A/N Hey guys! First of all, I want to give a special thanks to bexs12345 for being my very first reviewer! A special thanks also goes to ShyReader842, ForeverKickandLeoliviaShipper, and scurtui24 for also reviewing my story. And just saying, Kick will be coming; just not yet. I don't really believe in that "Oh Mah Goodness, I Looooove you, and I've only just met you two minutes ago" thing. If that even is a thing… Or at least, I'm going to try and do it more subtlety. Oh, and this chapter will be through Jack's eyes (even though it is in third)
Disclaimer: I don't own Kickin' it or any of it's characters.
So on to the story!
Jack reluctantly cracked his eyes open, the early morning sun just beginning to stream through the windows of the warehouse he and several other kids took residence in. Even though several years had passed since the plague, he still hadn't gotten used to waking up early. He wasn't sure he ever would. He groaned, and forced himself into a sitting position, stretching his stiff muscles from another restless night. He was having nightmares again. But he knew better than to complain. Not many kids had gotten away from the plague unscathed. Everyone had nightmares. Everyone would see their parents die in front of their eyes over and over again. Some of the smaller children living in the warehouse would wake up screaming every night for weeks. And instead of staying under his covers, hoping he could fall asleep again after being woken by the tortured cries, Jack would get up, and sit next to the child, stroking their hair, or telling them stories until again, they fell into an uneasy sleep.
Jack didn't know he could feel like a parent at just sixteen, at least, not before the plague. But he had to be. It wasn't like there was many people left to be these kid's parents. Not when they were dead, anyways. There were others Jack's age, Jack felt it was his responsibility to care for the kids in the warehouse. Everyone living there was a family, of sorts. No one there had any real family left, so they had all sort of adopted each other. And by some unspoken agreement, Jack was made their father—their leader. For in many ways, the group of kids were more than family. Not only did they have no one left but each other, but they all shared a similar goal. A pure hatred for the government. Not the kind of hatred that was only spoken of in secret and whispered when no one else was around. No. They were a rebellion. They proclaimed their hatred from the rooftops. Through robberies. Graffiti. Stealing of information from the government leaders. Training kids to fight, when everyone was supposed to be weak, starving, ignorant. They had even started a black market. The government wanted the idea that even kids could start a new life to be a secret. They wanted all the power. They wanted all the riches. They were selfish. And the only solution, the only way that everyone could start over, was to overthrow these monsters who called themselves leaders.
Jack stretched, countless toned muscles rippling beneath his tanned skin. He rose quietly to his feet, careful not to rouse anyone still sleeping. He and several other members in the warehouse had a mission to complete that morning. They had spent months planning it. It was their biggest heist yet. What was it exactly, that they were planning to do? Steal information from the most protected area in the city. What everyone called the Vault of Secrets.
The name alone was self-explanatory. It was a vault located at the very center of the President's estate, in the big man's house itself. And it held anything and everything the Government doesn't want fellow civilians to know. A single document, a single word, from that vault would sell for a handsome amount of money. Enough to feed everyone in the warehouse for several weeks—months even. Leaked maps of the estate, bribery, and meticulous action all played into the mission.
"Jack," Jack's thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone hiss his name from the other side of the room. He knew who called him even before he turned around. Jerry. Jerry was a lanky Latino boy who had joined the warehouse and rebellion fairly early on in its existence. Jerry was Jack's closest friend in the warehouse, and was pretty much second in command in the organization. The two of them had known each other long before the plague, in fact. They had been separated for a few months afterwards, and met up again when Jack began to gather kids to stay at the warehouse. And it was just like old times again, at least, as close as it could ever be to old times.
Right then, the Latino was standing on his cot, already slipping on a shirt and struggling to get into a pair of jeans without falling on the two eleven year old boys who were sleeping soundly on either side of him. Jack stifled a snicker as Jerry continued to perform a hopping dance until he buttoned his pants, and carefully stepped through the maze of sleeping children to stand beside Jack.
"Where's Milton and Eddy?" Jack asked. They were the two other boys that Jack had chosen to join him on the mission. The four of them were a tightly knit pack, being some of the oldest kids who lived in the warehouse. Milton and Eddie had also known each other before joining the warehouse. Needless to say, they weren't always as enthusiastic about the missions as Jack and Jerry. Nor were they morning people.
Jerry shrugged, looking around the large room, then gestured to two sleeping figures near the door. One was red-haired, fairly skinny, and pale. He was sleeping soundly and, hugged his pillow as if it were a teddy-bear. Milton. The other, Eddie, was darker-skinned, and slightly pudgy. He was also sound asleep, snoring quietly. Jack fought to suppress the frustration that was threatening to explode within him. They were about to complete the greatest act in the rebellion yet, and these two boys were sound asleep. They were supposed to be awake and alert. Ready for anything and everything that was thrown at them. But here they were. Asleep. As if they didn't have a care in the world. Jack felt his nails digging deeply into his palms, the muscles in his fists tightening as he clenched them. Jerry gave him a warning glace, as if saying—Don't do anything stupid. And he was right. Jack couldn't afford to do anything stupid. Not there. Not then.
So Jack strode as calmly as he could to the two sleeping boys, and nudged each one gently on their shoulders. He hoped he could hide the anger in his eyes. He didn't want to be angry with them. It wasn't their fault, after all. Everyone got tired. Everyone slept in, once or twice. It was just, that they slept in, on maybe the most important day for the rebellion. No big deal. Really. No. Not really. The boys opened their eyes at the same time, and scrambled to their feet in unison. Both of them had been smart enough to sleep in the clothes they were planning to wear the next day. At least they prepared somewhat. Jack thought, to himself.
"Jack—" Milton started, "I'm so sorry. We both are. We just—"
"It's fine." Jack said, " Forget about it. Let's get going." And with that, the four boys quietly left the room full of sleeping children. Outside of the warehouse, away from the heat of so many bodies sleeping in the same place, Jack was hit with a rush of freezing air. He hugged his jacket close to his body, keeping his head down, to block the winter wind. His mop of brown hair was ruffled in the gust of cold and snow. It was almost Christmas. The president would host his Holiday ball that evening. A perfect opportunity to break into the vault.
But they would have to reach the President's estate before they even could think about breaking into the vault. It was bitterly cold outside, and the President's Estate was still a few miles away. So the gang broke into a run, both to keep themselves warm, and to arrive at the estate as quickly as possible. The longer they had to observe the estate, find its strengths, and its weaknesses, the better. Just because there were celebrations going on didn't mean that the security precautions would be lessened at all. They only hoped that prying eyes would be glued elsewhere.
After a good hour of jogging, they reached the president's estate. Jack couldn't help but gawk at what stood before him. No stories, no pictures—no bits of leaked information could have prepared him for what the President's estate actually looked like. It was huge, well groomed. It seemed like it could be an entire city in and of itself. Every single building on the estate was white, and huge. They were made of brick, with huge columns, some towering at two-hundred feet, around their perimeters. Bushes were cut in intricate designs, mirror images of the president himself, and his wife. They could have passed as the man and woman themselves, if they hadn't been green. Jack turned, and noticed that Jerry, Milton, and Eddy, were all staring, opened mouthed at estate as well. But what amazed Jack the most was the towering fence that surrounded the entire estate. To keep the government in, and citizens out. It was made of solid iron, probably fed by some electric current. Each bar in the fence rose thirty yards, at least, and came to razor sharp points, ready to impale any who tried to enter. Jack felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. Could they really get in? He studied every inch of the fence, looking for any weak spots, but could find none.
Then he noticed something strange. A girl. She was sleeping only a few feet from the fence that surrounded the president's estate. He could see her honey blonde hair even from where he was standing. She looked to be about his age. And he could tell she was beautiful. No. She was more than beautiful. There was something about her that he couldn't place a finger on. It was a strange feeling. He hadn't even met her, and yet, he was drawn to her. So why was she there? Why was she sleeping so close to the president's estate? Didn't she know it was dangerous, being so close? Didn't she know any better? He felt a strange But something else caught his eye. There were several figures inching towards the girl. And these figures seemed far from friendly. Seemed? He knew they were far from friendly. He could tell by their scarlet and black uniforms that they were the elite police chosen by the president himself. They called themselves the Black Dragons. Yes, they too, were children, but that didn't mean they would hesitate to kill. And that's what they were about to do now. Kill the girl who was sleeping by the president's estate. Jack couldn't let it happen. Not while he was standing so close.
By then Jerry had noticed what Jack was about to do. He saw the Black Dragons, and the girl, still helplessly asleep next to the president's estate.
"Don't do it man! You don't have to save everyone you come by." Jerry tried.
But it was too late. Jack was already sprinting towards the girl, ready to fight for her. Because though she was a stranger, he had to save her. Whatever the cost.
A/N Tadaaaaa! I just realized I didn't add an author's note to the end of my first chapter. So here you go! Remember—read and review! And just a forewarning, I'm not sure how long it will take me to get another chapter uploaded. I've got a lot of stuff going on in my English class, but I will try my very hardest to get a chapter updated as soon as I can.