Unloved
Summary: Everyone has left or ignored the eighteen-year-old Zack -- nobody seems to care for him anymore. But what happens when he decides to run away, then gets caught up in something bigger than anyone, even Cody, had expected? (Zack's POV)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that are in the episodes of the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. I do, however, own the bad guys. (Except Zack.)
"Alright, it's about time to go on out," Boss said a little while later. "Let's go. Vulture, you stay with Viper; you two will become a bit of a team, until you figure out how things work around here. If you get left behind, you get left behind; we don't wait up here, so you best learn fast."
I nodded, following Viper and the rest of the gang outside. It was a pretty busy night, and there were police cars everywhere, from what I could see. I followed the gang around a corner, into an alleyway. Two men, looking weak and scared, were huddled up in a corner of the alleyway. Boss approached them, and the rest of us stayed back a little bit. "You got anythin' to say?'' Boss asked the two men. Both of them shook their heads, then one handed Boss a briefcase. "Good," he said with a smirk.
Pointing to Cobra, Boss nodded slightly. Cobra walked up to the men, followed by Skullz. They both grabbed a man, pinning them to the alleyway's cold brick surroundings. Then Boss nodded at Viper and, of course, me. We walked up to the four and -- I followed Viper's lead -- began to take everything from the scared men's pockets and jackets, leaving them with only their clothes. As we stepped away and stuffed the things into our pockets, Skullz and Cobra placed the men on the ground and let them go after a few punches. They ran away, but three other people had decided to approach us.
I felt my muscles tense as I looked at the three figures. Boss didn't seem quite so... nervous, but the other members of the gang did. ''Look who's here," said one of the figures, who appeared to be the leader. At least, he was a bit in front of the other two, and in the middle. I figured he was the leader. "The weakling crew." He laughed, then looked at me. I couldn't see his eyes that well, because the moon was currently hidden behind the alleyway's dark walls, but I could feel his cold, cruel eyes upon me. Then he spoke again. "You got a newcomer, eh? What happened to your ol' Butch?"
"This kid, the newcomer, beat Butch up," Boss replied coolly. His voice wasn't too proud, but it did seem slightly impressed. Maybe Butch was supposed to be really tough or something. I never knew.
"Oh, really? As well as my boy Snake Eyes here did?" It was obvious to me who Snake Eyes was, because I could hear him muttering loudly from the right side of the one I thought was the leader, "It was a piece o' cake, Biz. Piece o' cake..."
"Actually, worse," Boss replied. "Gave Butch a broken nose in the process. But, Biz, why're you here? Thought they locked you up. You always were the weakest one of us all, and I mean in the whole city. And I don't say that with friendliness.''
"We all know I was weak," Biz said, and I could make out a smirk upon his face, "but you were always the soft one. You always took in the weak ones. You didn't care much about their rep."
"And I made them better than they were, stronger, smarter. I built them up, and Cobra and Skullz are here to prove that. Most of the ones I trained left. But who cares? I only let the strong ones into my gang now."
"What about Viper there? I thought he was a geek.'' The other two beside Biz laughed, and I clenched my teeth. I just became part of the gang, but, as I've mentioned before, they were like my family. More so than Cody and Kurt, more of friends than Maddie or Esteban, or anyone I've ever known. And I wouldn't let people just come around and talk trash about them to my face.
"Every gang needs brains. That's something yours should start looking for," Boss retorted. "Plus, he's strong, too. He beat you up easily, remember?"
"Shut up. Just give us the briefcase, and we'll be on our way. And we won't tell anyone how pitiful your gang's been becoming. Cobra and Viper? Weak. You and Skullz? Pathetic. The newcomer? Weak, pathetic, pitiful, sad, and abandoned. Just give it up, you aren't as good as you once were." At that I tensed up more than I was. I couldn't attack, though... I had to keep it all in. I couldn't lurch out and attack, I didn't even know my exact place in this gang yet.
But I couldn't hold it in, no matter how hard I tried.
I jumped out and punched Biz straight in the nose, hearing the crack and knowing I was successful in breaking his nose. The other two -- Snake Eyes first -- jumped out at me, fists ready to strike me. I knew, I thought, I would be fighting this one on my own. I was used to that by now, being left alone for this long. I grabbed Snake Eyes' fist and was expecting for the other one's fist to come and hit me, but it never did. I turned around and there was Viper, helping me with the other one, and then I saw Cobra fighting Biz. I smiled slightly: at least they were there for me. Skullz was watching, for policemen I guess, and Boss was just watching the fight.
I snapped back to my senses as I was hit in the stomach by Snake Eyes. I staggered back, coughing once or twice, and then charged at Snake Eyes, kicking the side of his face. I had jumped up to kick him, then landed on my feet after spinning in the air, to the side. Snake Eyes brought his hand to his cheek, looking slightly suprised. I took advantage of these few seconds, and punched him in the stomach, followed by bringing my knee to his stomach, hard. He staggered back, and, as he did, I charged back up to him and began to punch him, hard, in the stomach. Continuing punches, quick punches, in the same spot. But then, Snake Eyes grabbed me by the neck, choking me slightly; then he threw me. I hit some trashcans, and the loud noise of me crashing into them and then them crashing into each other was loud and echoed throughout the alleyway. This seemed to catch someone's attention.
"Police!" Skullz shouted suddenly, and six policemen appeared. I couldn't tell what direction they came from, but three of them took Snake Eyes, Biz, and -- I could hear Biz angrily shouting out his name -- Poison.
"Let's go, boys!" Boss shouted as they took Biz and his gang away, climbing a ladder that led to the rooftop of a building. I was last, and one of the policemen ripped me from the ladder. I couldn't be caught. No. This was the closest thing to a family that I had. I twisted in the man's grasp and punched him in the eye. He let go of me to cover his eye, staggering back. I dashed back to the ladder and began to climb, barely avoiding the grasp of a back-up policeman. But it wasn't over yet. All three of the policemen followed me, climbing the ladder once I was safely at the top.
"Vulture, brave move!" Viper congratulated me. I shook my head. "Come on, man, we gotta get moving," I said, ignoring the compliment. We ran after Boss, Skullz, and Cobra. I didn't look back, I couldn't. I didn't mind seeing the policemen, it was just how one of them, the middle one, reminded me of Cody. I gulped and jumped to the next rooftop. The other gang members, and -- I looked back just this once -- the policemen seemed to have no trouble jumping from rooftop to rooftop. I'd just have to learn how it's done.
I knew that the rooftops would end sooner or later, and had hoped for later -- but the result was sooner. A policeman grabbed me, the one that resembled Cody, and Skullz and Viper were caught by the other two. Boss and Cobra had gotten away. But I wouldn't be caught that easily.
"What's your name?" I asked the policeman that was holding me, not wanting to hear the answer, but knowing I needed to. He looked way too much like my brother, like me. Although, since I was covered in blood, nobody would recognize me, except the new gang I was in. Heck, nobody I knew would recognize me if I were clean! But, again, Boss' gang would. My gang would.
"Cody... Cody Martin," the policeman replied. "What's it to you, criminal?"
"The fact that you're my brother should answer that question," I snapped. Now I was really angry. Cody decided to show up now, of all times? He decided to arrest me, not visit me? Some brother.
"Zack?" he questioned, but his grip only got tighter, since he was reaching for handcuffs. But I wouldn't let him take me.
"It's me.'' My voice still showed no friendliness -- and neither did my punch. In other words, I twisted from Cody's grasp -- he still wasn't as strong as me -- and punched him square in the eye. That's when my anger came from nearly under the surface to full-out rage. I grabbed my brother by the neck, angrily telling him, "Some brother you are. You never come to visit me since you went away to that damn college of your's! Nobody ever listens to me. Of course, being the person you are, you wouldn't care, would you? Dammit, Cody!"
I kneed him in the stomach, and as he doubled over, I punched his cheek. He began to cry, the tears coming slowly. But I wasn't going to stop for that, not this time. Nothing he could say could ease my anger. I picked him up easily, hurling him over the side of the rooftop. If he died, then that would be one less person I would have to deal with. Even if it meant many more people chasing me. Cody deserved to die.