After kissing the chimpanzee female Ari and the primitive human female Daena, Leo Davidson took off on the Alpha pod, the space pod that Pericles the chimp had arrived on. He knew that Pericles would be safe on this world. He did not doubt that Ari would pass on the story of the day that Thade's family secret was exposed. The day that humans and apes stopped fighting when Pericles' pod descended from the sky. The day that all people on the planet of the apes became equal.
The Oberon, or "Calima" as it was called by the apes, was getting smaller as he ascended further. He broke out of the atmosphere. He was now among the stars again. To him, the alien planet Ashlar looked just the same as it had looked when he arrived. Alpha pod passed through the electromagnetic storm. Time was moving backwards. It was no longer the year 5021. Davidson looked at the chronometer. The first date that he saw was 10-26-2686. The years were counting backwards. The last date that he saw was 10-26-2155. He stopped looking and payed attention to the bright light that appeared as he left the anomaly.
There was Earth! Even a man who had only spent only three days on the Planet of the Apes would appreciate the sight of his home world. The pod shook as it got closer to the ground. He heard voices being transmitted to him as he got closer to the surface.
"Z.D.C Air Route Traffic Control to unidentified spacecraft."
"Copy that," Davidson said.
"You're entering restricted airspace."
"Permission to land!" Davidson pleaded.
He was going to land in Washington D.C.
"You're off target! Abort!"
"I can't!"
Alpha pod crashed into the reflecting pool. Davidson exited the spacecraft. He went to see the Lincoln Memorial. To his horror, the statue did not have the face of President Abraham Lincoln. It was familiar to him, but not human. It had the face of an ape. Leo looked at the plaque and read it:
IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEART OF APES
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE PLANET
THE MEMORY OF GENERAL THADE
WILL BE ENSHRINED FOREVER
Thade! How did Thade do this? Leo wondered even more as he heard the police car sirens getting closer. There were people gathered in front of what used to be the Lincoln Memorial. These people were not human. He gazed at the police officer as he exited his car. He was a gorilla.
