The corner of Pal's mouth curves up in a smile. Now this is exactly the kind of useful brainstorming that can happen when you have a friend and an ally to talk things through with. "Yes. Well, theoretically. Assuming that the Captain's wards are built on similar principles to mine, which we can't necessarily take for granted.

"But blood is always powerful. That seems to be true in enough universes that a sample of the Captain's blood will surely do us some good." He pauses with a faint frown. "I suppose the trouble is that he doesn't always bleed when you would expect him to, right? Knocking a hole in the side of his head didn't render any blood."