Octagon Project 3: Zachary McHall

~-18-~

"So how are we supposed to find your contact in this place?" Roy asked as they sat at the bar a half hour earlier than Roy's designated mission.

"We don't have to. He'll find me." Zack downed his shot and slammed the glass back onto the counter when two strong hands grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him against the wall.

"You better as hell explain everything right now before I kill you." Rocker growled as he loomed over Zack.

"Do you have it?" Zack asked, rubbing the back of his head that began to throb. Reaching into his jacket, Rocker pulled out a manila file and held it between them. Taking it, Zack went to sit back at the bar and Rocker sat on his opposite side from Roy.

"So what happened?" Rocker asked, eyeing Roy suspiciously.

"The Octagon happened." Zack sighed, "Rocker, meet my partner Roy. Roy, Rocker."

"What do you mean the Octagon?" Rocker's voice got deep as he narrowed his blue eyes on Zack.

"McHall hired his cousin to go after me."

"What difference is that supposed to make?"

"Have you heard of all the things going on in Los Segras with the psychotic murderer?" Roy asked, "that psycho is McHall's cousin. He had some Octagon agents break him out of prison and hired him to track down Zack and his partner since we were all coming up empty."

"You got Helix into this so I am expecting you to get the her the hell out of it."

"I plan on it." Zack nodded.

"How?"

"I'm gonna kill Andrew McHall." Zack flipped open the file in front of him to see images of Mel with her frizzy brown hair. Rocker wasn't kidding when he said that Knight was good with photoshop. Some of the images were of Mel in England, laying low, while others were of her somewhere in New York. On top of all the images was information of a new bank card under the name Alex Sullivan with a list of transactions ranging from hotel stays and clothing to coffee and food. He handed the file to Roy and turned to face Rocker.

"I'm pretty sure people have already tried that." He told Zack.

"I know. But this time, I have an advantage."

"How?"

"I have some inside men in place."

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"And you're going to keep Helix out of this."

"I'm already angry with myself for getting her into it. Of course I'm going to try my best to keep her out of it. But we both know her, do you really think she'll calmly stand by?"

"Dude!" Rex came over then and clasped Zack's hand in a greeting before Rocker could counter what he was just told. "Word was that you and Helix up and disappeared."

"We did..." Zack grumbled, shaking off his jacket and pulling the neck of his shirt down to expose the ink on his left shoulder blade that had a new scar running straight through it.

"So, plan X is at go?" He asked with a contorted face.

"Plan X? Rex is in on this?! How long have you been planning this?" Rocker hissed at him.

"Years." Zack replied, looking over at Roy who was running his hands through his hair. "Satisfied?" He asked. Holding a hand over his mouth, Roy shut the file and glanced at Rex that was talking to Rocker behind them.

"That kid you were just talking to," Roy whispered, "you know him too?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He's the one I need to recruit."