Gathering
Caesar speaks the truth to the rest of the apes.
Caesar watched as Dodge opened the rest of the apes' cages. One by one the apes rose from a heavy induced sleep. He looked on in satisfaction that the ALZ-113 had already taken effect. It seemed as the apes were fully aware of their surroundings, the way they rose up slowly and calmly... Oh, they knew... Caesar knew they knew. Even in the dark, damp holding cages, he could see the faintest tint of green in their eyes. This place, or prison which was what Caesar now called it, had opened his eyes of what it means to be an ape. Now, he took the chance of opening their eyes too.
As he and the other apes made their way to the play area, he signed for Maurice and Rocket the summon the rest of the apes to gather around the tree. Caesar stood below the tree and started to sign his speech. "Good morning, my fellow apes… My name is Caesar. Today I must confess something, I want to help you. I can see you need it clear as day." Some apes looked to each other in confusion. A young chimp, Oscar, signed to him. "What do you mean 'help'?" Caesar signed back, "The way the humans treat us. They see us as nothing more than pets and uses for their own entertainment purposes. I will NOT stand for it!"
Some apes hooted and howled in agreement. Caesar stood up as his posture became more strong and dominant. "I know of a place where we can be free and thrive without the fear of human interaction." He pointed to the skylight. "There is a forest not to far from here." Rocket looked back and signed, "How do you know of this place?" Caesar climbed up to the skylight and wiped the fog off the glass looking at the Redwood Forest with hopeful eyes. He turned back around, jumped off the ledge and signed back to the rest of the apes. "I have been there countless times when I was young." The apes looked interested in this place. Another chimp signed in curiosity, "What is it like there?" A smile grew on Caesar's face as he reminisced of his free days. "Wonderful….Large trees to climb, endless space to run and play and plenty of food for everyone."
Maurice had a questionable look on his face as he signed, "How do you expect us to get there?" Caesar signed, "Working on an escape route. Been studying the humans' routine for two weeks. Almost have something. Give me time…"
-This is when John Landon, the owner of the shelter, noticed the meeting…
The apes in the back of the group meeting alert Caesar. Caesar looks back and induces a powerful but menacing stare. He looks back and hoots the question, "Agreed?" Every ape hoots back, "Yes..." and the meeting is dismissed.