Chapter Five:

Dr. Zauis looked down at the barren landscape below him. This was no normal desert like many he had seen, this was blasted and scarred horribly. This was not as many believe a nuclear bomb but rather an assault on the very land, the heart was dead and the lands around contaminated and dead. As they got closer to the city they found no resistance, no visions, nothing. Dr. Nova was worried, she had to come, had to see what had happened here. At least her children, their children were safe. The plane landed on what seemed to be a small mountain now with canyons and valleys that were not fully natural.

For so long the barrier was up, and in place to keep not only the horrors here in but keep others out. Here the worst damage to the land and world was. Here nothing grew but twisted weeds and now only one small twisted tree here or there. Which gave the question how did the mutants eat? Did they have underground farms? They had an energy source to be sure and some water, but food had to be hard to come by. Still they lived and had lived and would continue to live it was believed. Several more planes landed around the central mountain with no resistance at all.

"We need to be very careful." Dr. Zauis said, "the land will not harm us but if we stay too long who knows?"

"Taylor is here." Nova said, she called him that as she liked his last name best. "He could be dead."

"If that is the case then we will give him the honor he deserves." Dr. Zauis said.

They left the plane and made their way into the mountain to find a space that was held up but clearly a ruin. At one end was a bomb that made Dr. Nova shudder, she walked forward and saw bodies, all were apes. She saw no mutants and walked on to see the Caesar glaring hatefully at a mutant clad in white who seemed so out of place here. These ruins, the clothing all seemed so wrong, and his face, that was no human face really. He looked sad and looked over at her and the Caesar tried to get to him but was unable to move.

With them was another traveler through time, that of Brent, he remembered nothing and was here to help if he could. He had crashed alone in the Rockies and was found and at once he joined up with the military. He was an easygoing man and a good leader of the peace corps, for there was no need for a large military as in days past. This was mainly to keep the peace and to stop wars from forming at all. Even so he was leading the special ops humans and apes together, all clad in uniforms of blue. He looked around in awe at the ruins.

"What a few thousands years will do to a place." Brent said, "sure it is safe here Dr. Zauis?"

"I am sure, we can stay here half a year and be fine." Dr. Nova said, "but longer I am not sure."

"What are they doing?" Brent asked.

"Talking." Dr. Zauis said, "or that is what it looks like, there was war here."

"Yes, there was. Ah I see, very clever but rather rude of you Mr…"

"Mendez, I am the last." He said, "the last of a dying race, we rose and fell here where none dared come for thousands of years."

"Where is Taylor?" Dr. Nova asked.

"Below, below and his answers have satisfied us." Mendez said.

"What do you mean?" Brent asked feeling dread, "what did you do to him?"

"You tortured him!" Dr. Zauis said, "how could you? That is what a beast does not a person!"

"It was needed." Mendez said.

To learn what happened to Taylor one had to go back a few days. After the ceremony of water, Taylor found himself free to move. Mendez motioned him to follow him and Taylor knew he had no choice. He followed the leader of these mutants to a tunnel and down this to a simple door. He walked in to find himself in an elevator and wondered where they were to go. They seemed to head down a long way and he was taken out on a balcony that overlooked a vast underground space that was used for growing food. Then Mendez took him back to the elevator and they descended lower and came on a chamber with vats, that explained the way they dressed to Taylor.

"This is how we live, we cannot abide the sun, she hurts us." Mendez, "the bomb provides, we learn."

"What do you want from me?" Taylor asked, "you want me dead?"

"No, we want answers, dreamtime is done, now is time for answers." Mendez replied.

"I don't have answers but the one I gave you, I set the bomb off, that had to shift us here." Taylor replied.

"There is more, more you know" Mendez said.

Taylor did know about his mission, that it was more than just traveling to another star. It was suppose to set up a "lane" that other travelers could follow. Yet only a few had followed his "lane" and ended up here. He was not sure where the others ended up at all. He was taken back to the elevator and up and thought he was going back to the cathedral. Instead he came out in a tunnel smooth and well made and was led to a large chamber. Dread filled him as he was surrounded by mutants and Mendez stood back. Taylor did not know how long he was there, but the pain, humiliation and wrongness of the situation seemed to go on a lifetime or more. Finally, when the mutants felt he could take no more they left off their mental assault and backed away from the figure trembling on his knees in pain and fear.

"Interesting, lanes, but we cannot go back, we cannot gain anything, we would always die." Mendez said.

"What do you really want from me?" Taylor asked, "why do this? What did I ever do to you?"

"The program to get you to the stars was only part of the program, what did Dr. Hasslen do in the past?" Mendez asked.

"I only heard rumors." Taylor said, "I never believed he was doing what he did, experimenting on apes, they are not fully apes anymore are they?"

"Did you help him?" Mendez asked.

"No, no! I wanted off planet, to go to the stars to get away from the madness of earth." Taylor replied, "I knew the human race was mad but that…"

"Did you help!"

"No! I did not, if I did it was not willingly!" Taylor replied, "it was the cold war but even that would not excuse something like that."

"Not even if those Soviets started the experiment?" Mendez asked.

"No." Taylor said.

Mendez looked down at the fully human male before him. He felt rage though did not show it, this human, humans like him had destroyed the world, and this area, this was not due to nuclear weapons but to other things. A secret lab or two, Ape Management, all of it lead to this. The fact that humans accepted the new apes as fully ape when it was clear they were not. Mendez raised his hand and Taylor screamed in agony and curled up unable to do anything else. Mendez left off, he was a monster but he would let this human live. He could see that Taylor was telling the truth. But he had to be punished and he nodded to several of the female mutants who circled Taylor.

"Do not drive him mad, but let him feel what others have." Mendez said, "the years and pain he should feel as we have."

"We will do as asked, the dead will speak, we will speak." The females said.

"Why are you doing this?" Taylor asked, "please! I am innocent!"

"You are human, your suffering will send a warning and perhaps healing to the world." Mendez said.

Hours later Taylor lay sprawled out on the floor alone and trembling in pain. There had been no mutants in the area he was in for a long time. He was not sure how long and he managed to move when he heard footsteps. He tensed as he heard ape steps and knew he was too weak to fight. There were hands, rough textured but kind that helped him sit up. Other hands that gently gave him something to drink, someone was telling him they were giving him a painkiller and he drank down something bitter that was followed by something sweet. A blanket was put around his shoulders and he saw two Gor, Sam and Tom, the very ones he had been brought to Dr. Zauis years ago here concern on their faces.

"Eyes governor, you have had a time." Sam said.

"Dr. Zauis is coming." Tom replied, "can you stand?"

"No, give me a moment." Taylor replied.

He finally was able to stand and walk out with them. Dr. Zauis saw him and came over to him and took him from the two Gor. When Taylor was no longer able to walk out on his own, Dr. Zauis showed his superior strength and picked him up and carried him to the plane. There he put his friend on a cot and covered him with more blankets while Dr. Nova sat by him and held his hand. There was nothing left here, Caesar was going to prison and Mendez was the last of his people, the rest of them had been found dead as there was no future with no children for them. Mendez would stay and the forbidden zone would remain just that.

"Will he be okay?" Dr. Nova asked.

"Yes, but barely, they nearly drove him to madness." Dr. Zauis replied anger in his voice, "they tortured him, made him see things that were not there."

"Not a nice people." Brent said looking at his friend with concern, "what did they want?"

"Truths that many do not want." Dr. Zauis replied, "truths about humans and apes."

"So they tortured him for that." Brent asked.

"Yes, there are truths that are shocking even now." Dr, Zauis said, "but the great God knows all and sees all and is all and what is now is now."

"I don't understand." Brent said.

"And that is fine, sometimes we need to admit we don't understand to grow." Dr. Nova said.

She looked down at the now sleeping form of her husband, he had stopped shaving years ago and looked to her better with a beard. His hair had not started to grey yet and he still looked around forty years of age though he was much older now. She loved him dearly and hated he had been hurt so badly. He was safe for now but there were still answers that needed to be addressed but for now she had her husband back and safe.