Urko, the Chief of Security for Central City, has paused his tireless hunt for three wily fugitives in order to spend some quality time with his family. He has been away for so long that his wife, Elta, has almost forgotten him...almost, but not quite. (A short vignette)

When a fever breaks out in a human village, the local prefect demands that veterinarian 'Dr. Kova' save her workforce from being 'sterilized' by Urko's troops. After a promising start, things turn ominous when one of the guards gets infected by the same illness.

Astronauts Virdon and Burke crash on a primordial world that seems to be stuck in the stone age. Their plan to return to their ship to send a signal home meets an unexpected difficulty when the tribe that saved them keeps them from leaving their territory, and when they finally manage to escape, they find themselves caught in an even deadlier trap...

When Virdon is shot and needs medical help, Galen remembers an old flame who he is sure will put her Healer's Vow above the politics of the day. But when he meets up with her, her bitterness over their breakup and her prejudices against humans threaten to take priority over professional ethics...

When Burke gets caught by Urko's troops, he is subjected to a new, experimental form of interrogation developed by a young, ambitious scientist. Now he must withstand both physical and psychological torture while his friends race to his rescue - a feat that is made infinitely more difficult because nobody knows where he is held prisoner.

When Virdon and Urko are trapped in an old subway station after an earthquake, they are forced to cooperate in order to survive, while above ground, Burke and Galen have to convince Urko's lieutenant to cease hostilities for the rescue of the two. The uneasy truce is broken, though, when Urko discovers a damning artefact from Earth's past...

The fugitives stumble upon a mixed human-ape group of rebels, and suddenly find themselves in the middle of a power struggle between the human rights group and the local prefect. Burke is given a deadline of fourty-eight hours to negotiate the release of the prefect's niece - or Virdon will be executed...

On the run from Urko's search parties, Galen sprains his ankle, and the group needs to find shelter to allow him to heal. A gorilla farmer takes them in, but the farmer's oldest son is hostile to the humans, considering them a health hazard for his prized cow.

After their capture, Virdon and Burke find themselves in a world where intelligent, talking apes are the masters, and humans are regarded as animal pests. They seem to have found an ally in a young chimpanzee scientist, but when their attempt to escape goes horribly wrong, things suddenly turn deadly..

Pete has been captured and faces many challenges on the road to freedom. Originally published in Of Dreams and Schemes #17 If you like this story, I also have 2 Planet of the Apes stories in the crossover section (with Highlander)