Chapter Two: Undeserved Heroes
Taylor and Brent sat by the river with their bare feet in the water, enjoying the rushing water which splashed against their feet. Nova was on the opposite side, just staring at Taylor. She has never quite seen a man as handsome as he. Despite Taylor's worries, she had no feelings for Brent.
"What do you think our legacy is back at home? I know it's pointless now but I still would like to know" Brent piped up.
He looked towards the desert and wondered whether his statue could have been here all those centuries ago. He wondered if his so-called friends were there to witness the unveiling along with the local news stations.
"American heroes who died heroically after a tragic technical fault in our ship, I can almost picture Nixon making the speech over there" Taylor spoke, pointing into the wilderness...
For a second, he felt like he could hear the now long-dead president making the speech to whoever would listen, how the news would briefly broadcast their supposed deaths and how the country would briefly speak about what a shame it was...
"Should we tell him we really are on the eve of destruction?" Brent asked with a small smile, Taylor laughed out loud.
"Let's keep going...we cannot stay out in the open for much longer" Taylor insisted, grabbing onto Nova's hand.
The past was now a relic and a part of him questioned the point of everything. For you cannot change the inescapable future. They had nowhere to go however there was a sense of calm in that for they no longer had to care.
...
Ape city was eagerly awaiting the return of Doctor Zaius and the gorilla army. Cornelius was helping to build a wall with some orangutans. Despite his opposition to the war, he was reluctantly helping them with defense.
"Here...grip it" one of the orangutans instructed, Cornelius holding the banner which read 'Welcome back Doctor Zaius!'.
He had respect for Doctor Zaius despite his wife's strong opposition to him and his ideas. He disagreed with his claims that the sacred scrolls were absolute however he found enough admiration for part of the message it sent. He briefly looked behind himself to see his wife's nephew Lucius and his friends holding up signs.
"We do not welcome back Doctor Zaius!" they all chanted, surrounding the wall which was getting built.
"Go home!" Cornelius shouted to Lucius for he thought he shouldn't be protesting their return.
Though he was ignored which made him slightly angry as he let out a small hiss. All of them except Lucius briefly changed their chant...
"Cornelius is a war supporter!"
"Go home!"
Zira was watching from their home and witnessed this whole exchange, she didn't object to them protesting for she quite agreed and did similar things in her youth. Though she didn't want them (Lucius in particular) to disrespect her husband. He has done quite a lot in his time to further the cause of the 'Protection of Humans Act'.
"He said, go home!" Zira shouted while getting closer and closer to the youths. Lucius looked like a rabbit caught in headlights.
"I'm sorry aunt Zira" Lucius meekly replied, he had a mind to listen to her for he respected her.
She placed her arm around him to show she was not mad at him but the cause he was fighting against, she had to pull at him a little so he wouldn't get distracted by his loud and chatty friends. The best place for him as far as she was concerned was with her because she knew how demonstrators were treated.
"We do not welcome back Dr Zaius!" the youths chanted again after Zira was gone.
They weren't any relation to her so why would she stop them? Cornelius however was quite clearly troubled by their presence yet he ignored them. Turning back around fully, he noticed the army in the distance. Ape city almost exploded with noise as they got closer and closer, good and bad.
"Welcome back!" the orangutans shouted, cheering and clapping as a poor attempt to block out the sound of the protesters.
...
Doctor Zaius looked like the stuff of legends as he rode in with his flag, the majority of gorilla's and orangutans welcoming him back with open arms. Even a few chimpanzee's cheered him.
"Thank you!" Zaius grinned, shaking hands with those orangutans who were sat on the wall.
He briefly looked at Cornelius and the two apes shook hands with one another, he was the only chimpanzee that dared go against the chimpanzee's plan to refuse to shake his hand in protest of the war.
"He's in big trouble, Lucius; let me tell you" Zira vocalized, both watching as Zaius got closer. The pair put their hands behind their back in protest.
He rode past them with slight disdain, quickly retreating to those who loved and admired him. Shaking many willing hands, he almost got pulled from his horse as his friend Doctor Maximus shook it very enthusiastically.
"Here he comes" Doctor Galen sighed, his assistant Dinah going inside before he even came round the corner.
Galen awaited his coming, he wanted Zaius to know of his condemnation of the war that has just taken place. He disliked humans almost as much as Zaius did however he disliked the gorilla's war in equal terms. Zaius put his hand out for he thought that is what Galen was waiting for. He realized a bit too late though that Galen wanted to do nothing but shame him as the ape quickly put his hand behind his back.
"Remember who I am" Dr Zaius spoke with self-importance.
He carried on for he could see that a couple of young gorilla's seemed overly eager to shake his hand. The city went quiet again though as bodies of fallen warriors were brought in through the open gate.
"Ursus?" a female voice spoke as she walked closer to General Ursus' corpse; she was his wife (now widow).
When she realized that he was indeed dead, she let out a very loud primitive sound of raw emotion. Her cries brought the sad reality of war back home, the sounds of protesters died down. Her children were kept away from their mother by the local minister, she gripped onto the general's hand.
...
Zira put her hand over her mouth as the sight of the poor widow, she may not have liked General Ursus but the sounds of his crying widow would make any decent citizen have sympathy. It made her angry too because his death could have been prevented if the gorilla's war didn't take place. She noticed her husband walking over towards her, how could she face him right now?
"I hope you're happy with yourself, being the only chimpanzee to help with the war effort" Zira remarked.
Cornelius was slightly outraged for he barely lifted a finger for the war effort. Not like he would anyway. He has done his fair share of aiding Zira's quest so for her to speak to him in this manner now upset him a little bit.
"Zira...I've been given a warning about..." Cornelius went to explain however before he could finish his sentence, Zira shut the door on his face..."Jail" he then added.
.
TBC