That’s not what my father said.”

Max sat down his glass and returned the gaze. “Your father keeping taps on me?”

Zack leaned back in his seat and crossed his leg. “Something like that.”

He took another drink of the gin and tonic.

Let Max draw his own conclusions. Zack kept his gaze on Max’s youthful face. He gathered there was a much older, much more paranoid man beneath his chiseled and polished exterior.

Still, if Max was disturbed by this turn of events, he didn’t show it.

“Why exactly do you want this Power Amplfier in the first place, if I might ask?” Max said. “Amp was quite a dangerous customer back in the day.”

Zack chose his words very carefully. How much could he really share with Max? A couple of days ago, Zack would have considered telling Max everything. But after what he learned from Shaw, he wasn’t really sure of anything now.

“I…we need it to repair some damage to my dad’s armor,” he said.

Max nodded, but then looked up with a confused expression.

“But why didn’t he come to me directly?” Max asked. “We are friends, after all.”

Zack fixed a cool stare on Max as he drained his gin and tonic.

“Are you…friends?” he asked.

Max’s confusion deepened across the brows of his face. “What do you mean?”

Zack decided it was time to play his ace card. “You want to tell me about the Extremers?”

Max sighed and stood up, pacing across his spacious office.

“You finally heard about that footnote in our relationship, I see,” Max said as he itched his hair and moved across the office.

“I did,” Zack said.

“What all did you hear?” Max said, drawing his hands in his pocket as he started to glance at the various memorabilia in his office.

“Not much. Just that you were on a team together…and it didn’t end well,” Zack twisted in his seat to face Max.

“Your father never was much for words,” Max said as he drifted over back towards the desk. “But I suppose that sums it up.”

“So what happened?” Zack asked.

Max returned to his seat and answered Zack’s question with one of his own. “Were you ever in a band, Zack?”

“No, I was more into sports,” Zack said with an air of impatience.

“Well, the Extremers were our band. It was our dreams against the world. But sooner or later, the world wins,” Max said.

“What happened?” Zack asked, once more. Max sighed.

“What happens in every band,” Max raised his hands to prepare for air quotes. “Creative differences. We wanted to go in different directions. I wanted to take the team to take on investors and your dad wanted to stay private. It split the team and ended us before we even got our big break.”

Zack considered this. It made sense. Zane wasn’t much for sucking up to investors. He wanted to have a degree of control. That’s why Zack was surprised to hear his father had even been part of a team in the first place. He was, after all, a bit of a control freak.

His curiosity sated, Zack looked to the Magnometer on the desk.

“So what do you want with that?” Zack asked.

Max shrugged. “This is just a tit for tat. Shaw has been stonewalling me for months about my treatment. This will just get her attention.”

Zack nodded. “Well, I hope it works out.”

He started to stand up. “But I’ll take that Power Amplifier now.”

“Of course,” Max said. He led him out to the display case. Max popped open the glass and handed him the bulky metallic chunk known as the Power Amplifier. Zack really hoped Perry knew what he was doing. Otherwise this had been a huge waste of time.

“I appreciate our talks,” Max said. “I know me and your old man had our differences, but what we want hasn’t changed. I’m still his best shot to turn this place around.”

Zack nodded. “I’ll tell him that.”

Max hit his head. “I almost forgot. I got you something.”

Max quickly ran back to his desk and pulled out a small circular object, which he subsequently handed to Zack.

It was a small coin, about the size of a silver dollar. It was gunmetal gray, and showed Max’s head where George Washington or something President’s profile usually sat. Above the profile read “In Max We Trust”.

“That’s cute,” Zack says. “What is it?”

“It’s a challenge coin,” Max said. “We had him in the service. We got them when we did, well, challenging stuff. And I think pulling one over on that cow Shaw certainly qualifies.”

Zack pocketed the coin.

“Thanks Max,” he said. “I appreciate the gesture.”

Max nodded. “Give your old man my best. Maybe he and I meet up sometime soon, squash this beef.”

Zack gave him a sad look, but he did his best not to show it. He simply nodded.

“Maybe,” he said. “Maybe.”

And with that, Zack left Max’s office. Outside he saw Kaine glowering at him like a schoolboy who’d just been tattled on.

“Thanks for everything, Kaine,” Zack said as he trotted down the stairs. “That went really well.”

Kaine’s face locked into a sneer, but he didn’t respond. Instead he simply watched Zack go without a word.

Zack felt the Power Amplifier in his pocket alongside the challenge coin. That conversation had gone surprisingly well, and for once, things looked like they were on the upswing.