I lead Zero down the hallway, not letting go of his hand, but he seems pretty content with it anyway.

Coach Jackson leads us back up to the first floor and down a few hallways. We approach a door with an exit sign over it, and I grow nervous, tightening my hold on Zero's hand. He tenses, feeling my nervousness.

Coach Jackson pushes open the door, and sunlight filters in, relaxing my tensed muscles slightly.

Zero seems to have the opposite reaction, muscles tightening even further and his hand freezing in mine, but I smile encouragingly at him, pulling him outside.

And onto a huge track.

And I'm saying huge. This is definitely not the regular size a track should be. How did I not notice this being built in the back of the lab? Being a secretary, usually all the important documents end up in my hands at some point...maybe I just hadn't bothered to look at them.

Surrounding the track is a tall metal fence, and I almost scoff at how ridiculous that is because I have no doubt Zero could get over it without blinking an eye, but then I see the metal wire at the top, most likely full of electricity.

Yeah.....I doubt even someone as strong as Zero would want to be electrocuted twice in two days.

I turn to see Zero looking around, his grey eyes taking in every detail, hopefully not planning to attempt jumping the metal fence. Can he tell the fence has electricity coursing through it?

Just in case I draw his attention to me and point at the fence, before shaking my head 'no'.

Zero continues to watch me for a second, before nodding slowly. Deciding to take this opportunity to teach him something else, I look around and spot the jungle right outside of the fence.

"Trees," I say, pointing to the jungle. Zero looks down at me, an eyebrow raised, seeming to say duh.

Coach Jackson approaches, at that moment, saving me from looking incredibly stupid. Maybe he's picked up a lot more than I expected.

"Okay, Zero. For the next few days we'll be testing your running. So why don't you start jogging around the track."

Zero and I stare at him, Zero wondering what he said, me wondering why he doesn't know that Zero can't speak English. I start walking to the track, stepping onto the paved rubber it's built from and gesturing for Zero to come here.

I start to jog, going a few yards away on the track before stopping and turning back. I then wave my hand for Zero to go. He seems to understand fine enough, because he starts jogging and doesn't run around and come back like I had, which I was worried he'd do.

"Thank you, Ashley. I don't know what I would do without you here." Coach Jackson sighs, and I smile before walking over to a bench and sitting down.

I watch Zero as he runs around the track over and over again, not even breaking a sweat, even though he still is in that full body suit. His jog is about the speed of my run, and I wonder just how long he can run before having to stop.

Someone suddenly sits down next to me, and I slowly turn my head to face them, surprised when I come face to face with Peter.

"Hey, Peter. What are you doing here?"

"I volunteered to be on guard duty for Dr. Jackson.....in case something happens, you know?" He says, and I try not to glance at the gun at his side, hopefully only full of tranquilizers. "But most likely I'm just gonna be a spotter for the big guy over there." He says, jerking his head at Zero.

"What happened to being a guard?" I ask jokingly.

"What happened to being a secretary?" He fires back. He's got me there.

I smile, looking back at Zero. He has become my job now, and it's much more interesting than being a boring secretary.

"Look what I brought." Peter says, suddenly moving aside so I can see the tray that's sitting beside him, two steaming cups of coffee on it. He hands me one and takes the other, sliding the tray aside.

"No fair, Peter! I'm supposed to be taking you to coffee, not the other way around." I huff, but am really happy. A cup of coffee is just what I needed, especially after all the events that have been happening.

He shrugs, taking a sip from his cup. "You can do it another time, besides I don't get to see you anymore."

I don't respond, just continue looking down into the dark depths of my coffee.

Peter runs a hand through his blonde hair, watching Zero as Coach Jackson tells him to pick up the pace. Zero does effortlessly.

"I also wanted to finally catch a glimpse of the islands latest celebrity." Peter continues, bringing the conversation back to a lighter tone.

"I would be surprised if someone on the island didn't know who Zero was by now." I sigh, and Peter nods.

Coach Jackson calls a break, not because Zero i tired, but because he got bored of watching him run and run without breaking a sweat. It leaves the track empty, and suddenly, Peter stands up.

"I have an idea," Peter says, putting his coffee down on the bench. "Let's have a race. If you win, you don't have to get me coffee."

"What if you win?"

"You have to take me out to coffee, not just get it for me." He grins, and I catch on to his meaning immediately. He's basically asking me out on a date.

"Look, I don't know.." I say, trying to come up with a way to reject the offer kindly.

"C'mon, it'll be fun. Besides, you've always had a bored look on your face, day after day. This is the first time I've seen you actually seem to be enjoying yourself, and I don't know, I just kind of want to get in on it." He says, rubbing the back of his head.

I stare at him, feeling kind of embarrassed and mostly speechless. Was I that see through that everyday Peter could tell I was bored out of my mind?

I shake my head, feeling that I'll regret what I'm about to do, but I stand up anyway, putting my coffee aside. Peter's eyes light up, and I smile back, but on the inside I'm dreading this race. I don't like running unless I have to, and I'm going up against a trained and fit guard in a race. You can already guess the outcome.

"First one to run around the track, wins. Coach Jackson, can you call it?" Peter asks as we line up on the track.

"Sure," he says from the bench.

"Ready to lose?" Peter asks, stretching jokingly.

"Eat my dust, loser." I fire back, even though I'm fully aware my chances of winning are close to none. I mean, I did track in high school back on the Main land, but it's been about a year and a half of not doing any running......whoops.

I decide to fake it till I make it though, and crouch down like this is an actual track meet. Peter smirks and copies my stance.

"On your mark!" Coach Jackson calls as I inhale. "Get set!" I exhale. "Go!"

I take off, my muscles flexing as I sprint down the track. I can hear the pounding of Peter's feet close behind me, but luckily I have the advantage of being smaller and lighter than him.

Of course, the advantage doesn't last long.

When we're halfway through the track my breathing grows harsh and Peter overtakes me, running a few steps ahead. Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth, I tell myself, remembering what my track coach would repeat over and over again.

The finish line comes into my sight, Peter now a full three yards ahead of me, and I sigh on the inside, watching him pass the line and Coach Jackson call the race.

I slow to a stop, putting my hands over my head and closing my eyes to breathe, my heart beat pounding in my ears. Maybe I should take up running again. I'm way out of shape.

Peter walks up to me and I open my eyes, managing a smile that's more like a grimace.

"Congrats." I manage to breathe out.

"Thanks." He huffs, catching his breath as well. "I know we made the bet, but you don't have to take me out to coffee. I don't want to put you on the spot like that." He admits, but I can tell he's really disappointed at his own words.

"Well, what if we compromise, and I just bring us both lunch tomorrow?" I ask, not wanting to back out of the bet completely. He did win fair and square after all, and I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to race.

"Sounds great!" He exclaims, flashing his white teeth in a smile, but his gaze then shifts to behind me. I turn to see Zero, standing tense and glaring down at Peter. Was he watching the entire race?

Most likely, there was nothing else to watch at that moment.

"Oh, Zero." I point at Peter. "Peter," I say, then repeat the action. Zero just stares in response before suddenly grabbing my hand and pulling me behind him.

I give Peter a sheepish glance. "Sorry about Zero. He can be....a little territorial."

"It's fine. I guess I'll see you tomorrow Ashley. I can't wait," he says, smiling at me before walking off to Coach Jackson, who's looking over a clipboard.

I huff, turning to face Zero. "Stop being a jerk," I mutter.

Zero points at the track, before pulling me towards it. "Race." He grunts, getting to the starting line.

"You want to race?" I ask incredulously.

He must have heard Peter and I talking about it before we began running. There's no way I can race Zero and even have a hope of winning. Zero is five times faster than Peter and I couldn't even beat Peter.

Zero nods furiously though, and I stare at him for a second, before sighing. It's not like I'm betting on anything with Zero, he doesn't even know what betting is. The real thing I'm dreading is having to run around the entire track again.

"Fine. Coach Jackson, can you call it again?"I finally ask and he nods.

I line up at the starting line, Zero following my lead, and I give Peter a wave after he gives me a thumbs-up.

"Go!" Coach Jackson yells, and I take off.

I'm not even around the first turn when I lose sight of Zero.

I slow to a stop, confused and wondering where he went, when I and catch sight of him, already at the finish line.

I stare at him, eyes wide, and then I look to Coach Jackson, who has an equally stunned look on his face. Zero starts walking towards me, and when he's close enough, I put out my hand for a high five.

"Wow, Zero! That was super fast." Is all I can think of to say, the surprise wearing off and giving way to joy that I didn't have to run around the whole track.

Zero stares at my hand, before suddenly grabbing it and striding off towards the xit of the track.

"Hey wait, what are you doing?" I ask, trying to pull my hand away, but he tightens his grip, dragging me along.

"Well this concludes our session today. See y'all tomorrow." Coach Jackson says, watching Zero drag me away with amusement while I beg him with my eyes to put a stop to this.

"Zero, can you wait a moment?" I angrily huff when he opens the door before taking me back inside the lab. "Seriously, let go of my hand." He glances back at me, before looking away, ignoring me again. Is he mad at me for something?

I think back to what's happened so far, and my mind catches on the part when I called Zero territorial. What if he's more territorial than I thought and is upset I raced Peter and talked to him for a while?

Zero continues down a few hallways, seeming to remember the way we had come from. Scientists step aside and watch with wide eyes as we pass, and I try to smile at them while maintaining my balance. Getting more and more upset as Zero keeps dragging me along like I'm so me doll or something.

He stops in front of the elevator and looks at me, and I glare back at him, before huffing and pushing the button to open it with my free hand.

Why isn't he trying to escape? He's not locked up right now, and could easily use me as a hostage. I glance behind me to see two guards tailing us, guns out and eyes pinned on us,w watching for any sudden movements.

Oh....so that's why.

I'm pulled into the elevator and the doors shut behind me, trapping me into the elevator with him. it's a pretty large elevator, but somehow it seems way smaller with him in here.

"Okay, we're almost there now. So can you let go of my hand?" I ask in an irritated voice, trying to pull at my hand to show him the meaning of my words, but he shakes his head.

Since when did Zero go through a rebellious phase?

We reach the lower level and I'm grateful to see no one in the main room at the moment as Zero takes me past all the tables and to the hallway that leads into the room he's been kept in.

I'm super curious as to why he'd willingly want to go back into the cell he's been trapped in the entire time, but decide not to question it for the moment and instead take out my key card, sliding it through the slot next to the heavy door.

The sooner Zero gets into the room the sooner he'll let me go......most likely.

The door opens and I'm pulled in with Zero, the door shutting behind us before Zero finally lets go of my hand and I sigh in relief, flexing it to try and get the blood flowing back into it.

"Bad, Zero." I glare at him, trying to show him how upset I am.

He tilts his head at me, before walking over to the cot and sitting down, patting the spot beside him for me.

I shake my head, this time it's my turn to tell him no. "Sorry, buddy, but it's time for me to be leaving now, so bye for now." I wave at him, before turning and making my way back towards the door, key card in hand.

Suddenly Zero slides in front of me, blocking my exit.

"No, Zero. Stay." I order, not in the mood after being dragged around to find the puppy-dog eyes he's making cute.

He sees his pleading eyes won't work on me, and his features twist into a scowl.

Suddenly, he snatches the key card from my hand, holding it in his palm. I gape at him, before slowly holding my hand out.

"No Zero. Give it back, please." I say carefully, keeping my tone firm but gentler and hoping it'll work.

He sees to think for a moment and I exhale, thinking he'll behave like he's always done and hand it back when I use my softer tone of voice.

I was wrong.

He makes his decision, and I wait for him to place the key card back in my hand, but instead of doing that, he closes his fingers around the card, making a fist.

I hear the creak and then the snap as the key card is broken into little bits and pieces, my mouth falling open as Zero opens his palm and I see for myself the broken card.

"No!" I exclaim, looking between Zero, the key card and the door.

I'm stuck here.



Dear Readers, so here we have it. Two races in one day, poor Ashley. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and also getting to see Zero's rebellious side. Vote, comment, and bake a cheesecake. Lots of Love,

Dangeroustoken