They lingered only long enough to drain the last drops of their coffee before slipping out of Perk 66 into the cool night air. The campus was quiet now, the noise of the day replaced by the hush of crickets and the distant hum of traffic from Gotham's streets. Pamela drew her jacket tighter around herself, her nerves tight as Barbara led the way back toward the university building where the professor's classroom waited.
The looming brick structure rose before them, its windows dark save for the faint glow of security lights. Pamela reached for the heavy doors, tugging against the handle. "It's locked."
Barbara stepped up beside her, calm and assured. "Leave this to me. If there's one thing you learn after being abducted as much as I have, it's tech." She slipped her phone from her pocket, the screen flaring to life with a strange interface Pamela didn't recognize. Her fingers moved quickly over the screen, tapping through lines of code and diagrams that looked nothing like an ordinary phone.
Pamela leaned closer, green eyes wide. "What's that?"
Barbara's lips quirked faintly as her thumbs flew across the display. "I'm hacking into the school administration's security mainframe—disabling cameras and unlocking the door remotely."
Pamela blinked, her breath catching. "You can actually do that?"
Barbara tilted the phone once toward her, the screen flashing green. "I didn't just do it. It's done."
The door buzzed loudly. Pamela pulled it open and turned to Barbara, her expression caught between shock and admiration. "You're impressive."
Barbara slid the phone back into her pocket, her voice edged with quiet confidence. "You haven't seen anything yet."
Pamela felt a sudden warmth in her face as she glanced away. "I'm looking forward to it."
The heavy door closed behind them, muffling the outside world as they slipped into the empty hallways of the university. Their footsteps echoed across the polished floors, the overhead lights casting long shadows along the lockers and bulletin boards. Pamela frowned, her voice hushed. "That's strange. Why are the lights on at this time of night?"
Barbara scanned the glowing fixtures overhead, her shoulders lifting. "Who knows? The professor probably forgot to turn them off."
They walked carefully until they reached the familiar classroom. Pamela's stomach twisted as she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room looked almost the same as it had earlier that day—rows of desks lined neatly, the faint smell of chalk lingering in the air—but something about being there at night made it feel heavier, wrong somehow. She ran her fingers along the back of a chair before moving toward the professor's desk.
Together they began their search. Barbara crouched in front of a file cabinet, pulling drawers open one by one while Pamela sifted through papers stacked neatly in the desk drawers. Shelves of thick botanical texts loomed nearby, their spines labeled with Latin names that blurred under Pamela's distracted gaze.
"There's nothing here about what the professor's researching," Pamela said, her voice sharp with frustration. She pushed a drawer closed harder than she intended, the sound echoing in the quiet room. "But every time I faint, I wake up at my desk. Something must be here."
Barbara stood, dusting her hands against her jeans. "Is there anywhere else we could look?"
Pamela's eyes swept the classroom again, and then her gaze caught on a utility door built into the back wall. It was small, unassuming, its paint slightly chipped around the edges as though it hadn't been opened in years. "Hey Barbara… you don't think there could be something in that utility room, do you?"
Barbara followed her gaze, her expression tightening as she studied the door. "Maybe. You'd be surprised what some weirdos hide in utility closets."
Pamela exhaled softly, her lips pressing together. "Somehow, after everything you've shared with me, I'm not so sure I'd be surprised anymore."
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