Shock. Slowly raising his hands, that's the only word that could describe
what Captain Leo Davidson was feeling. Staring at the furry mob
surrounding him, Leo tried to get his mind to work, to figure out a plan.
This must be an alternate universe that the.. anomaly brought him to. It
had to be, apes couldn't have taken over the world in the few short days he
had been gone, it just, it just wasn't possible. Staring numbly out at
Washington D.C, Leo wondered if he was going to die this time. "No" Leo
whispered to himself, not while he was still breathing. He wouldn't allow
the apes the pleasure of killing him. They were the same barbaric animals
from the last planet; they had just evolved and masked their animal
instincts with technology. He was roughly pulled out of his shock as a
group of what had to be the military came storming through the gathered
reporters and hustled him down the stairs into an armored car.
*BRIIIIIIING! * The shrill sound of the telephone roughly pulled Attar from a sound sleep. Thinking about it for about two seconds, Attar decided that it probably wasn't that important and rolled over to go back to sleep. *BRIIIIIING* Still the ring nagged at him and with a resigned sigh he reached out one furry arm "Yeah? Attar here." "Attar, this is Thade, we had an incoming and well, I pulled some strings and your to keep track of our.uh visitor." "Thade? What do you mean visitor?" "Listen Attar, just trust me and get your furry butt down to HQ." The phone hung up with a click and Attar stared dazedly at it before getting up to get dressed. Thade had been his best friend for years and Attar trusted him implicitly, he was also his boss and high on the command chain. So when he said jump, he jumped.
Leo sat dazedly between two hulking gorillas. He had to admit though this situation was slightly better than the last time he had come into contact with apes. At least these ones didn't seem to want to kill him. In fact it was the opposite, they treated him gently, but almost cautiously. He didn't really process this but stored it away for later examination; he was really just concentrating on escape. He didn't know were they were taking him and he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to his pod so he was really screwed. There was now no way with which he could escape out of this world and get back to his own. He wouldn't think like that, if this was a different universe than maybe his ship hadn't crashed here and that they may be able to come and get him. The chance was slim, but Leo clung to it like a drowning man would a life jacket. Besides the two apes next to him, there was a driver and another security ape next to him, in total four, equal to at least twenty men each. Behind him were two motorcycles and in front of him were two police cars. He didn't know exactly how many were in the car but he roughly estimated it to be four, two in the front and two in the back, same as his car. That meant eight in the two cars, twelve including his car and fourteen including the motorcycles. Leo despaired at the odds stacked against him, but he was determined to be free of the apes.
Leo spotted his chance as they rolled along a quiet suburban street. The apes had been careless, and had left the doors unlocked. This presented a slim chance of being able to clamour over the unsuspecting ape and bolt out the door at the next stoplight. He was depending on the ape to be too startled by this reckless move to act fast enough to catch him when he climbed over his lap. Not the best plan but it was all he had. Holding his breath he waited till the car stopped and made his move. He had been right in the fact that the ape was too startled by this bold move to do more than sit there in shock but he recovered quickly, in time to grab Leo's leg. He needn't have though as the car wasn't stopping at a stoplight but they were at wherever they had been taking him. At the jerk on his leg, he lot his balance and went tumbling to the ground, smacking his chin sharply on the cement ground, splitting his lip. Stars exploded in his eyes he though fuzzily to himself I didn't know you actually saw stars It took him a minute to realize that the stars were flashbulbs from cameras. He was still dazed by the lights and the smack on the head when the gorilla holding his ankle let go and roughly hauled him to his feet. He swayed dizzily and stumbled forward a few steps before the ape standing next to him gave a quiet curse and swung him up in his arms. Giving a startled yelp, Leo kicked the ape in the side and sunk his teeth into his arm. The ape gave a howl of pain and dropped him on his ass. Jumping up Leo started running to where he saw planes sitting on a field. Thanks to his interest in the history of planes he could tell what it was and how to fly it, hopefully. He just hoped it didn't require keys. Halfway there a small, agile chimpanzee brought him down, hard. Hitting his head for the second time in just a few minutes his overloaded body shut down and he fainted.
This was great! The small reporter chimpanzee manuvered himself deftly through the crowd of other apes, to try and get to the front of the mass of reporters in able to catch the first glimpse of the human. There were only a few left in existence and none had ever fallen from the stars. He was therefore startled when the human fell out and smacked his chin on the ground, his lip spurting blood. He had expected them to be a little gentler with an almost extinct species. This was going to make a great story. The ape swung the human up into his arms but gave a yelp and dropped him almost immediately. The human jumped up and started running, towards the airfield? What was he planning to do? Fly a plane? What an interesting twist, could humans possibly be sentient, or have some kind of intelligence? His musings were interrupted as a chimp jumped the human and brought him crashing to the ground, effectively knocking him out and then hustling him into the building out of sight. This was a major story, the abuse of a fragile, endangered species and by the governments best, no less. Yep, this story could really make him and he; Levosan was not about to let it slip through his fingertips.
Attar climbed slowly out of his car, gazing around him, mouth agape. Hulking apes armed to the teeth surrounded the perimeter of the military building, with a mass of reporters crowded around the gate. Flashing his ID he struggled through the bunch to get inside, shoving microphones away from him muttering no comment over and over, because he truly had no idea. Finally he was inside the installation and making his way to his lab. The corridors were busier than he had ever seen them, scientists hurrying to and fro, with guards stationed at every corner. He got to his humble little lab in the basement only to find it heavily guarded. "Um, excuse me? This is my lab and I need to get in, Admiral Thade's orders." "Ah, Attar, glad to see you made, you have missed most of the excitement sadly, but please, come in and meet our new visitor." Thade walked up and ushered him inside grinning like a kid with a juicy secret. Sitting in the middle of the room was a large steel cage with a lone human in odd tattered rags sitting in it, huddled in a corner, watching the whole room closely. "Thade this is amazing, you finally found a human for me to study!" Thade chuckled and pounded him on the back "well you are a specialist in humans are you not? I just figured it was time to put your talents to good use. He is a feisty little thing and clever too. Three times he tried to make a run for it. You should have seen when he came round and we tried to put him in his cage! Fought like a wildcat and wormed his way out like a weasel, we finally had to put a collar on him and chain him to the cage." Attar noticed a slim metal band around the human's neck with a chain fastened to the bars of the cage. "Oh, Thade must we? The poor thing looks scared to death, and pretty beat up. Did you do this to him? You must remember humans are much more fragile than us." Attar admonished his best friend, but it was really half hearted. Squatting down next to the bars he studied the human carefully. "Hmmm, bruises about the torso, face, neck, almost like he was strangled, too big to be other human finger marks, too small for an gorilla must have been a chimpanzee." He muttered, disturbed at the mangled condition of his charge. He needed to get those rags off him and a closer look at him. Looking up at his smiling friend, he grinned happily. This had been his dream for long time, ever since he was a small child and read about humans. "Hey Thade" He asked hesitantly, "could I get a closer look, like take him out of his cage? I need to determine how injured he is." For a moment Thade looked like he was about to say no, but instead gave Attar a rueful grin, "How about you try to get him out and the rest of us will stand by the ready if it fails?" Uncertainly Attar nodded, he knew that it was the only way to get the human out without annoying Thade, so he had to try. Moving around to the door of the cage he wondered how he was going to get the human out, without a fuss. "Hello, my name is Attar." Thade roared with laughter causing the human to jump and Attar to glare at him. "What are you doing Attar, going to ask him to come out?" "It is scientifically proven that humans respond to the sound of your voice not the words, just how you say the words. Please no more loud unexpected noises; it'll just frighten him more." Attar turned back to the cage and started talking in low soothing tones, about the weather, what was in the news, whatever he could think of. The human responded to that and seemed to be relaxing. Cautiously Attar eased the cage door open. The others in the room tensed, but Attar ignored them and continued talking. "C'mon fella, I promise I won't hurt you, but I need to see how bad you're hurt, and I bet some food and a bath wouldn't go amiss, you certainly are not looking too good." Taking a chance Attar eased his paw inside the cage; the human looked at it nervously before moving close enough to put his own small paw in his.
Leo huddled miserably in the corner of his cage. He had come around just as they were putting him in his cage and he definitely did not like that so of course he had to try to get away. Three times he made a run for it and each time they grabbed him. Eventually he was too tired to fight and his head was pounding and he gave in. Shifting on the hard metal floor he wondered if maybe he had a concussion, the way his headache had refused to go away. There was a small commotion near the door and he looked up to see Thade enter along with Attar. Hope flared, Attar had helped him before, and maybe he would help him now. His heart sank as Attar exclaimed over his capture and hurried over to him. He wanted to scream, to tell these..these monkeys that he was a human, that they were the animals and this was all wrong! Instead he scrunched down further and tried to ignore Attar's soft voice. Thade's bark of laughter at whatever he was saying startled him and he twisted around to keep his eye on him. Quietly Attar berated him and came around to the front of his cage and stated to talk soothingly again. Leo basically ignored him but eventually he relaxed his tense muscles as the soft voice flowed over him. When the cage door opened he tensed. Thought about making a run for it, decided not to and lay back against the bars. When Attar stuck one huge hairy paw in he glanced at it uncomprehendingly through a haze of weariness. The words 'food' and 'bath' penetrated the fog and slowly he reached out his hand and placed it in the outstretched paw. The room seemed to be holding its breath and they all let out a small collective gasp of relief when he made no move to escape. Gently Attar drew him out of the cage, unlocking his chain from the bars and gathering him up in his burly arms. Thade gave another bark of laughter and slapped Attar on the back. Leo jumped at the loud noise and aggressive action and tried to twist his body to get away. Attar merely tightened his arms and murmured comforting words to him while shooting a glare at Thade, who meekly backed away. Attar strode over to a metal examination table and laid him gently down on it, his body protesting the loss of Attar's body heat. The cool metal chilled his body and goose bumps marched along his pale skin. As soon as he was lying down, with his chain attached to the table leg the other assistants started moving in. He stared somewhat apprehensively at them but was reassured as Attar waved them away. Slowly, as though not to frighten him the huge ape advanced on him. Leo watched him carefully, not that there was anything he could do should the ape decide to attack, chained up and half naked as he was. The first thing he did was remove the tattered remains of his uniform, his last connection to home. He made a protesting noise and Attar mimed that he was going to wash them. Leo didn't know why he wasn't telling them he could talk, he just didn't want too. He came back with a clipboard and started a physical exam, clucking over every new bruise and writing something down. The assistants were hovering close by in fascination, inching in closer to get a better look. When they were close enough to start to be a nuisance Attar gave a growl and shoved all but three away. The three immediately started bustling about the room getting out bandages and other instruments. Then they all converged on him, bearing trays full of medical equipment.
Attar was amazed at the state of the human lying quietly before him. His body was battered, with cuts, bruises and scrapes scattered over every inch of his body. He had been starved for some days now, judging by the way his ribs stood out and he was utterly exhausted. It was a miracle he was even conscious right now. Attar growled impatiently at the huddle of his assistants as they jostled to get a better look at the human. Not that they hadn't ever seen one, but the only ones the U.S owned were mostly scattered in various lab facilities in the Midwest. Washington Army Labs had never been privileged to own its human before, especially one that had dropped from the skies. Picking three assistants to help him bathe the human and dress his wounds he pushed the others away. Attar noticed that the human was shivering and his teeth kept clacking together. He racked his brains trying to remember what symptoms those were. Oh yes, the human was cold. The shivering was the body's way of creating friction to generate heat. He would get him some warm blankets as soon as they were through. His assistants had gotten the requested materials and were standing patiently behind them. Motioning them forward he grabbed a sponge, wet it in the warm water and started to gently wipe the human's body. The others soon followed his lead and the human was cleaned in no time. Right, now it was time to clean those cuts and scrapes. His assistant handed him the disinfectant and he gently dabbed at the various lacerations covering the human's body. The human, who had been dozing as they cleaned him jerked awake at the slight sting of the disinfectant and gave a whimper that shot straight to Attar's heart. The poor human, beaten, starved and now locked up in a cage surrounded by unknown apes and at a total physical disadvantage. He couldn't fight any of them, run faster than them or try to hide as he was chained up with a room full of marines watching his every move. The shivering got worse and Attar barked at his assistant to run and fetch the warmest blankets he could find. The assistant scurried away and Attar unchained the human before gently gathering him up into his arms, figuring that his body heat should keep him warm enough until the blankets arrived. Quietly Thade inched closer peering over Attar's burly shoulder. The human's eyes were closed and he had snuggled into Attar, his hands gripping the fabric of his lab coat tightly. The open trusting look on his face as he slept was completely at odds with his earlier behaviour, or maybe he was starting to trust him. " Nice job Attar, now I know why the government is paying you so much." Attar chuckled at Thade's joke. They had been friends since high school and Thade knew about Attar's dream to be able to study humans and maybe even own one and bond with one. After he had seen the way the other scientists around the world behaved with the humans that had only intensified his longing. Most humans where very open and affectionate but only with people that they knew well, and Attar wanted that with his own human. Now it seemed that his dream was coming true.
The silence was broken by the assistant rushing into the room carrying an armload of blankets and what looked like a large fluffy pillow. Attar grabbed the thickest blanket to wrap the human in and gestured for the assistant to lay the rest down in the cage, making it into a nest which Attar gently layed the sleeping human. Quietly he attached the chain to a bar and closed he door, ushering all but Thade, a few marines and his assistants out. It was time to start the research.
Slowly Leo awoke, not wanting to leave the warmth of sleep but he had to get up, time for duty. Wait, why hadn't his alarm gone off? No, he wasn't on the ship any more, but then where was he? The planet of the apes, that's right, but in a different one... Leo's eyes flew open as he remembered the details of last night, the remaining cobwebs of sleep being brushed out by his panic. Sitting up he realized he was back in a cage, butt-assed naked but covered in blankets. All his injuries had been taken care of and he remembered being washed too, a luxury that he had missed sorely. Noticing that the human was awake, all the apes rushed over, causing Leo to cringe backward in response. Too many bad experiences making him wary. Attar pushed his way to the front, talking soothingly as he had last night. Leo continued to watch them all warily but relaxed his tense muscles. Just then the door swung open hitting the wall with a loud BANG causing Leo to jump and hit his head on the ceiling. Attar turned around to glare at whoever made the loud noise, but instead hurried over to the short Oragatangue that entered the room. "Good Afternoon, sir! Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to study this human!"
*BRIIIIIIING! * The shrill sound of the telephone roughly pulled Attar from a sound sleep. Thinking about it for about two seconds, Attar decided that it probably wasn't that important and rolled over to go back to sleep. *BRIIIIIING* Still the ring nagged at him and with a resigned sigh he reached out one furry arm "Yeah? Attar here." "Attar, this is Thade, we had an incoming and well, I pulled some strings and your to keep track of our.uh visitor." "Thade? What do you mean visitor?" "Listen Attar, just trust me and get your furry butt down to HQ." The phone hung up with a click and Attar stared dazedly at it before getting up to get dressed. Thade had been his best friend for years and Attar trusted him implicitly, he was also his boss and high on the command chain. So when he said jump, he jumped.
Leo sat dazedly between two hulking gorillas. He had to admit though this situation was slightly better than the last time he had come into contact with apes. At least these ones didn't seem to want to kill him. In fact it was the opposite, they treated him gently, but almost cautiously. He didn't really process this but stored it away for later examination; he was really just concentrating on escape. He didn't know were they were taking him and he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to his pod so he was really screwed. There was now no way with which he could escape out of this world and get back to his own. He wouldn't think like that, if this was a different universe than maybe his ship hadn't crashed here and that they may be able to come and get him. The chance was slim, but Leo clung to it like a drowning man would a life jacket. Besides the two apes next to him, there was a driver and another security ape next to him, in total four, equal to at least twenty men each. Behind him were two motorcycles and in front of him were two police cars. He didn't know exactly how many were in the car but he roughly estimated it to be four, two in the front and two in the back, same as his car. That meant eight in the two cars, twelve including his car and fourteen including the motorcycles. Leo despaired at the odds stacked against him, but he was determined to be free of the apes.
Leo spotted his chance as they rolled along a quiet suburban street. The apes had been careless, and had left the doors unlocked. This presented a slim chance of being able to clamour over the unsuspecting ape and bolt out the door at the next stoplight. He was depending on the ape to be too startled by this reckless move to act fast enough to catch him when he climbed over his lap. Not the best plan but it was all he had. Holding his breath he waited till the car stopped and made his move. He had been right in the fact that the ape was too startled by this bold move to do more than sit there in shock but he recovered quickly, in time to grab Leo's leg. He needn't have though as the car wasn't stopping at a stoplight but they were at wherever they had been taking him. At the jerk on his leg, he lot his balance and went tumbling to the ground, smacking his chin sharply on the cement ground, splitting his lip. Stars exploded in his eyes he though fuzzily to himself I didn't know you actually saw stars It took him a minute to realize that the stars were flashbulbs from cameras. He was still dazed by the lights and the smack on the head when the gorilla holding his ankle let go and roughly hauled him to his feet. He swayed dizzily and stumbled forward a few steps before the ape standing next to him gave a quiet curse and swung him up in his arms. Giving a startled yelp, Leo kicked the ape in the side and sunk his teeth into his arm. The ape gave a howl of pain and dropped him on his ass. Jumping up Leo started running to where he saw planes sitting on a field. Thanks to his interest in the history of planes he could tell what it was and how to fly it, hopefully. He just hoped it didn't require keys. Halfway there a small, agile chimpanzee brought him down, hard. Hitting his head for the second time in just a few minutes his overloaded body shut down and he fainted.
This was great! The small reporter chimpanzee manuvered himself deftly through the crowd of other apes, to try and get to the front of the mass of reporters in able to catch the first glimpse of the human. There were only a few left in existence and none had ever fallen from the stars. He was therefore startled when the human fell out and smacked his chin on the ground, his lip spurting blood. He had expected them to be a little gentler with an almost extinct species. This was going to make a great story. The ape swung the human up into his arms but gave a yelp and dropped him almost immediately. The human jumped up and started running, towards the airfield? What was he planning to do? Fly a plane? What an interesting twist, could humans possibly be sentient, or have some kind of intelligence? His musings were interrupted as a chimp jumped the human and brought him crashing to the ground, effectively knocking him out and then hustling him into the building out of sight. This was a major story, the abuse of a fragile, endangered species and by the governments best, no less. Yep, this story could really make him and he; Levosan was not about to let it slip through his fingertips.
Attar climbed slowly out of his car, gazing around him, mouth agape. Hulking apes armed to the teeth surrounded the perimeter of the military building, with a mass of reporters crowded around the gate. Flashing his ID he struggled through the bunch to get inside, shoving microphones away from him muttering no comment over and over, because he truly had no idea. Finally he was inside the installation and making his way to his lab. The corridors were busier than he had ever seen them, scientists hurrying to and fro, with guards stationed at every corner. He got to his humble little lab in the basement only to find it heavily guarded. "Um, excuse me? This is my lab and I need to get in, Admiral Thade's orders." "Ah, Attar, glad to see you made, you have missed most of the excitement sadly, but please, come in and meet our new visitor." Thade walked up and ushered him inside grinning like a kid with a juicy secret. Sitting in the middle of the room was a large steel cage with a lone human in odd tattered rags sitting in it, huddled in a corner, watching the whole room closely. "Thade this is amazing, you finally found a human for me to study!" Thade chuckled and pounded him on the back "well you are a specialist in humans are you not? I just figured it was time to put your talents to good use. He is a feisty little thing and clever too. Three times he tried to make a run for it. You should have seen when he came round and we tried to put him in his cage! Fought like a wildcat and wormed his way out like a weasel, we finally had to put a collar on him and chain him to the cage." Attar noticed a slim metal band around the human's neck with a chain fastened to the bars of the cage. "Oh, Thade must we? The poor thing looks scared to death, and pretty beat up. Did you do this to him? You must remember humans are much more fragile than us." Attar admonished his best friend, but it was really half hearted. Squatting down next to the bars he studied the human carefully. "Hmmm, bruises about the torso, face, neck, almost like he was strangled, too big to be other human finger marks, too small for an gorilla must have been a chimpanzee." He muttered, disturbed at the mangled condition of his charge. He needed to get those rags off him and a closer look at him. Looking up at his smiling friend, he grinned happily. This had been his dream for long time, ever since he was a small child and read about humans. "Hey Thade" He asked hesitantly, "could I get a closer look, like take him out of his cage? I need to determine how injured he is." For a moment Thade looked like he was about to say no, but instead gave Attar a rueful grin, "How about you try to get him out and the rest of us will stand by the ready if it fails?" Uncertainly Attar nodded, he knew that it was the only way to get the human out without annoying Thade, so he had to try. Moving around to the door of the cage he wondered how he was going to get the human out, without a fuss. "Hello, my name is Attar." Thade roared with laughter causing the human to jump and Attar to glare at him. "What are you doing Attar, going to ask him to come out?" "It is scientifically proven that humans respond to the sound of your voice not the words, just how you say the words. Please no more loud unexpected noises; it'll just frighten him more." Attar turned back to the cage and started talking in low soothing tones, about the weather, what was in the news, whatever he could think of. The human responded to that and seemed to be relaxing. Cautiously Attar eased the cage door open. The others in the room tensed, but Attar ignored them and continued talking. "C'mon fella, I promise I won't hurt you, but I need to see how bad you're hurt, and I bet some food and a bath wouldn't go amiss, you certainly are not looking too good." Taking a chance Attar eased his paw inside the cage; the human looked at it nervously before moving close enough to put his own small paw in his.
Leo huddled miserably in the corner of his cage. He had come around just as they were putting him in his cage and he definitely did not like that so of course he had to try to get away. Three times he made a run for it and each time they grabbed him. Eventually he was too tired to fight and his head was pounding and he gave in. Shifting on the hard metal floor he wondered if maybe he had a concussion, the way his headache had refused to go away. There was a small commotion near the door and he looked up to see Thade enter along with Attar. Hope flared, Attar had helped him before, and maybe he would help him now. His heart sank as Attar exclaimed over his capture and hurried over to him. He wanted to scream, to tell these..these monkeys that he was a human, that they were the animals and this was all wrong! Instead he scrunched down further and tried to ignore Attar's soft voice. Thade's bark of laughter at whatever he was saying startled him and he twisted around to keep his eye on him. Quietly Attar berated him and came around to the front of his cage and stated to talk soothingly again. Leo basically ignored him but eventually he relaxed his tense muscles as the soft voice flowed over him. When the cage door opened he tensed. Thought about making a run for it, decided not to and lay back against the bars. When Attar stuck one huge hairy paw in he glanced at it uncomprehendingly through a haze of weariness. The words 'food' and 'bath' penetrated the fog and slowly he reached out his hand and placed it in the outstretched paw. The room seemed to be holding its breath and they all let out a small collective gasp of relief when he made no move to escape. Gently Attar drew him out of the cage, unlocking his chain from the bars and gathering him up in his burly arms. Thade gave another bark of laughter and slapped Attar on the back. Leo jumped at the loud noise and aggressive action and tried to twist his body to get away. Attar merely tightened his arms and murmured comforting words to him while shooting a glare at Thade, who meekly backed away. Attar strode over to a metal examination table and laid him gently down on it, his body protesting the loss of Attar's body heat. The cool metal chilled his body and goose bumps marched along his pale skin. As soon as he was lying down, with his chain attached to the table leg the other assistants started moving in. He stared somewhat apprehensively at them but was reassured as Attar waved them away. Slowly, as though not to frighten him the huge ape advanced on him. Leo watched him carefully, not that there was anything he could do should the ape decide to attack, chained up and half naked as he was. The first thing he did was remove the tattered remains of his uniform, his last connection to home. He made a protesting noise and Attar mimed that he was going to wash them. Leo didn't know why he wasn't telling them he could talk, he just didn't want too. He came back with a clipboard and started a physical exam, clucking over every new bruise and writing something down. The assistants were hovering close by in fascination, inching in closer to get a better look. When they were close enough to start to be a nuisance Attar gave a growl and shoved all but three away. The three immediately started bustling about the room getting out bandages and other instruments. Then they all converged on him, bearing trays full of medical equipment.
Attar was amazed at the state of the human lying quietly before him. His body was battered, with cuts, bruises and scrapes scattered over every inch of his body. He had been starved for some days now, judging by the way his ribs stood out and he was utterly exhausted. It was a miracle he was even conscious right now. Attar growled impatiently at the huddle of his assistants as they jostled to get a better look at the human. Not that they hadn't ever seen one, but the only ones the U.S owned were mostly scattered in various lab facilities in the Midwest. Washington Army Labs had never been privileged to own its human before, especially one that had dropped from the skies. Picking three assistants to help him bathe the human and dress his wounds he pushed the others away. Attar noticed that the human was shivering and his teeth kept clacking together. He racked his brains trying to remember what symptoms those were. Oh yes, the human was cold. The shivering was the body's way of creating friction to generate heat. He would get him some warm blankets as soon as they were through. His assistants had gotten the requested materials and were standing patiently behind them. Motioning them forward he grabbed a sponge, wet it in the warm water and started to gently wipe the human's body. The others soon followed his lead and the human was cleaned in no time. Right, now it was time to clean those cuts and scrapes. His assistant handed him the disinfectant and he gently dabbed at the various lacerations covering the human's body. The human, who had been dozing as they cleaned him jerked awake at the slight sting of the disinfectant and gave a whimper that shot straight to Attar's heart. The poor human, beaten, starved and now locked up in a cage surrounded by unknown apes and at a total physical disadvantage. He couldn't fight any of them, run faster than them or try to hide as he was chained up with a room full of marines watching his every move. The shivering got worse and Attar barked at his assistant to run and fetch the warmest blankets he could find. The assistant scurried away and Attar unchained the human before gently gathering him up into his arms, figuring that his body heat should keep him warm enough until the blankets arrived. Quietly Thade inched closer peering over Attar's burly shoulder. The human's eyes were closed and he had snuggled into Attar, his hands gripping the fabric of his lab coat tightly. The open trusting look on his face as he slept was completely at odds with his earlier behaviour, or maybe he was starting to trust him. " Nice job Attar, now I know why the government is paying you so much." Attar chuckled at Thade's joke. They had been friends since high school and Thade knew about Attar's dream to be able to study humans and maybe even own one and bond with one. After he had seen the way the other scientists around the world behaved with the humans that had only intensified his longing. Most humans where very open and affectionate but only with people that they knew well, and Attar wanted that with his own human. Now it seemed that his dream was coming true.
The silence was broken by the assistant rushing into the room carrying an armload of blankets and what looked like a large fluffy pillow. Attar grabbed the thickest blanket to wrap the human in and gestured for the assistant to lay the rest down in the cage, making it into a nest which Attar gently layed the sleeping human. Quietly he attached the chain to a bar and closed he door, ushering all but Thade, a few marines and his assistants out. It was time to start the research.
Slowly Leo awoke, not wanting to leave the warmth of sleep but he had to get up, time for duty. Wait, why hadn't his alarm gone off? No, he wasn't on the ship any more, but then where was he? The planet of the apes, that's right, but in a different one... Leo's eyes flew open as he remembered the details of last night, the remaining cobwebs of sleep being brushed out by his panic. Sitting up he realized he was back in a cage, butt-assed naked but covered in blankets. All his injuries had been taken care of and he remembered being washed too, a luxury that he had missed sorely. Noticing that the human was awake, all the apes rushed over, causing Leo to cringe backward in response. Too many bad experiences making him wary. Attar pushed his way to the front, talking soothingly as he had last night. Leo continued to watch them all warily but relaxed his tense muscles. Just then the door swung open hitting the wall with a loud BANG causing Leo to jump and hit his head on the ceiling. Attar turned around to glare at whoever made the loud noise, but instead hurried over to the short Oragatangue that entered the room. "Good Afternoon, sir! Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to study this human!"