Octagon Project 3: Zachary McHall

~-12-~

"That's quite the disguise you worked up, Kai." Nick said as he tossed the brown wig to the ground and sat on the metal table across from the chair Zack was chained to. "The wig almost fooled me. But we both know you care too much about your hair to change it permanently."

"What do you want?" Zack groaned, already feeling sore. His eyes remained narrow as the white light shining on him hurt his vision.

"You already know the answer to that." Nick answered as he stepped forward with one swift motion and his fist collided with Zack's gut. Zack coughed and his head hung as blood sputtered out of his mouth. "Oh c'mon Kai," Nick said as he leaned in front of Zack with both hands on the arms rests, "We both know you're stronger than that. I didn't even hit you that hard. I do have to asked though, how much did you pay that girl to keep your cover?" He stood straighter and walked over to a corner of the squared room and looked back at his victim as Zack slowly rose his head; his shaggy black hair falling over his eyes. "Seriously though, I wanna know."

"You'd be surprised how little you need to bribe an Octagon agent." Zack groaned, causing Nick to freeze and spin around.

"What did you just say?" He asked, stalking briskly over. Zack only stared at him blankly to state that he wasn't going to repeat himself. "Are you going dark now? Getting your hands into things you really have no business in?"

"You tell me, Nick." Zack answered. "Is your father still doing scout work for that agency?"

"Shut up!" Nick growled as he threw a firm punch to Zack's jaw before leaning on the arm rests again. "I really wish you stayed in that wheel chair." He spat.

"Well maybe you should have tried harder when you put me there." Zack growled, pulling his cuffed legs up and kicking his attacker in the gut before bouncing and securing the chain of his ankle cuffs behind the thin metal leg of the chair. As Nick came for him with a new surge of anger, Zack gritted his teeth together and yelled as he pulled both of his legs forward as hard as he could until the chain snapped. At the same moment, heavy blows landed on Zack's chest and jaw. Once the battering seized, Zack hung his head and gagged as he spit out the blood that filled his mouth.

"You've gotten weak Kai." Nick said in disappointment. Raising his head, Zack's face scrunched up at the pain of his newly dislocated thumbs behind his back. His head was yanked back as the feeling of a tight rubber strand was wrapped around his throat. "My father would be so disappointed if he saw you right now."

"It's a good thing I don't perform for him anymore then." Zack croaked.

"Nicholas Steele!" A female voice screamed. "Open this door right now!" Nick glanced up at the darkness behind the glass that surrounded the room.

"You're stupid if you think I'd do that, Alice." Nick growled. Through his blurry vision and the black hair that covered his eyes, Zack caught Mel standing behind the CIA agents with large eyes and her mouth slightly ajar. Zack pulled his free arms away from his back and grabbed Nick by the back of his neck. Pulling him forward, he tossed Nick over his shoulder onto the hard cement ground. An ear piercing scream rang and echoed in the tight room and Zack yanked the metal cuffs off his ankles before he pushed Nick onto his stomach with the rubber rope around his throat.

"It doesn't feel too good having a broken spine does it?" Zack growled deeply in Nick's ear.

"Kai, don't even think about it!" The dark skinned woman, Alice, shouted. Zack didn't even give her a side ways glance when the glass to one of the windows shattered and Mel hopped over the little wall as Nick's head was twisted forcefully the wrong way. The door that the agents had been banging on gave way shortly after and they rushed in, but it was too late. In the midst of the commotion, they disappeared.