~Prisoner~

Chapter One

Zach lifted his head from the cold concrete wall. His wrists were sore and rubbed raw from pulling against the metal cuffs that bound him to the wall but he tugged on the bindings anyway, knowing how completely pointless it was. He wasn't getting out of here anytime soon.

The door to his holding cell slammed open and two men cloaked in long, black coats stepped through the doorway.

"Zachary. Your mother is waiting." The man on the right spoke in a low voice with an accent from somewhere in the Mediterranean.

Zach didn't move-not that he could of course; the metal cuffs binding him to the wall prevented any movement that went beyond two feet in front of him.

Both men moved quickly, releasing Zach's hands from the handcuffs and lifting him up.

It was amazing how much strength Zach had lost in the past week. After the COC had ambushed him during his mission to Russia and had dragged him back to the terrorists HQ he had been beaten and electrocuted, and interrogated. The questions were always the same though. 'Where is Cameron Morgan currently located?' 'When was the last time you were in contact with Ms Morgan?' 'When was your most recent trip to the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women?'

Zach never said a word. Instead he took his punishment for disregarding the COC's questions.

Zach's body had undergone countless beatings throughout the week but his mind stayed strong as he held onto the fact that the only person he loved, the only one who truly mattered was safe. Cammie was safe.

The two men dragged Zach along the hallway until they reached a room near the end of the isle. The door was composed of thick metal, and two guards stood at attention. The men holding Zach up by his upper arms nodded to the two guards as one of them produced a scannable card and slid it through a machine. A green light flashed and the door swung open slowly to reveal the last possible person Zach wanted to see right now.

The men threw Zach roughly into the contained space and slammed the door, a heavy click sounding as the lock settled into place.

Zach scrambled up from his place on the ground and limped over to the figure lying on the floor in the corner of the room.

Her long, dirty blond hair was in a tangled pony tail, and she wore the thin prisoner clothing that the COC provided; navy blue sweatpants and a black T-shirt. Though her eyes were closed, Zach knew they would be the same startling sapphire blue they had always been, and although in any other situation Zach would be delighted to have her by his side, right now he was horrified at the thought that Cameron Morgan was here with him.

Cammie lifted her head painfully as the sound of someone entering the room echoed off the walls. Her entire body throbbed; the cuts and bruises she received while being at the COC base was uncountable and terrible to look at. She knew she had a concussion and had broken her left ankle, along with at least one rib.

Her eyes adjusted to the bright light as she took in the figure before her. Her first thought was that her interrogators were back to try and force more information out of her, but as her mind slowly processed what she was looking at; she realized it was so much worse.

Zachary Goode crumpled to his knees beside her. Cammie looked at him and silently her heart broke. He was wearing the same thin prisoner clothes as she was, but his hair was sticking up in all different directions, his bare arms were exposed and allowed Cammie to see his various cuts and bruises scattered across. His wrists, she also noticed were scraped raw and were bleeding in some places.

"Cammie" he breathed, his horror was clear through his vibrant green eyes.

Cammie moved carefully towards him as to not aggravate her own wounds. She wrapped her arms around his chest, tucking her head into his shoulder. He pulled her closer, slowly moving her legs to lie over his lap, as he noticed the severity of her injuries.

"Cammie. What happened?" He asked pulling back slightly to look at her tear streaked face.

"I-I I'm sorry, Zach. After you were declared MIA a few days ago I came looking for you. I-I had made it to R-Russia when Catherine, your mother, found m-me. I'm sorry" Cammie stumbled through her words, her tears leaked through his shirt and he stroked her back, quieting Cammie's sobs.

"Shhh, it's alright Cam. Everything's going to be okay. We'll get out of here, we'll both be okay, I promise." Zach whispered into her ear. His voice was calming and reassuring, making her eye lids droop lower as her sleepless nights caught up to her.

"I love you, Zach. You know that don't you?"

"Yeah Cam, I know. I love you too, so much more than you could ever know. Now go to sleep, rest your mind and I'll keep watch. Don't worry; I'll wake you if anyone comes in." Zach gently pushed her head down lower so she could sleep.

Her mind was wired with thoughts of the Circle and if it was even possible for them to make it out of this horrid place.

Cammie looked back up to Zach's face one more time before closing her eyes and shifted so that her head lay across his lap. Her brain was slowly shutting down and her thoughts clouded as she was lulled to sleep by the soft movements of Zach comfortingly stroking her hair.

"How precious." A voice sneered, jolting Zach out of his thoughts. "My own son, corrupted by the deceiving minds of the Morgan family. I must say, Zachary, I'm ashamed. I expected more from you; after all, you do owe me."

Zach lifted Cammie's sleeping head from his lap and laid her carefully on the floor before he sat up and stood to face his mother.

"Excuse me mother, but I don't believe you have any right to call me your son." Zach glared at the woman in front of him.

He was ashamed of his mother and everything she stood for. But what was worse was that at one point he admired her, looked up to her and hoped one day he could be like her. Now, the thought repulsed him. When Zach was growing up his mother had trained him at the COC base. Catherine had told him that everything they did, everyone they killed was for the greater good. That they were the good guys. That was before Joe Solomon came to the base. Solomon showed Zach the truth about the Circle and told him that, if Zach wanted, he could secretly send Zach to a school to train to be one of the good guys. Zach accepted. He was sent to Blackthorne where he met his best friends and became the spy he was now. He owed nothing to his mother, but everything to Solomon.

"That's no way to speak to your mother, Zachary. Maybe we will have to teach you a lesson about manners."

"I don't care what you do to me. You're a corrupted, evil, selfish woman, who I'm ashamed to be related to." Zach spit out the fowl tasting words with a bitter tone.

"Well, I suppose if nothing will harm you. We can always settle for your friend over there." Catherine inclined her head in the direction of Cammie.

"No!" Zach shouted, the thought of any harm coming to Cammie made him sick. He couldn't stomach the thought of his mother hurting her.

"Zach?" Cammie's voice echoed sleepily off the walls of cell.

"Cammie, please, for me, stay behind me." Zach's voice cracked with his fear for his girlfriend and it must have been enough for her because she stayed in the corner.

"Well, look who decided to join us." Catherine's voice sneered toward Cammie, "I'm glad I finally got to meet my son's girlfriend. What a pity it had to be like this." Catherine pulled out a gun and aimed it toward Cammie.

Zach immediately stepped in front of the barrel.

"Well isn't that heroic" his mother smiled coldly, "It didn't have to be this way you know, Zach. If you just took an oath to the Circle of Cavan all of this could be over. You could live with me, it would be so much better than dealing with that rotten CIA."

Zach's thoughts swirled. If he could somehow convince his mother that he was completely loyal to the Circle, the he would be able to contact members of the CIA to help then escape with Cammie. He had to do this.

"Okay." He stepped toward his mother, "I'm sorry mother, and if you would please accept me back into your ranks I would very much appreciate that.

"Thank you, my son. I knew you would come back."

Behind him Cammie gasped and Zach forced himself to look her in the eyes. Betrayal swirled through her crystal blue orbs and Zach cringed with the thought that he had caused this, but he knew that she must believe that Zach had joined the COC because if she showed any glimmer of hope, any tiny spark of reassurance that something good might come out of this, the COC would kill them both.

So Zach stood and joined his mother across the room.

Okay, I know I should be updating my other story but I wanted to get this out. Sorry it's kind of a downer but I think in the future chapter things will get better.

Anyway, as usual, please leave your thoughts and feelings in the comments; I want to know your opinion!

Thanks,

MischiefManaged1916