Chapter 11: Rolling In The Deep
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare
See how I'll leave with every piece of you
Don't underestimate the things that I will do
Galen loved learning. He remembered fondly the hours spent in libraries, first at his parent's house, then at university. The faintly acrid smell of the scrolls, the feel of the crisp, smooth parchment, the slight resistance of a scroll when it was unrolled. Even better were the old books that he'd been allowed to examine as an honors student. Tomes bound in leather and wood with fragile spines that cracked when they were opened and paper pages that rustled and whispered when they were turned.
More than regular meals, a warm bed, and an absence of the constant fear of being hunted, what he missed most about his old life was the chance to just sit and read.
Although the library at Alba was electronic and not paper and parchment, Galen still relished the learning. The vast amount of history that the library represented made him feel insignificant, even more so that it represented human history. And the philosophies! Theses about existence, purpose—not just of humans, but of all life, of the universe itself. As he soaked up the knowledge, sometimes he even forgot that he was reading the words of a race that he had, until relatively recently, considered little better than animals.
But that notion had forever been turned on end. His astronaut friends had told him that in their time, apes were not as intelligent, that they were the ones kept in cages for entertainment, that they were the animals—without reason, without speech. He thought he had believed them, but seeing it in print, written in such eloquent narrative, his last doubts about the former dominance of humans was swept away.
However, about their foolishness, he was utterly and undeniably convinced. Only humans would be reckless enough to think that they could play as gods and not face any repercussions. Like with much of their science and their machines, they were so busy discovering how to create new species, their new children, that they didn't stop to consider if they should.
The revelation that humans created apes, gave them intelligence equal to their own, still roiled inside Galen's brain. As the immediate concern for Pete faded, he'd finally had the mental energy to assimilate his new view of the world. He felt bereft that Pete's amnesia effectively wiped their friendship out of the astronaut's mind; even though the memories were returning, Galen sensed a shift in their relationship, unsure that the closeness they'd shared could be recovered. He realized that was part of why he'd been avoiding spending time with his friend.
However, the library made a wonderful escape, and he tried to rationalize that none of them knew what information he might uncover there that could ultimately be of help to his friends. But he would make an effort to spend more time with Pete.
He was so busy considering how to mend his strained friendship with the dark-haired astronaut that he didn't pay close enough attention to what he was reading. And he almost missed it. He was looking through some of the early histories of Alba when the discrepancies started nagging at the corners of his awareness.
The first time was when he was reading the journal of one of the early Elders, a human named Mordecai. Back then Alba was still the property of Eureka Genomics, the biogenetic corporation that created the angels. The nuclear war that had devastated the outside world was over. But the terrible consequences of that war—the radiation, the climatic changes, the survivors, such as they were—forced the city to close itself off from the outside world. The dome over the city was hidden somehow; the technical aspects were beyond Galen's understanding.
The conditions in the city were crowded and resources were strained. They began to expand underground, outward from the central shaft that had once housed something called a missile, but the limitations of their power system stymied their plans. Then there it was. A mention of someone named Phenex and a cross-reference to an earlier entry. But when Galen tried to look at the earlier entry, he couldn't find it.
At first, he thought nothing of it. After all, these records were hundreds of years old. Ape records that old were practically non-existent outside of the Sacred Scrolls, the religious text of the Lawgiver. And only the most prestigious Ape scholars were ever allowed to read those texts directly.
But once he was aware of the incompleteness of the records, he began to notice other inconsistencies. Resources shifted from one area to another without explanation. A reorganization of the Council of Elders. Entire sections of the narrative missing or disjointed, as if it had been altered after the fact.
Something had happened, something that radical shifted the dynamics of the city. And there was no trace of what it was anywhere in their history.
Burke felt like his legs had turned to rubber. By the time they got back to the medical center, he had to lean heavily on Zeke until he flopped on the bed.
"Pete, I hate to leave you here, but I have a few things to attend to. Tobias or Jed are only a button push away. Think you'll be okay on your own?" Zeke frowned at the thought of deserting the exhausted man, but he had missed checking in with Mal yesterday to give his report.
But Burke's eyes were already sliding closed, as he rolled up on his side and pillowed one arm under his head. "Yeah, sure. Jus' gonna sleep anyway." He turned back to Zeke for a moment. "Yer comin' back, right?"
"I'll be back by the time you wake up. Sleep well, my friend."
He'd already drifted off by the time to door closed.
Zeke located Mal in the Council chamber. Great. Nothing like being called on the carpet in the most intimidating way possible. He considered himself lucky that none of the other Council members were there. He signaled Mal to ask if now was a good time to make his belated report.
"At your convenience, Ezekiel," was the old man's reply. Which really meant, 'it's about time.' The pleasant feeling that lingered from the morning was fading fast.
By the time he pushed open the heavy chamber door, a lump of dread had settled into Zeke's stomach.
"Ah, Ezekiel. I'm so glad you could join me." The older man didn't even look up from the array of pads he had spread out on the table in front of him.
"I'm sorry, ee— Malachi. I was needed in the medical center last evening."
"Oh? Has Pete Burke had a setback in his recovery?"
"No, in fact, he's made great progress—"
"Good, because I'd hate to think that you flew someone critically ill all over the city this morning, including, I'm told, up to the dome." Mal's voice never changed inflection from a conversational tone, which made the criticism even more stinging.
Zeke scrubbed a hand through his unruly hair and blew out a sigh. But before Zeke could speak to defend himself, Mal finally lifted his head to favor his son with a raised brow and an expression that could sour milk.
"Oh for goodness sake, sit down, son. I'm going to get a crick in my neck if you keep standing there like that."
Pulling a chair closer, Zeke settled on the edge of the seat, his hands clasped between his knees to keep from fidgeting. How did the old bird do that? Take him from chastised to repentant within about ten seconds.
"I'm sorry, Mal. I felt that after the difficulty he's been having dealing with his reacquired memories, that Pete needed a break, something enjoyable to lift his spirits. We were both so exhausted last night after I did a deep Reading on him, I don't think I could have gone ten feet, let alone sought you out to make a report."
"All right. You came as soon as you were able. Let's move on." Mal sat back in his chair. "Tell me about the Reading you did last night."
"I was trying to help him deal with the emotions that the returning memories have been stirring up. Not a big talker, that one. He's been bottling everything up, not wanting to burden his friends."
"And what did you learn?"
Zeke frowned at the feeling that he would be betraying a confidence by telling Mal about Burke's memories. If there were anything that represented a threat to the city or his people, that would be another matter.
"Nothing relevant. He's had a hell of a year, and I think there are worse things to come, things that he hasn't even let himself think about yet."
"Is he a danger? If these memories are so disturbing, could he turn violent?"
"No! No, he's not a danger to anyone." Except maybe himself. He was still worried about what would happen when those last memories burst like bubbles in Burke's subconscious mind, but the concern was for Pete's own safety.
"All right. What else? Galen and Alan?"
"Galen has been busy for the last few days in the library with Elias. Everything seems to be going fine there. Alan and Gabe are close to being ready to read the data on the flight disk, maybe as soon as this afternoon. Oh, Pete and Alan also talked about an old military base called Kirtland, southeast of the city ruins; they'd like to eventually try to go there and see if they can find anything that will help them."
Mal's expression locked down like a vault. "No. Absolutely not. Last we knew, there were large stockpiles of weapons-grade nuclear material beneath Kirtland. If it's still there, the radiation levels could be extremely dangerous. Not to mention the dangers of travelling through the ruins. No, it's not worth the risk."
Zeke blinked, taken aback by his eema's vehemence. Usually Mal was much more open to discussion and rarely made pronouncements with such finality.
"But Pete thinks there could be ship components—"
Mal chopped his hand through the air. "No. The matter is closed." He turned his attention back to the pads on the table. "Unless there is anything else you need to report, I think we are done here."
Zeke scowled as he strode away from the Council chamber. Sometimes he really wished that he had someone else, anyone else, as a parent other than Mal. He threw himself off the landing platform, in his petulance contemplating, for just a brief moment, not opening his wings and letting himself plummet to the bottom of the shaft almost a mile below. But his wings snapped open instinctually, and he glided down to his destination.
He stopped in main medical to see Jed, who was used to him venting his frustration about life as the child of the head of the Council. He tolerated the mild ribbing that Jed gave him about spending the night in Burke's room—again.
"Look, I'm supposed to get them to trust me, right? That's what Mal wants, a good little spy to tell him all about them. Just doing my duty." He was surprised as the harsh words slipped out, wondering about their truth.
"Whoa, whoa. I'm on your side, remember? I think it's great that you and he are becoming—"
"Friends, Jed. Just friends," insisted Zeke.
"I was going to say 'close', okay?" Jed patted his friend's arm. "Geez, you're tetchy today."
Zeke sighed. "Sorry. Mal does this to me, drives me crazy." He remembered his earlier promise to Burke. "Oh, speaking of going crazy, how soon do you think Pete can move to real quarters?"
"I want to see how he settles after the work you did with his memories last night. How was he being out and about this morning? When I looked in on him, he was sleeping like a stone."
"Well," Zeke said sheepishly, "actually, he was pretty exhausted. But I let him push himself too much. More my fault than his."
"I'll go by later and examine him." Jed promised. "If he agrees not to go wandering around the city without someone to keep an eye on him, I'd probably release him tomorrow morning. Can you have something set up for him by then?"
"Sure thing. Something near where Alan and Galen are staying. Which will also put him near you and medical." Zeke's quarters were also on the same flood as medical, right next to Jed's. "Just in case."
"Good. But I'm counting on you and his friends to make sure he doesn't overdo it."
Galen wasn't sure who he should talk to about his discovery concerning the Alban's historical records. Although Elias had been helpful in finding him accounts to read that were interesting and answered the myriad of questions Galen always posed to him, the scholar was still a resident of the city and to Galen's mind, not entirely trustworthy. In the end, he turned to the only people he could always rely on.
He had promised Virdon that he would find some time to visit Burke. When he left the library, he decided to go to the medical area to talk to his friend. As he pressed the chime on the door control outside of Burke's room, he still felt a flutter of anxiety despite Virdon's reassurances that Burke remembered him now. When the door opened at Burke's command, Galen smiled to see his friend looking happy and relaxed, lounging on the bed with one arm behind his head as he read from an electronic pad. His spirit lifted even further when Burke raised his head and grinned.
"Hey, Galen! Long time no see, pal." He put down the pad and waved at the table. "Pull up a chair."
"I'm so glad to see you feeling better." Galen slid the chair closer to the bed. "I'm sorry I haven't been to see you, I was just worried that you wouldn't… that is..."
"That I wouldn't remember you?" he asked quietly.
"Well, yes." Galen ducked his head.
"It's okay, Galen. There's still a lot of holes in my memory, but I remember enough to know that you're a good friend."
The chimp was quiet for a moment, relief at having his friend back warring with his anxiety about what he may have stumbled onto in the records.
"Pete, I've been spending a lot of time in the library here, learning about human history and the history of this city. And I came across something that… well, that makes me think that they are trying to hide something about their past."
Burke's brows furrowed together. "Hiding something? Like what?"
"There are references in the history to other species that Eureka Genomics, the scientists who founded this city, tried to create. They talk about the failures but not about any other successes than the angels. But about two centuries ago, the population of the city changed. They suddenly went from a crowding problem to having plenty of space. And their Council of Elders, that currently has six humans and three angels? It used to only have three humans, but was still a council of nine." The chimp's nose twitched in agitation.
"So you think someone else was living here that isn't now?"
"Yes!" Galen hissed. "And whoever they were, they just suddenly disappeared with no mention in the history. Every now and then, I'll come across a name that is strange—unlike any of the human or angel names—but with no explanation of who they are. It's like someone tried to… to…"
"Whitewash the record," Burke finished. "Um, cover up something unpleasant." He explained when Galen gave him a confused look. "Did you talk to Alan about this?"
"Well, I tried to talk to Alan when we first got here about stories—legends—my people have about winged humans. He thought I was being superstitious and primitive. And while I agree with Alan that the substance of the legends has probably been twisted over the years, the fact that we even have these legends suggests that there has been… interaction between the angels and apes."
"How do you know it was these angels? Maybe it was another group."
"No, that's why I've been researching the early history of Alba. Eureka Genomics was the only group to successfully create winged humans. They had to come from here, at least originally. And the train that brought us here; we were still in ape-controlled territory when we fell into that train station, so they obviously have a way to travel there."
"Yeah." Burke rubbed a hand across his mouth. "And I take it these legends don't make the angels the good guys, huh?"
"No. The stories are used to frighten children. 'If you don't go to bed right this instant, the Sephrat will come and steal you away and eat you,'" he said in a squeaky, mocking voice. He wrinkled up his muzzle and gave a little shudder at the thought. "There's more. Zaius told me that long ago, there were a couple of expeditions into the Forbidden Zone. The military was concerned that there might have been... threats living out in the desert with access to ancient weaponry. None of them returned. And yet, I haven't been able to find any mention of any interaction with apes in the historical records. And when we first came here, we were told that there had been 'problems' in the past with apes. But there is no mention of any problems in the records, either."
Burke pursed his lips in thought. "Galen, maybe the expeditions never made it this far. It is a long way to come on foot. Maybe they all died in the desert or ended up going in a different direction entirely. It's not like they could stop at a gas station and get directions."
Galen rolled his eyes before scrunching his face up in annoyance. "I knew you wouldn't take this seriously. Neither did Alan."
"Hey, now wait a minute there, pal. I am taking you seriously. It does sounds like there is something screwy going on. But we need to think about this logically. A great detective from my time said 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.'"
Galen shook his head, clearly confused. "So you'll help me try to find out more?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course I will." He pushed himself forward until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "What if we asked Zeke if he knows anything about—"
"No! No. If the Albans are hiding something, I can't imagine that they'll be happy about us asking questions. Zeke is one of them."
Burke's eyebrows shot upward. "And you don't trust them."
"Do you?"
"Geez, Galen, what do you want me to say? They saved my life. And Zeke's been… helping me a lot. Yeah, I trust him."
Galen made a humming noise. "They've been nice to me, too. But nice does not equal trustworthy—or good."
"How about this? I'll see if maybe I can get Zeke to tell me what he knows without setting off any alarms. I do know a little bit about how to do recon."
"Recon?"
"Reconnaissance. Finding out information all sneaky-like." He waggled his eyebrows. "But I have to tell you, I don't think Zeke's in on whatever conspiracy you think is going on here. Even if his father… parent… whatever, is the head of the Council. I don't know if you've noticed, but they aren't exactly the Cleavers."
"The what?"
"Never mind." Burke waved his hand. "They don't get along, is what I'm saying."
"That may be. But I wouldn't want to be the one to test his loyalty to his home and his family."
"Uh, Galen? You gave up your home and family for a couple of humans…" Burke reminded him.
"No, I gave them up for my principles and my scientific curiosity. You two just happened to be part of the bargain." With a twinkle in his eye, Galen reached over and patted the human's arm. "But if you think you can find out what Zeke knows without arousing his suspicion, that would—"
The door chiming interrupted him. "That's probably Zeke now," Burke warned in a quick whisper. He called for the door to open, revealing the angel waiting outside. Burke resisted the urge to glance at Galen.
"Hey there, Galen. It's good to see you," Zeke smiled, trying to shake his earlier bad mood. "How are your studies in the library going?"
"Very well, thank you." Burke could hear the tension in Galen's voice and hoped it wouldn't be too noticeable to Zeke. "In fact, I think I'll be heading back there now. Elias will wonder where I've gotten off to, if I'm not there to pester him with a thousand questions."
Atta boy, Burke thought, you play your part, and I'll play mine. He smirked, remembering how Galen's penchant for acting saved their lives more than once.
"Okay, Galen," he said. "Come back later this evening, buddy, I was thinking it's time to expand your education of human pastimes to include card games. I haven't had a good game of poker in, oh, about a thousand years." He clapped Galen on the back and walked to the door with him. They exchanged a meaningful glance and a slight nod before the door closed and Burke turned back to Zeke.