Born To Lead 2 Chapter 24
A couple of hours later the human zoo Bad Ape mentioned lay before them, dug far into the bottom of a rocky gorge. From their position on the edge of the forest boundary the detention facility was partially in view. Soldiers outside the compound were constructing some kind of structures in the snow. Caesar couldn't tell what they were from the top of the canyons ridgeline. Even from the benefit of the vantage point provided from where they stood the binoculars still weren't enough to get a good look at the base.
"Luca, come. Let's go closer," said Caesar, lowering the binoculars and handing them off to Luca, unstrapping the rifle from his shoulder. He then spoke what came next to Rocket. "Keep them safe."
Caesar and Luca then discreetly descended into the canyon by themselves to investigate. Willow started to follow, but Caesar pressed a hand to her chest telling her to stay.
"No," said Caesar, firmly, shaking his head.
Those left were forced to sit and wait anxiously for Caesar and Luca to return from their recon with Rocket dutifully standing guard. In the aftermath of her father's refusal for her to tag along in the recon Willow reluctantly settled with carving some extra arrows for her crossbow out of some branches. A half an hour passed, but there was no sign of Caesar and Luca's return, making Willow begin to get nervous. She was constantly looking down into the ravine every few seconds checking to see if they were coming back only to be met with empty space.
What was the hold up?
Her father should've been back by now. Willow was sorely tempted to go down after them, but knew she'd be met with Caesar's disapproval.
Rocket was acting as guard when he spotted a danger no one else could see. Telling the rest of them to stay put he bolted down the slope to get to their comrades. Willow traded an uneasy glance with Maurice, but stayed put where she would've instead joined Rocket. None of the rest of the warriors were present so she was the only one left to defend the non-fighters in case of an ambush. So she kept herself in a fighting stance with her loaded crossbow aimed below. If anything other than their team members climbed over the cliff it was getting an arrow through the skull.
A few minutes following Rocket's take off he appeared with Caesar and Luca in tow.
They were horrified to find the two chimps supporting the limp gorilla, too injured to make the climb, in the middle of them much to the panic of Willow. Luca somehow had been injured, blood seeping from an ugly puncture wound in his stomach was a dead giveaway to that fact. They must've encountered some soldier on an enemy patrol. That explained Rockets rapid departure to aid them. He'd seen them coming and had gone to intervene. By all appearances he hadn't been fast enough.
Caesar and Rocket struggled under the gorilla's massive weight, dragging him up the hillside with each one of Luca's arms flung over their shoulders. They were strong, but it was a trial to get him up so far.
Reaching the safety of the forest Caesar and Rocket collapsed as the others rushed to meet them with Luca falling onto his side. Caesar rolled Luca over cupping a hand on the side of his friends face.
Luca was fading fast, but he had to speak to Caesar one last time. His breathing labored, energy drained to the core, hands trembling, he signed "At least this time…I was able to protect you."
Willow's resolve shattered. Luca was speaking of what occurred back in the caves of how he wasn't there to save Caesar's family when they needed the Gorilla Guard to defend them. He'd sacrificed himself to make up for that failure.
Devastated Caesar wanted to help his friend, but the reality was there wasn't anything he or anyone else can do to save him. Not even when he found the corpses of Cornelia and Blue Eyes did he ever feel so helpless.
Maneuvering past everyone else the little give moved with a clear purpose clambering onto Luca's chest. Luca smiled faintly at her. Her intentions unclear the apes observed in astonishment at the child's actions especially when she burst into tears. She'd been so aloof and withdrawn the whole time she was with them that seeing her like this was an entirely new experience. They all looked on in wonderment and disbelief as she removed the flower Luca had acquired for the child out of her hair and put it behind Luca's ear.
Exhaling shakily, ting Luca's hand and squeezing it tenderly in an effort to comfort him, Willow signed "Teacher…Luca, please don't go. We need you. I need you!"
Like Caesar, Maurice, and Rocket, Luca had been with her ever since she was born. He was a beloved uncle and friend to their family, but it was a hell of a lot more than that. Without his staunch support and recommendation added into the mix Caesar would probably have never allowed her to be included in training as a child. Willow's life could've taken on a totally different path, one she wasn't meant for. And it was all thanks to him.
This was far too many losses for Willow to sustain. She didn't know if she could take anymore.
What Luca did next made the whole ordeal even more overwhelmed.
Barely able to raise his hands from his chest now, Luca signed "You are and have always been my…favorite…student. Out of all the things I've done my…greatest honor is…training you."
Willow couldn't bear it and clutched his hand in both of her bawling. The smile faded from Luca's face and as the last glimmer of light departed from his eyes his grip went slack falling limply with a thud onto the broad chest.
An awkward pause followed in the wake of Luca's death. No one spoke a single syllable or moved an inch. The only sound being the whistle of the wind in the trees echoing in the air and Willow's distraught cries where she'd flung herself over Luca's chest her body shaking uncontrollably. Maurice had drawn the little girl away from Luca's body to sit beside him.
Grunting softly to draw Caesar's focus to him, wisely, Maurice signed "Caesar, this must stop. It's not too late to join the other apes."
"We cannot turn back! Luca gave his life,"protested Rocket, objecting vehemently, bordering on the irrational.
"Please,"pleaded Maurice, imploringly. "I know how much you have lost, but now we have lost another. It's not worth the risk. And no matter what we do, our revenge will not bring your family back. Caesar, please think of the remainder of your family you've got left. The longer we remain here the more likely we are at being discovered. It's not worth it anymore."
Caesar didn't answer. He just stared at Luca's immobile corpse. The opinions had been voiced. Now it was up to Caesar to decide the next course of action to take. Reasonably in a logical way he knew Maurice was right. If the group continued on the outlook was bleak. But Caesar was too far gone. His desire for blood overshadowed his judgment at the loss of one of his best friends and confidants over those in his family. He'd invested too much of himself into this venture. It was, more or less, the principle of the thing. Dead set, He had to see the mission through till the end.
"They must pay," seethed Caesar, steadfast, glowering over the snowy terrain at the facility, furious and his blood boiling for vengeance at the dreadful fate that befell Luca.
Maurice saw this and it tore at his compassionate soul. Reaching to place a hand on Caesar's wrist, mournfully, Maurice signed "Now you sound like Koba."
Willow had been sitting quietly on the sidelines observing everything silently, but when Maurice said that her eyes grew wide. Rocket and Willow exchanged an uneasy and fearful glance. Comparing the mighty Caesar to the fallen Koba, calling the two similar in any way was blasphemous, unthinkable and for the comment to be made from Maurice made it even more horrendous.
Stung by Maurice's remark Caesar's face darkened considerably at the one ape he always thought he could rely on no matter the obstacle.
Caesar stared at Maurice, his gaze steely.
"It was a mistake bringing you all. This is my fight. I will finish this alone," growled Caesar, rising and claiming his shotgun. "Go. Now. Join the others." He then cupped his daughters face in his hands staring her straight in the eyes. "Do not follow me. Go back to the tribe and this time stay with them. Lead them in my absence. Be the leader I could never be to them."
"Father, please," begged Willow, grabbing hold of his forearms, "please don't go!"
Releasing Willow, passing his eyes over his longest living friends, Caesar said "Get her home."
Caesar then turned around, making a break for the border facility. The rest watched him go with huge eyes. Standing Rocket profusely hooted at Caesar for him to stay. His pleas fell on deaf ears.
No one moved to stop him too stunned to do anything about this.
Caesar wasted no time. As night fell on the land he stealthily made his way down the wall of the canyon. The bodies of the two soldiers were left undisturbed right where he, Luca, and Rocket had left them to rot. Caesar took this as a sign that none inside of the camp had reported them missing and that he'd be able to slip covertly inside undetected. If he was wrong then it might be impossible to infiltrate. Still Caesar pushed on, cocking his gun in preparation to make the kill. He was anxious to get this done and over with.
As soon as the Colonel was in his sights he was a dead man, subtlety be damned! In Caesar's mind his life didn't matter anymore.
Caesar got to the cliff where he and Luca had watched some humans erected crosses on the edge.
Coming even with the first of these crosses Caesar's murderous bloodlust washed from his heart turned to horror at the gruesome discovery. Tied to the cross was the corpse of a dead ape, and, judging by the war paint on his body, it was one of his. Cross after cross he found a body of an ape on each one after another. Staggering Caesar added up the pitiful figures in his head, counting twelve in all.
Caesar's heart crawled into his throat as the implications of what this could only mean hit him head on. He darted to the ledge to see for himself. Skidding to a halt Caesar stood there and he was met with a far worst scene than the crucified apes around him.
Below hundreds of apes, chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos, and gorillas, were crowded together inside an outdoor holding pens, similar to ones humans had used for quarantine with the plague in San Francisco, that were filled to capacity. One obviously housed adults while one adjacent to it contained the much smaller forms of children from the smallest infant to the eldest child.
Guilt shocked Caesar to the very core of his soul. Overwhelmed Caesar fell to his knees in pure anguish the distress evident in his face and body language. Caesar felt like he'd fallen from a great height and the air was practically punched from his lungs. All the air was out of him. He couldn't breath, struggling to get something into his lungs. Caesar was so afraid.
How? How could this have happened?! His people were supposed to safe from the humans! Far away from danger in a new home! Years ago he freed them from captivity so they'd never be inside cages ever again.
Despite these questions roaming through his brain Caesar already knew who was at fault for this travesty. If he hadn't been wasting his time chasing the Colonel and instead led his people then this horrendous spectacle would never be reality. He neglected his duties with this as the end result.
In the middle of this Caesar couldn't help but feel some relief that Willow had disobeyed him after all in light of this revelation. If she had stayed with the tribe when he originally told her to then she would've ended up a prisoner of the humans just like the tribe. Caesar shoved those emotions back feeling ashamed that he even felt this for a second. All of his people should've been free not just his child.
Caesar needed answers for how his people got into this predicament, but where to get them?
Wheezing caused Caesar to turn and he found that a single chimpanzee strung up crucified to one of the crosses was still alive, but barely. The ape's breathing was haggard and uneven.
Upon closer inspection Caesar was disgusted to discover the apes identity as Spear, a young chimp he'd married to his daughter to rule at her side. But he looked nothing like the strong and self-confident ape whose tenacity had impressed Caesar so much when they last stood. Now on the brink of death Spear's fur had lost its healthy sheen and ribs protruded through his chest from sheer starvation. That wasn't all. Caesar saw the clear signs of lacerations and bruises all over Spear's body showing he and the others had undergone severe abuse.
Letting the shotgun fall to earth, forgotten, Caesar hastened to untie Spear from his binds. Loose from the ropes that kept him bound Spear dropped, literally dead weight, into the snow. Managing to catch Spear's body in his arms Caesar sat him against one of the posts making up the cross.
Flickering open bleary bloodshot eyes Spear gazed at Caesar focusing on his form. He did a major double take, but then surmised that what he was seeing wasn't an hallucination.
"What happened," rasped Caesar.
"They came out of nowhere…Attacked us,"signed Spear, wearily, coughing. Shame and sorrow were expressed in his eyes that he didn't know the humans were upon them until it was too late. That he failed to protect them as Caesar would. "Many died…We thought they would kill us all…But the Colonel stopped them! There was madness in his eyes! He said they would use us, before we died! And they brought us all here!"
"Use you," repeated Caesar, questioningly.
"They've been forcing us to work,"signed Spear, weakly, his strength diminishing at an alarming rate by the minute.
Keeping his hands at Spear's shoulders, steadying him from falling, Caesar said "What…What kind of work?"
But Spear's time had run out.
The intel Spear had provided were his final words. His eyes fluttering closed Spear slowly collapsed onto his side, groaning, strength sapped completely.
"Wait," urged Caesar. "My little son. Is he here? Please!"
Spear didn't respond. Similar to Luca this formerly young and promising ape full of potential had unfortunately passed on.
Caesar didn't hear the heavy footsteps approaching from behind until he heard the person directly behind at his back.
Caesar spun see Red standing over him, holding a rifle. So occupied was he with Spear he failed to see the gorilla sneak over.
Grunting Red slammed the butt of the rifle into Caesar's face. Caesar fell onto his back, head pounding from the impact. He could literally feel himself losing consciousness and as his eyes were losing their focus he could see Red lift the gun again for another hit. Just as Red was about to do so the gorilla was blindsided by an unknown assailant. He was slammed into the ground with snow spraying everywhere.
When Red and his attack untangled themselves to fight Caesar learned the identity of the person that stopped the turncoat from harming him further.
"Willow…," rasped Caesar and all he knew afterwards was blackness overtaking him.
The final thing he remembered was the image of his daughter battling hand to hand with Red to protect him.
Authors Note:
So there's the surprise I mentioned to you guys. Willow does not leave him.
I know you guys all wanted Luca and Spear to live, but their deaths have meaning. In order for the plotline I envisioned in my head when this all started to reach perfected completion this has to happen. Trust me, once we get to the end, you'll see.
Okay, I'm seriously starting to think you guys aren't interesting in this story anymore.
I want to make this very clear, I am not trying to milk reviews from you guys but I won't be updating this story again until I do get reviews for this story again.