And one day at school, Martin just snapped. The gradual demise of all he had previously know and loved in life had a cumulative effect that gave him a breakdown.
The increasing jealousy of his brother Bray, the emotional confusion over Martin¹s love for Trudy, anxiety at the spread of the mysterious ³virus², and the sudden death of his parents these were major factors that drove Martin over the edge.
His hate became all consuming; his anger overcame the last traces of love and kindness in him. Martin as a person was no more the innocent who had been Martin had been replaced by a burning furnace of hate.
Martin was so angry at society and desperate to strike out on his own. Martin recognised quickly that all adults would perish under the virus, like his own parents. In the near future, the surviving teens and children would be left to own the world. And bitter and full of hate, Martin was determined to be the ruler of that New WorldŠ
At school, Martin snapped at the teacher and exploded into a rage at the future that would soon engulf them all. He called himself ³Zoot² and wore lenses over his eyes. He would prepare for that future without adults and wanted to lead a group that would dominate the future world free of adults.
³Zoot² felt the future world would be all about chaos as ³normal society² broke down and whoever had the most power would rule supreme. The slogan ³power and chaos² became Zoot¹s rallying cry as the virus spread increasinglyŠ
The Locos and Zoot¹s Queen
Bitterness and hate drove Zoot. Yet he possessed charisma and leadership skills and started to recruit a band of like-minded teens who followed his vision of ³power and chaos² and ruling the new world without adults.
Zoot¹s group was one of the very first Tribes, and he called them ³The Locos² a name that was fitting because all the Locust insect thinks about is itself and ravages the world to fuel its own needs. This is just what the ³Locos² tribe was determined to do under the maniacal leadership of Zoot.
Zoot lived separately from Bray as the virus escalated and changed society. Bray was distraught at how Martin had transformed himself into Zoot. The two brothers were completely different now unlike Zoot, Bray wanted to build a peaceful new world and to look after others, not just himself.
Ebony had always looked after herself and recognised that the future would belong (at least for a time) to Zoot and his Locos because they were mighty and powerful and positioned to take over much of the city. Ebony stopped seeing Bray and touted herself as Zoot¹s woman and the Locos¹ Queen, and Zoot was happy to take Ebony as his co-leaderŠ
Trudy, pregnant with Martin¹s baby after their previous relationship together, refused to join Zoot in the Locos and was helped by Bray as they fled the city, and the Locos and other Tribes moved inŠ
Brady, child of ZootŠ
And Trudy gave birth to a girl whom she named Brady, a combination of her name Trudy and that of the baby¹s uncle, Bray.
That¹s the story of how Martin, a seemingly ordinary boy, encountered key factors that changed his character and temperament and fuelled the anger and hatred in him, transforming him into Zoot, founder of the Locos and the visionary of ³power and chaos².
These twists and turns of fate were to have a huge effect on the future as the Locos and Zoot¹s vision threatened the Mall Rats peaceful future and especially so in inspiring the mysterious ³Chosen² Tribe in Series 2.
For more information on Zoot and the Locos, check out the Tribe Encyclopedia, Who¹s Who and other articles in the Pre-Tribe archive…
What do you think? Special vote here!
Well now you know the story of how Zoot became Zoot. But what was the key factor that drove Martin over the edge and transformed him into Zoot?
Do you think the key factor was:
a. Martin`s jealousy of his elder brother, Bray
b. The rivalry between Martin and Bray over their love for Trudy
c. Stress and anxiety for Martin caused by Ebony`s manipulation
d. Death in Martin`s family
e. Stress caused by the virus changing society in general
To vote, just write a, b, c, d or e in an email and send it to Zootvote@entercloud9.com
On 7th May we`ll choose a lucky winner at random who will win a signed photo of Zoot autographed by Zoot himself, Daniel James! We`ll also announce the results of the vote then.