Chapter 2

Disclaimer-All the usual disclaimers apply. I don't own POTA or it's characters. I own the original characters I made up and that's it. Please don't sue, I hove nothing you would want.

The council room was arranged in the shape of a large semi cirsle. The semi circle was devided into four sections, one for the Chimpanzees, One for the Orangutans, One for the Gorillas and one for the Humans. Each section contained ten seats for the council members. Facing the semi circle was a large platform, and on that platform was Cassius' seat. But that seat now stood empty, and the members of the council had gathered here to await Cassius' death. The only one missing was Aristotle, The Lawgiver, who was the head Orangutan council member.

Markus sat in his seat in the Chimpanzee section, silently awaiting the news he knew was comming. Soon his father would be dead, he would be in charge, and he would be free to use the knowledge he had obtained in the Forbidden City to prevent the future event he knew was comming, the end of the world.

On his trip th the Forbidden City he had discovered that his ancestor Ceasar's parents had come to the year 1973 from Earth's own future, and they had told the humans who had questioned them about how they had fled from the Earth's destruction in the year 3950. He had also discovered that, within the Forbidden City, there was a bomb. It was over six centuries old, but it still had the power to wipe out all living things. And he was sure that the scared, mutated humans who guard that bomb would not hesitite to use it if they believed it necessary to do so. He had tried to tell all of this to his father, but Cassius had refused to believe him. Wail it was true, he had said, that Ceasar's parents had come from the future, the future destruction of Earth was noe believed by most to be merely a myth, propaganda invented by the humans of that time to justify the enslavement of the Apes. Ceasar himself is known to have believed that propaganda, but now the myth was known for what it was, and there were few who gave it any credance. So Markus had been burdened with the knowledge of Earth;s ultimate fate with no way to prove that what he knew was true, with no one who would believe him and no way to change the future. But soon he would be ruler, and then maybe he would be able to do something.

It wasn't that he wanted his father to die, far from it. Sure he and Cassius had they're disagreements, in fact there wasn't very much that they did agree on. But Markus still loved his father. He really did. But as much as he might want to he could not stop Cassius from dying, so he had accepted the inevidable and prepared himself to move on into the future. A future he could hopefuly do something to change.

Markus watched as the other council members paced anxiously around the room, engagin in nervous conversation. The Humans seemed perticularly on edge. They knew that Markus was a Simian Supremisist, and they were afraid of what he would do when he assumed power. Would he take away they're rights, reduce them to slavery, or worse? Truth be told Markus didn't know what he would do about the Humans yet, but de did know that seeing the the decendants of slave drivers sitting in council with the decendants of the slaves as equals dusgusted him. The Humans never did pay for they're crimes. Instead of punnishing those who had held him and his people in slavery, Ceasar had made them equal to the Apes whom they had oppressed. Ceasar had started the revolution, but by failing to punish the Human slave masters he had failed to complete the revolution. Prehaps Markus could now do so himself. He would begin by taking away all Human representation on the council, and then he would go from there.

Markus looked up when he heard the door to the council chambers opening. A somber Aristotle walked in carrying aa piece of parchment in his right hand. Instead of taking his usual place with the other Orangutans he made his way to Cassius' seat and proceded to adress the council.

"My fellow council members, I have two very important announcements, and the council should hear them before the general public does. First, about thirty miuntes ago, our ruler Cassius passed away. He was in minimal pain, and his death was not prolonged. The funeral will be held the day after tomorrow. I know that we are all deeply saddened by this tragic news, and all Central City will observe in a week long period of mourning. Markus, Cassius was you're father. I know that this loss affects you more than anyone else here, and on behalf of the rest of the council allow me to extend my depesty condolances."

Markus nodded his head slowly, still taking in the news. "Thank you, Aristotle."

"Now then, before all work stops for the period of mourning there is one matter that must be attended to. As Cassius' son, Markus should be the next in line to rule. However, shortly before his death, Cassius expressed concerns to me about his son's ability to rule in a way that Cassius would approve of. Therfore, hedictated to me his last order and sighned it into law. The order officially states thet Markus is not to become the new leader. Instead, I am to temporarily assume power untill I find someone worthy to rule permanantly."

The members of the council murmrerd uneasily, but a furious Markus jumped up out of his seat. "I don't believe you! My Father would never do that to me! Let me see that paper!" Markus stormes up to Cassius' seat where Aristotle was sitting and angerly took the paper from his hand. He quickly scanned the paper, reading what his father had dictated to Aristotle. And as he read his anger grew. Yes he and his father had had they're disagreements, but never would he have ever guessed that Cassius would do that to him. He looked up at the elderly Orangutan, his eyes blazing with anger.

"You forced my father to into this! He would never do this otherwise!" Markus then turned to the council. "Listen everyone, Aristotle somehos forced my father to give him the leadership! He has no intention of holding only temporary power, he wants the rulership for himself ansd he took advantage of my dying father to get it!"

"I can assure you Markus, I did not force you're father into anything and I have no intention of keeping the rulership for myself. I will look for a worthy ruler, and once I find one I will then pass the rulership over to them."

"I am the only living decendant of Ceasar! The rulership is rightfuly mine! All of you, I'm telling you that Aristotle is trying to assume power! That is the only logical explination for this! I know my father better than anyone else here! We had our disagreements, but my father would never take my birthright from me!"

Aristotle shook his head. "By carrying on like this you are olny proving you're father right. You are far to immature to rule. Now please kindly take you're seat. This order is sighned by Cassius, which makes it legally binding. I'm afraid that there is nothing you can do about it. My fellow members of the council, rest assured that I never wanted or asked for this responsibility. I am old, and frankly I was looking foreward to finaly retiring soon. But now that I have this responsibility I will do my best to be a wise and fair interm ruler. I hope that I may count on all of you're support."

The members of the council noded, affirming to Aristotle that they would all stand behind him. Markus couldn't believe what was happening. How was it that everyone had suddenly turned against him? Wordlessly he stormed out of the council room, slamming the heavy wodden door behind him. Aristotle closed his eyes and let out a shakey breath. That had gone better than expectedm but he had a feeling that Markus was not about to give up so easily. Still, there was nothing he could do. Cassius had sighned the order, it was law now. The council had obviously not believed Markus' acusations, so the matter was resolved. Aristotle slowly opened his eyes and adressed the council. "My friends, this has been a long day, and I won't keep you here very much longer. I only want to thank you for you're support in this difficult time, and once again assure you that I will do my very best to find a worthy ruler as soon as possible. I know this latest turn of events is unexpected, I know I ceartainly was not expecting it. I also know that some of you may find it to be somewhat troubling. But what is done is done, and all we can do now is trust that Cassius made the right decision in revoking Markus' birthright. Now we had better be on our way home. I must go announce the sad news to the rest of the city, and we all have a funeral to prepare for."

The day of Cassius' funeral was cold and rainy. The funeral priocession, led by the Orangutan priest Bartholomew, slowly wound it's way through Central City's main street twards the cemetary where all of Cassius' ancestors were buried. The church service had been a respectful tribute to Cassius, and almost the entire city had attended. Aristotle, Hellen, as well as several others who had known Cassius well had given eulagies, speaking about what a great leader Cassius had been and how he would be forever missed. But Markus had refused to speak at his father's funeral service. He was angry at his father, angry at Aristotle, angry at the world. Aristotle had been his teacher when he was a child, he had trusted him. How was he supposed to know that the elderly Orangutan was plotting to seize power? And Aristotle had done so so suddenly and so cleverly that noone else could see what had really happened. But Markus knew. And he swore that he would somehow expose Aristotle for the traitor he was, and then he would take what was rightfuly his. As the priest said one last prayer over Cassius' ornatly decorated wooden casket before it was lowered into the ground Markus silently swore that everything that he would make right everything that had gone wrong. He would undo Aristotle's plot and assule the leadership, then he would find some way to prevent the future distruction of Earth. He had to. And he would. He just needed the power to do so. They would all see. He was not lying and he was not crazy. He knew what he saw in the Forbidden City, and once he had the power that was rightfuly his he would save the future.