Zack immediately heard the whistles and cheers as he entered the Alpha House. Several of his frat brothers immediately asked him . . . or rather Knightbrand . . . if they could have his selfie. He stormed by them, paying them no attention.
Very on-brand for my Dad, he thought.
What was not quite on-brand was his leaning stride. In his haste and anger, Zack had forgotten how awkward the armor could be to walk in. He struggled to take every step without topping over altogether. When he came to the stairs, he realized his conundrum.
Screw this.
Zack activated his boot jets and immediately blasted off, scorching the carpet in the process. He heard Scott immediately.
“Dammit, Zack’s dad! I just vacuumed there!”
Zack immediately regretted making more work for Scott, but he had more pressing things on his mind. Lik having a one-on-one with Max Maxx.
He shut off his boot jets once he had cleared the railing and dropped like a rock to the third floor. He landed with a notable thud. He looked down to see he had left a considerable dent in the hard wood from his landing.
Knowing his luck, Scott would be blamed for that too.
He couldn’t think about that now. He continued to Max’s office. He opened the door to Max’s office to see Max Mann sitting at his desk, with the contents of his liquor cabinet spread across his desk like a liquid buffet.
He immediately raised a toast to him the moment Knightbrand lumbered through the door.
“There’s the man of the hour!” he said.
Zack expected more of a reaction to his so-called “friend” showing up in such dramatic fashion. Then again, Zack didn’t need the heads-up display to know that Max Mann was flat-out drunk, three sheets to the wind, wherever that expression came from.
Max’s eyes struggled to focus, his skin blushing fiercely from the surging alcohol content.
“Have a seat…have a drink…” Max said. “My…uhhh…friend.”
Zack crossed his arms and struggled not to move. It was all he could do to stop from toppling over.
“You’re in a good mood,” Zack noticed.
“I’m always in a good mood, Zane,” Max said. “If that is your real name…”
He started chuckling, and soon his growing laughter broke into an all-out wheeze.
Zack sighed. This was getting him nowhere.
He slammed his fists on the desk, shaking the drinks in the process.
“Hey, hey!” Max said. “Go easy on the Barcardi. That bottle cost more than your armor.”
“Where’s Kaine?” Zack’s voice boomed. “He has to answer for what he’s done.”
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
What he’s done?
That’s rich, Zack knew. Kaine and Max weren’t the guilty ones here.
But Zack didn’t have time for self-pity. Lives depended on him stopping Kaine from using the Magnometer again.
Even if he’s the one he used it.
“What am I, his keeper?” Max said. “He’s probably face down in some co-ed’s bed, if I had to guess. Ahhh, to be young again…”
“We were young once, weren’t we….Zane?” he said, putting particular emphasis on his name. “Though I guess aging isn’t much of a concern for you.”
“If Kaine uses that device again…” Zack started.
“You think I don’t know that?” Max exploded. “Can you imagine the lawsuits that will rain down on me! The liability! I’m ruined! Ruined!”
“I don’t care about you!” Zack said. “I care about this campus!”
“That’s rich,” Max said. “Coming from you…whichever you this is…”
Zack realized he may have just broken character. Zane never cared much for Innshadow University before. Why should he know?
Because lives were on the line.
People had been hurt. People like Saber. Probably others.
All because of me.
Zack batted the self-pity away. That wasn’t true. Kaine used the Magnometer. If he hadn’t gotten it from Zack, he’d probably have extorted some equally stupid freshman to steal it somewhere down the line.
The important thing was stopping him.
“There’s a way out,” Zack said. Max’s eyes widened.
“You tell me where Kaine is,” Zack said. “And I’ll see what I can do for you.”
Max eagerly reached for Zach’s hand. “You’d do that…for me…after all I’ve done.”
Zack tried to give a noncommital shrug within the armor. “What are friends for?”
Max immediately slumped in his seat. “But I don’t know where he is.”
Zack leaned in closer, while maintaining his balance. “You tell me where he will most likely be. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Max nodded in an overly diligent manner. “I heard he and the boys are held up at the old Alpha House.”
So he’s not alone. This could be bad.
“How many does he have with him?” Zack asked.
Max’s eyes fixed on him. “All of them.”
The entire Alpha frat?
That could be a problem.
There were a lot of heavy-hitters in the Alpha frat. True, a lot of them were simply the case of big powers and big ego. Maybe they would stand down at the sight of Knightbrand.
Maybe.
“I never meant for this to happen,” Max said. “You have to believe me.”
“I believe you, “ Zack said, as he turned away.
It might have been the only thing Zack believed about Max.
Zack left the Alpha House soon after. Soaring back to his apartment, Zack thought about the details.
He needed help. He needed a plan. He couldn’t fight all the Alphas at once.
Help was easier said than done. Saber was out of commission. And he wasn’t sure if his friends would lend a hand if they knew the truth.
He’d talk this over with Perry. Come up with a strategy. It was the best solution.
He landed just outside the apartment, making sure to exit armor mode. He opened the door to see Blake standing in the middle of the room, with Perry sitting off to the side wearing a sheepish expression.
“Blake!” he said. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Even Blake winced as he approached.
“I don’t think you’re going to be for long,” she said with an air of sympathy.
“What do you mean?” Zack asked just as he heard the door shut behind him. He turned to see Rachel standing behind him.
“We need answers,” Rachel said. “Now. What did you do, Zack?"