A/N: Thanks for waiting for this chapter, and the last chapter even though it was short! This chapter is centered around the ZackXMaxXTapeworm love triangle, and rescuing Cody.
Chapter 9
Zack's heart pounded and he actually forgot about Max for the first time that day. His best friend, his twin, his brother, was in danger and he couldn't care less when Tape and Max slipped away. Rumiku stepped forward into the middle of the nervous group, "We need a plan. Rikk, Zack, Alan, Ryan and I will go up to the suite while Nicki, Tape, and Max guard all of the stairways. Wait, where are Tapeworm and Max?" With a sigh, Rumiku continued.
"Oh well. Noah and Pat can help Nicki instead. Julius, can you and Syd go up to our suite, and stay there?" She turned around to see her younger brothers and Julius staring out into the rain. Water was seeping into the hotel and the boys were stopping it with blankets. Sydney, Noah, and Patrick looked cold, and Rikku put her hands on their shoulders. "What's wrong guys?"
They shivered and Noah replied, speaking for the first time that night, "I-I d-don't know. I think it's s-some kind of f-fever m-maybe."
Patrick and Sydney nodded. A second later, Sydney collapsed to the ground. "Sydney!" Julius cried, feeling the boy's forehead. "He's unconscious. And burning up."
"We have to go!" Zack cried, helping Julius pick Sydney up. They wrapped him in a blanket and Julius held him gently. Zack looked at the floor as if he couldn't bear to continue. And he couldn't. "Cody could be . . ."
He never finished his sentence, or needed to. The others nodded gravely and ran for the stairs. At the door to the twenty third floor, Zack hesitated. "Alright. Let's find my little brother."
"He's only younger by a few minutes," Nicki piped. Zack shot her a dirty glare. She looked down, "Okay . . . Noah and Patrick and I will make sure no one gets up or down from this level." Zack nodded.
Rikku, Rumiku, and Ryan checked the hallways one last time before motioning quietly for the others to listen. Quieting, the group could hear a faint but familiar cry from the other side of the building. Zack's eyes widened, blazing with icy blue rage and despair. "HE'S GOTTEN TO CODY!" He yelled, attempting to bolt down the corridor. Rikku and Ryan grabbed him. "You can't just charge into the suite! The guy could be . . ." Rikku's expression softened."Never mind. Let's just sneak in and maybe we can get away with anyone getting hurt. Including this guy."
Zack let the first smile cross his face since he'd gotten back from the movie with Max. "Yeah. Wait, where's Max?" He glanced around in time to see Tape and Max slip back into the group. Holding hands. There was a soft cheer from their friends. Everyone had expected this for a while. Everyone except Zack.
"Finally!" Rikku cried sarcastically. "How long did it take you to figure out that you liked each other?"
The two blushed, while Zack's eyes widened in hurt. His face became unrecognizable, and he spoke softly and expressionlessly. "I'm going to find my brother." Max looked over at him, and quickly turned away in discomfort. "Okay. We're all coming."
Julius, carrying Sydney, Zack, Rikku, Rumiku, Alan, and Ryan hurried down numerous hallways, and Patrick, Noah, Max, Tape, and Nicki guarded the three sets of stairs. They stopped at the Hiroshima's suite across from the Martin's. Julius hurried inside with Sydney who was beginning to stir. The door locked with a soft click, and Zack took a deep breath.
"Ready?" He motioned to his friends. Before he even tried the handle, he knew the door was locked and maybe barricaded. Placing both hands flat against the door, he closed his eyes. The painted metal door began to glow red under his flaming hands. Rikku joined him, and seconds later, the door melted away and the teenagers sunk into fighting stances.
Cody's P.O.V.
I tried to move and struggle under the man's firm grasp, but to no avail. He had me pinned up against a wall, with a dagger gleaming his hand. "W-what do y-you w-want with me?" I choked out, stuttering half from fright and half from the fact that he was nearly choking me.
The man's face twisted into an ugly scowl, "Like you don't already know! This is my destiny! It is my destiny to kill the last remaining MARTINS AND HIROSHIMAS!" His voice grew louder and raspier with every word until he was yelling. His breath was foul on my face, but to my surprise it did not smell of alcohol.
At that moment, I felt the heat of the room rise tenfold, and Rikku and Zack leapt through the smoldering hole in the door, flames dancing at their fingertips. "LET HIM GO!" Zack yelled, the flames shooting up his and Rikku's arms, but not burning them.
The man just smirked and turned around to face them. I took the chance to land a powerful kick right in his lower back. He hit the ground with a satisfying thud. I ran over to my friends, ready to fight. The man stood and his gaze landed on Ryan and Alan. Pure hate and fury raged in his eyes. They were dark crimson red, nothing like Rikku's own red eyes.
"Alan Brown and Ryan Cooper," There was a taunting glint in his eyes, and Rikku had to hold Ryan's shoulder to keep him from launching forward in fury. "You're not a Hiroshima or a Martin. Even though I'm much more powerful than them, that makes you even weaker. Worthless. Dirt. Nothing in my eyes."
"Well, we don't care what we are in your eyes! In ours, you're shit!" Rumiku shot back. The man turned to her, and in one swift motion he had leapt forward and knocked Alan and Rumiku into the wall. Alan was knocked unconscious, but Rumiku fought the darkness that was threatening to grasp her mind. The man dragged them to the other side of the room, despite multiple kicks and punches from their friends, and pulled out a black pistol. "If you take one more step, you can say goodbye to your friend's miserable little lives . . ."
A/N #2: Sorry, for the cliffie, but I promise I'll update in a few days or sooner this time! I got stuck and didn't know where I wanted to take this chapter, but now I have a pretty good idea what I'm going to do with the story now. Again, sorry for the wait!