While the World Watched

Taylor was delirious; Zaius could see that much. The gorillas were nothing if not expert shots. At any rate, Taylor would be dead soon, and if Zaius had his way, forgotten. The gorillas no longer cared about Taylor; they were too busy trying to bring down the human weapon that Zaius had vainly tried to warn them about.

But Taylor didn't seem to realize or care that he was dying. He continued to stumble forward, driven by sheer willpower. Zaius had to admit it was impressive.

"Help me!" Taylor gasped, clutching his bleeding chest.

"Help you?" Zaius scoffed. "Mankind is capable of nothing but destruction!"

"You don't understand." Taylor fell down on his knees. "It's doomsday…"

Then his hand landed on one of the rods that protruded from the nearby organ that the humans had used to control the weapon. The glow from the ensuing blast surrounded human and ape alike, and Zaius had one last, brief moment to appreciate the irony before he could appreciate nothing more.

BRITAIN-THE RUINS OF LONDON

The secretary, a nervous chimpanzee whom the Prime Minister barely knew, was standing at his desk. The orangutan feigned disinterest as he looked up from his stack of daily reports. "Yes, what is it?"

The chimpanzee cleared his throat. "Well, sir, the, um, parliament is demanding to see you. They, um, want to know what you intend to do about, err…what's happened."

Prime Minister Claudius sighed. Sometimes he wondered why he'd accepted this post. With the country mostly abandoned there'd been little for apes to do here-until now. He stood up.

"All right. Tell them I'm on my way. And notify the Home Secretary. She'll know what to do."

The ride to the Provisional Parliament Building-actually the ancient human palace where royalty had once lived-was uneventful. One could almost ignore the rapidly changing color of the sky; the rising temperatures…almost.

Most Londoners had already decided to evacuate the city on their own. Those few who remained-mostly elderly chimpanzees and orangutans like himself who now had nothing better to do and nowhere else to go-milled about on the streets as the car passed through Piccadilly Circus. This part of the city had been rebuilt for business reasons centuries earlier. Now it was a ghost town.

The car stopped in front of the Palace. There were no guards, Claudius noticed. That wasn't surprising; the thickheaded gorillas had been among the first to panic and desert. A fellow orangutan-some low-level Cabinet member, whom Claudius knew vaguely-led him into the chamber where the Parliament, or what was left of it, was in "Session." This time, however, there were no long-winded speeches or debates. Only scared apes who were just beginning to realize that the ancient prophecy was coming true.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentle-apes," Claudius said. The glow outside the windows was getting brighter; he didn't have much time. "Well, then. Shall we get down to business?"

There were looks of satisfaction on the others' faces at last as this symbol of order and tradition stood before them. It almost made being swallowed up by the light worthwhile.

TOKYO, JAPAN

"Lord Shinzu. Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice."

The Shogun nodded. The gorilla had been one of his rival Tanaka's best samurai, but the current situation had put that in the past, or so it seemed.

The orangutan known as Shinzu, leader of one of the most powerful clans in Neo-Japan, bowed out of respect as they sat down together. "The telegram your lord sent me was most informative," Shinzu said. "I appreciate his candor. I only regret that it appears I shall not be able to do it in person."

The cherry blossoms outside were trembling in the rising wind-a wind that was sweeping the world, if the reports he had been privy to were to be believed. But he still had unfinished business here.

"My lord feels the same way." The gorilla handed Shinzu a small, empty bottle. "He said…he had no regrets. Also, that you should feel no shame in what you did."

Shinzu chuckled, although it was difficult to do. It seemed as if the air were being sucked out of the room. The sky outside was beginning to glow a fierce yellow-which then turned white. Yes, Shinzu thought. It was time.

"We all do only what we are allowed to in these times." Shinzu coughed. He looked down at the cup of tea he had just finished-tea that had been delivered the day before, he remembered. He smiled at his guest. "It would seem that Tanaka…has had the last laugh after all…"

The blast hit him just as he died.

SYDNEY, AUSTRAILIA

The ancient ceremony was almost complete. The sky glowed as if in appreciation-but the participants and the special guests they had invited knew otherwise. It had taken them many days of travel from the Outback to get here, but now they were at the end of their journey.

"Thank you for coming," the old shaman said. "But it appears time is growing short. Sabo?" He nodded at another chimpanzee that was nearly as old as he was. They were all old here; but that was why they had been invited. They had been near the end of their lives when news of the fire from across the vast sea had reached them. It was only fitting that they should share this together.

Sabo dipped his fingers in the paint and began drawing on the rock wall. This had once been a human building; a place where singers performed, if the ancient texts were to be believed. "This is the end of our story," Sabo said as he drew figures representing them. "But this is also the end of the Dreamtime. Soon we shall be awake."

The shaman nodded as the others murmured in agreement. "Some would say this is the end," he said. He was content now. "But the light that approaches is not oblivion. It is the start of a new day."

His face was peaceful as it became enveloped in light.