Road to Rhohas – Chapter 9
"You are mad. The lot of you." Gressa's eyes touched each of the three who stood in front of her. The dark-haired human remained a step back from the others, covered in dirt and mud. His body swayed as if tossed by the relentless wind that blew from the direction of the mines. The smell of disaster rode that same wind. He had remained silent since the trio had pulled her into the shadows behind the winter storage sheds away from the eyes of the human women and kids, and surprisingly, a few apes, who worked to fill the wagons to send to the mine. The light-haired human was so sincere. She could almost believe the nonsense he offered might work. And Galen. He stared at her, his brown eyes full of promise and hope. He so badly wanted to save them all.
"I think the gods may already be smiling our way," Galen slipped into the accented baritone voice of the Spiritual Advisor, Eurusi, he had foisted onto Judan earlier in the evening. "Alan can fix this wagon so it—"
"Break it, you mean," his cousin interrupted, her fisted hands bumping sternly.
"Well, yes, fix it so it will break," the voice of Galen returned. "We're out of sight. He can fix it so it will break when you load it. I will run for the guards to come help with the new disaster so no one from the town can be accused and—"
"And more madness ensues." Gressa scanned them all again. She sighed. They certainly acted as if they could twist Urko's plot against him. And what harm could come of it now? Osmur's position was precarious and neither of them saw a trail to firmer ground. She waved a hand at the one Galen called Alan. "Hurry. We will need this wagon soon. We are nearly complete with this task."
"Yes, ma'am," he gave her a curt nod. "C'mon, Pete. Need your help." He pulled at the other human as they trotted to the wagon and knelt at one of the back wheels.
Galen took Gressa's hands in his. "You know what to tell Osmur? What he needs to say?"
She nodded, then squeezed his hands in return. "Will you be safe, Galen?"
He shrugged. "My friends," he glanced over her shoulder toward the humans, "have taught me that the safe path sometimes takes us away from where we need to go."
"Do you regret it? Choosing this life for yourself?"
Galen paused, staring down at their entwined hands. "I certainly didn't choose this life. The decision was made for me by Urko, Zaius. They could change all of it if they chose to turn away from the lies that they have wrapped around us all—Regret? How can I regret discovering truth? Discovering the treasure that my new friends give me; a treasure we have all squandered by turning our eyes from the truth—No, I have no regrets. I am sorry, though," he pressed her hands again, "that my choices have brought you harm."
"Oh, Galen," Gressa tilted her head, "your choices have shown me truth. I doubted you before. Wondered what madness overtook you. But that Urko and his ilk would go to such lengths to silence you—it tells me more of us should be speaking out."
Her cousin quickly laid his fingers against her mouth. "With caution, Gressa. Speak with caution. Treason is an ugly word with a swift death. But it is amazing the hearts you can change when you touch them one at a time." Galen tapped her chest gently with his knuckles. She smiled at him.
"Gressa?" the human with light hair interrupted as he came up to them. "It is ready. Load the wagon first before you hitch the horse and move it. We will wait over there until it's time." He gestured toward the barn where they could hide from prying eyes then sneak out the back door.
"Of course." She blinked to keep the tears within her eyes. She gave Galen a quick hug. "Go, go," she shooed them with her hands. Once the three figures disappeared in the shadows, she returned to the front of the storage sheds where the female humans worked. She issued new orders. "You four, begin placing flour and cornmeal in the wagon in the back. And plates. We need lots of plates and spoons. Quickly now!" She clapped her hands.
Virdon, Burke and Galen dropped to a crouch behind the mercantile building closest to the wooden cage, eyeing the scene. The two guards remained attentive as they paced in half circles around the structure. The captive humans appeared to be asleep, curled close to one another, finding what comfort they could from shared body heat.
Alan pursed his lips, studying the movements, the glow of his first success fading as he needed to move to the next step of the operation. Back at the barn, they had watched the humans under Gressa's direction load the wagon, bring the horse into its harness, and fasten the traces. With warm satisfaction, he heard the creak and crash as the back wheel separated from the wagon hub, causing the bed of the wagon to slant into the ground. That's a job well done, son, Alan heard the familiar sound of his father's voice echo in his head.
"I'll go get help!" Galen had called out in falsetto, a voice among many shouting out as the female humans rushed back to calm the horse and assess the situation. The three friends slipped away unseen back to the town square. Alan stayed low allowing his eyes to peek around the corner, taking in the scene. Galen waited directly at his side darting his head out for a quick look before ducking back into the murky concealment. Pete knelt mere inches behind them.
"Okay, Galen, leave your pack here. Go," the colonel instructed with a tap to his shoulder. The chimp nodded, then snuck behind them into the shadows. Alan slid his own backpack from his shoulders as they waited. Pete sat unmoving until Virdon nudged him and gestured for him to do the same. Alan looked away as the younger man paused for several seconds before dropping the strap from his left shoulder with a wince and positioned his own pack next to Galen's. A minute later, the chimp reappeared between another set of buildings calling out in his Spiritual Advisor voice, "Guards! Guards! You are needed at the storage buildings. Hurry!"
"Go talk to yer orang in the Prefects office." One gestured that direction.
"Oh, of course." The chimp hesitated a moment before resuming his jog, bursting into the prefecture without knocking.
Virdon glanced at Burke for about the hundredth time since he found them on the riverbank. Galen had suggested they go ahead to the town square, and he would watch for the wagon to break before summoning the guards, but Virdon put his proverbial foot down. He wasn't going to let them separate again. In fact, he wanted to loop a rope around Burke's waist with the other end tied around his own wrist. He wanted him in his sight until this mission was complete. Pete was unnaturally subdued, responding slowly to instructions; Alan noticed he sometimes needed to be told twice, although he did what was asked once he began. He didn't know if Burke was being purposefully resistive or maybe he was just sulking, knowing there would be words between them when this was done. He was doing his best to push his growing agitation aside. His junior officer had wanted this operation as much as any of them—demanded it—and he couldn't figure out where his typical driven commitment to an essential task had gone. Another thing they would discuss—later.
As he set his pack aside, Pete scraped first at his chin, then his temple. He glanced at Alan again, oblivious to the scrutiny from the other side, watching for his next instruction. Blackness whirled around him, creeping close to the point where he wasn't sure he could keep it away.
Everything external moved in delay. Sight, sound, touch. His built-in superhighway was in a major traffic jam situation, but he had neither the capacity nor the energy to move things along. Just follow Alan. He knows what to do.
The bullet wound at his bicep was mostly a dull ache that spiked when he asked it to perform any function. He tried to keep his left arm tucked at his waist by slipping his thumb into the rope belt. The crease on the right side of his head and the knot that had risen where he struck the ground when he fell was a greater challenge. That pain dug deep like kneading fingers burrowing into his skull which radiated down the side of face, poking at the temple, eye socket, sinuses past his jaw into his neck. Even his teeth throbbed. A jabbing pain under his ribs caused him to rub the area, and his fingers brushed the spackling tool he had stuck in his belt. He pulled it out and stared at it a moment.
"Where'd you get that?" Alan whispered.
"Wha..?" he turned, hearing someone speak through the cotton packed in his ears.
"That!" The older man slapped at the flat surface of the tool. Burke stared at it a moment before slowly lifting his eyes back to Virdon.
"Um, the mines. We can use it…?"
"Are you okay?" Alan tried to look at him, but both of their faces were clouded in shadow. Pete was trying to process the question when the door to the prefecture slammed open, and Judan hurried out, Galen on his heels.
"You! You!" The orangutan pointed to the guards. "You are with me." He moved with determined steps past the cage.
"We were assigned to…," scoffy guard started to speak.
"And your commander left me in charge. Foolish females have disrupted the delivery of supplies. Come. NOW!" he demanded without looking back to ensure he was obeyed.
Both guards hesitated causing Galen to maintain his Eurusi character to suggest, "No one is left in town. Your prisoners are asleep. And you know how Chief Urko feels about delays." They shared a glance and a shrug before starting behind the assistant prefect. Galan trailed them past a few buildings and when they had a distance in front of him, he darted between two of the wooden structures. After a few more minutes, he was crouched down, back with his friends.
"They are out of sight although I don't think we have much time."
"We shouldn't need much. Come on." Virdon scurried to the cage. "Galen, get them up," he instructed gesturing toward the sleeping prisoners. Alan ran his hands quickly over the wood bars. "Pete, use that thing of yours and start digging a hole right here." Burke blinked a couple of times until Alan hit at the dirt in front of him. "Here—c'mon, Pete! We don't have time for whatever is eating you." The younger man nodded and stuck the trowel in the dirt next to the bar Alan indicated, pulling it toward him.
"What is happening?" a man's voice asked.
"We're getting you away from here," Galen explained. Both humans in the cage scrambled to their feet and moved to stand over where Alan and Pete worked.
Alan pulled the explosive sticks out and began to untie them. "We only need one to do this job. When we're ready, you'll need to wait on the opposite side of the cage," he explained to the two men.
"I don't understand—."
"Trayus? Your name is Trayus?" Alan asked.
"Yes, and this is Phyn," the older man confirmed. The dark-haired man had squatted next to them, his hands wrapped around the bars, watching what they were doing.
"We're here to help, that's all," Galen offered with a smile.
"But you are a chimpanzee—?" the young man was confused.
"Who wants to help," he assured him.
"That's deep enough," Alan tapped at Pete's hands. The young officer stopped and looked at him expectantly for his next orders. The commander pulled the blasting wire from his pouch, cut off a short strip with his knife and twisted it into the end of the stick. He dropped it into the hole and brushed the dirt back over it. "Hopefully that mutes the sound. The flint and steel," Alan stated, holding his hand out toward Pete then made a sliding motion with his hands when his junior officer failed to react. "The firestarter, Pete." The young man then nodded and dug into his pouch pulling out the requested items. Virdon snatched them as he ordered the townsmen, "Move to far side, duck down and cover your heads." He turned to Galen, "Take him and get back there," jerking his head toward Burke.
The chimp pulled at Pete's shoulder. He stood and followed. The spark lit quickly causing Alan to run to join his friends. A muffled thud preceded the sound of cracking wood. The colonel peeked around the building to see a half circle hole with jagged spikes where the wood bars had been blown apart. Trayus and Phyn were on their feet headed toward it.
"The waterskin," Alan ordered tersely. He held out his hand as Galen dug through their belongings pulling a red stained skin from among the pile. The man pulled the chimp a few steps away and hissed in his ear, "Start back toward the river. Stay together. I'll be there shortly." Galen nodded and turned to go. Alan grabbed him at the elbow. "Galen, keep an eye on Pete, will ya?"
The chimp patted his arm. "I noticed, too." He went back to the rest of the group, "Follow me," he instructed, making a point of grabbing Pete's arm.
Alan hurried back to the shattered cage, opened the waterskin and began to slosh the deep red liquid it contained onto the sharp edges of the wood. He dripped some of the blood onto the ground. Using the heel of his shoe, he formed a wide rounded shape with smaller imprints on top then used his knife to slice claw-like slits in the ground forming what he hoped looked like a passable paw print.
Gressa is right. We've gone beyond crazy, he shook his head as he wiped the dirt from his blade.
Satisfied with the look, he began to jog to the river, pausing to make an occasional print, spreading splashes of the blood along the trail he was making.
"I know you have questions, but you need to… ahh, here he is now," Galen was saying when Alan trotted back to where the corpse of the bear lay a few feet away. Trayus and Phyn stood together eyeing the chimpanzee suspiciously. Pete was next to Galen, holding his left arm against his body with his right. As Alan stopped between the pairs, the younger astronaut began to sway causing Galen to grab him. The chimp's face flooded with concern as he let go and looked at his sticky palm covered with a dark substance. He sniffed at his hand but wanted confirmation.
"Are you bleeding?"
Pete squiggled away muttering, "Galen, S'alright."
"Galen?" Trayus questioned, studying the chimpanzee with a penetrating stare. He took half a step back as his eyes widened in disbelief. "Galen! It is you! I remember you! The Prefect's relative! The Traitor Ape! You are the ones Urko is looking for!" Phyn's dark eyes got big and then narrowed, his hands balling into fists. He eyed the two humans, fury rising to his face.
"Stay calm," Alan interjected, lifting both hands in an effort to placate the men. Before he could say more, Phyn flew at Pete, blindsiding him with a solid punch, striking the left side of his face. Burke's head jerked back, and he dropped with a thud to his back, arms outstretched, then immediately folded onto his side wrapping his head in his right arm with a long moan.
"PETE!" Galen fell to his knees next to him, draping his own body between the attacking human and his groaning friend.
Burke was lost in a tailspin. Memories of flashing lights and alarms, klaxons screaming, the sound of stressed metal, the smell of spewing jet fuel as a voice tensely repeated, 'Mayday, Mayday' thrummed behind his closed eyes. Curled into a ball, his fist pounded the ground. Overcome by pain, lightning flashed behind his closed lids followed by the maw of blackness opening up for him. His hands scrambled to find something, anything to stop his tumble into the devouring darkness.
He grabbed Galen so tight, the chimp wanted to cry out in his own pain, but he bit it back, trying to hold onto to Pete as he thrashed on the ground. The chimp wrapped his arms over him, whispering, "I'm here. I'm with you." The throes that overcame his friend seemed to slow as the reassuring words reached him.
Above them, attending to the townsmen and the unexpected attack, Alan shoved the dark-haired man, yanking him back yelling, "What the hell are you doing?!"
Trayus grabbed at Virdon, attempting to pull him away from his young protégé, fearful of his intentions, the stranger's open blade flashing in his hand.
"That is Galen," the older man spoke tersely as he waved with his stumped left arm. "You must be Virdon. And that is Burke."
"Yes, that is Burke!" Phyn shouted, taking a step back toward him. Trayus blocked both Virdon and Phyn with outstretched arms. "I didn't even hit him that hard," the man sneered, pressing against Trayus despite Virdon's dangerous look of warning. "And he deserves it!" the young man shouted. "That gorilla almost killed me because of him!" He took another step toward Pete, fist raised which Trayus grabbed and held in place. Virdon moved at Phyn. Trayus pushed his arm against his chest to stop him.
"Trust me," Alan hissed, "he has taken far more abuse from Urko than you can imagine."
"Stop it! Stop it!" Galen yelled. He scooted on his knees trying to block the aggressive man from moving any closer while keeping one hand on Pete's side. "We came here, he came here, to save you! You are on the same side, aren't you? You can't blame him for what Urko does."
"Then maybe I should blame you, ape," Phyn accused. Against all his indoctrination, he pushed Galen with both hands, knocking him back.
"Touch him again and you'll have to come through me," growled Pete, weakly pushing himself up to his right elbow.
"Oh, you're gonna fight me from the ground," the young wagon smith laughed snidely.
"Damn right." Burke pushed up farther, his deadly focus locked on Phyn.
"STOP!" Alan and Trayus shouted simultaneously. Under the Guide's withering glare, Phyn finally took a step back. Pete eyed him for a moment, then lowered his head back to the ground and squeezed his eyes shut. Galen glared up at the young human, moving protectively over his friend again.
"Look," Alan tried to keep his voice level, "Urko is a nasty piece of work. We all know it."
"And Urko had a purpose from the moment he entered our town, much of which centered around an obsession on you." Trayus made no attempt to mask the accusation in his voice. "He hates the two of you." He waved at Galen and Virdon. "He despises him." His good hand pointed at Burke.
"Feelin's mutual," a slurred voice replied.
"Then I think," Alan interjected, "we need to ruin Urko's day, and finish here before he and his goons realize you're gone and start tearing up these woods looking for you."
"Just 'cause we're gone doesn't mean he will stop," Phyn snapped.
"We know," Virdon said with an unmistakable edge. "We have a plan that will give him a reason to stop. We've beaten Urko before— Why did you think he hates us so much?"
"Where do we go?" Trayus asked, a hint of defeat sneaking into his voice.
"Can you swim?" Alan looked meaningfully at the river.
Phyn and Trayus exchanged anxious looks. Trayus nodded first. The younger man slumped his shoulders. "We can swim." The blond head of the townsman turned to eye the steadily churning water. "But it's dark, there's no moon. The river is wide. How can we find our way?"
Virdon stepped next to him, lay a hand on his arm, and pointed north to a point of light shining brightly in the sky. "There. The North Star. It will guide you across. Follow it all the way."
"Pilot's bes'frien' fer centuries," Pete mumbled. "Lots an' lots'a'centuries."
"Before you go, take off the shirts you're wearing. We have to give Urko a reason to accept that you are dead."
"I almost forgot." Galen pulled himself up and hurried to the backpacks they had dropped when they returned to the area. He opened his bag and pulled two shirts and a canvas bag from inside. "We took these from the winter storage sheds. Clothing and a few items to help you."
"You do have a plan," Trayus acknowledged. "Does your plan include any chance we can come home?" he asked as he pulled his shirt off over his head and accepted the new one from the chimpanzee.
"Getting back home is something I understand," Virdon said with a sad smile. "Your prefect is fair and knows of the plan. You may have to wait a several weeks, but once Urko has moved on, it's unlikely he will be back here."
"Yes, if there is a way, I think our prefect will allow it. And we should have some fascinating new stories to share." He took a telling look across the water.
"It's time," Alan prompted.
"Yes, you are right, Virdon." Trayus turned to the river. He glanced at his young friend who set his shoulders and followed him. They waded into the steady flow. When the water reached their waists, Trayus turned back and lifted his arm. "Tell my wife I will return. Whatever it takes, I will come back," he called out. The dark-haired man said nothing but dove headfirst into the current. Alan lifted his arm in acknowledgement. With a splash, Trayus disappeared from view.
"Godspeed," Alan muttered.
Galen returned to Pete's side and helped him to sit up. He spoke quietly, "We need to be gone from this place as well." Alan nodded and finished setting the scene they wanted discovered. He came and stood over his two friends. Pete sat with his right arm crossed over his knees, his forehead resting on top. Galen had his arm over his shoulders.
"There it is," the chimp said to Alan, his chin pointing across the water.
"There what is?"
"The Forbidden Zone."
Due to the lack of light, Galen was not able to see the longing fill his friend's blue eyes.
Alan stared across for a moment and wondered what survived in a place not ruled by apes and their steadfast need to destroy the past. One glance at Pete revealed he was in no condition to make that swim and Galen would need a raft or boat to make it across, if he would ever consent to go in the first place. Still, his hand pressed against his chest feeling for the small pouch he wore around his neck keeping the magnetic flight disc secure. He accepted with a bitter taste that for the sake of his friends, he would have to let his own obsession wait for a bit longer.
"It's too dark to see it," Alan finally spoke. "And we have to get off this beach."
Galen and Alan refilled the waterskins, cleansing the one of the blood it had carried although it would need to be washed more thoroughly before they would drink from it again. They gathered the packs as Pete struggled to his feet.
"This way." The chimpanzee led them back through the woods, Alan hiding their tracks as they went.
Kaykos dismounted her horse, Reggis at the overseer's cabin on the uppermost point of the slope of the operation. He snorted and pawed the ground as smoke settled over the landscape like fog. The footpath to the mine itself was unusable. Along that worn trail, many of the larger cabins assigned to the apes who did not have families in Rhohas and the shacks housing the humans were burning. Figures, mostly human, scurried through the smoke like phantoms using the shovels of their mining trade to throw dirt onto the flames. Voices, tinged with anxiety, shouted orders or warnings as the flames seemed to spark anew once one was extinguished.
The veterinarian took a moment to rub Reggis' nose. Unless she discovered a safer place, she would commandeer the overseer's cabin for her treatment center. It sat above the fires and did not appear to be in danger of burning. Vulko would be livid. Another good reason.
"Wait for me if you can," the tiny chimp asked the horse as she tied the reins around the saddle horn. She would not take Reggis deeper into the threat of the fires. "I'll walk home if it's too scary for you." As she started back toward the main road to take the longer path around, the sound of approaching horses echoed oddly through the dense smoke. She peered through the darkness, watching Urko's white horse cut through the night, its head up announcing its arrival despite the instinctive fear. The security chief, prefect, and garrison commander pulled up near her joined by the rest of Urko's platoon and the local troopers.
"You will have to go around." Kaykos waved her hand along the road. "Fires block the footpath." Urko barely stopped, kicking his horse into a trot. A wave from Balden guided his troops in that direction. They marched on without a word of acknowledgment but many had the look of apes lost in a nightmare desperately seeking a way out. The prefect tugged firmly on the reins of his skittish horse to keep him in place.
"How bad is it?" Osmur asked, the worry breaking through in his voice.
"I just arrived, but…," she paused, looking back over her shoulder, "it is bad."
The chimp nodded grimly. He stared over the burning buildings for a moment then pulled his foot from the stirrup and leaned down offering Kaykos his hand. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, slapped her hand in his as he lifted her until she could slip her foot into the stirrup then wrap her free leg behind him. She settled her hands at his waist and leaned into his back as they galloped into the fray.
Despite all other opinions he held against the gorilla, Osmur had to credit Urko with his swift appraisal of the disaster and organization of both ape and human. He initially set up bucket lines from the two wells using the banded humans. Their ape supervisors directed the focus of the attempts to extinguish the flames following Urkos' instructions. Once the male servants from Rhohas arrived on foot, a longer chain was built from the river drawing a steady supply of water aimed toward the source of the fire in the explosives shack. They had to keep some distance as detonations still rocked, although they were spaced farther and farther apart as the night trudged on.
The security chief, although he responded more like the general that had catapulted him to his current position, arranged the supply wagons brought by the woman along the road near the mine entrance. They set up cooking and rest stations. Kaykos demanded, and finally received, permission to establish her treatment site at the top of the hill using Vulko's cabin as her exam room. The gorilla was positively apoplectic when he discovered the veterinarian had taken humans inside his cabin. Osmur enjoyed a private moment of humor over that display.
The prefect kept pace behind Urko, rapidly moving between mini-disaster sites. Thus far, the mines themselves were untouched but infrastructure devasted. The chimpanzee made mental notes of rebuilding materials and additional labor he would need to requisition from the Council—provided he survived Urko's inquisition and remained the prefect. He determined to make the lists regardless. The work would need to be done whether he remained or not.
As the crews appeared to be stabilizing the fearsome onslaught of flames, the chimpanzee nudged the huge gorilla's arm as they spied the overseer slapping at his laborers to move faster as they pulled buckets from the wells.
"Before time allows stories to bend, perhaps now is the time to find out how this could happen?" Osmur suggested.
Urko sniffed, then coughed as the lingering smoke invaded his senses. He noted how the chimpanzee attempted to deflect blame away from his oversight onto an obvious target but appreciated his subtlety. He took a quick side glance at the prefect who started toward the overseer without waiting for his agreement. The gorilla chuckled to himself.
"I still have you by the balls, Osmur," he muttered. "I may not have time to squeeze right now, but I'll be damned if you think I'm letting go."
"…entire place in flames, Vulko! How can your answer be, 'I don't know!'" Osmur raised his arms in exasperation. Urko scowled that the chimp failed to wait for him to join them to begin his questions. The overseer stammered and rocked back and forth on his feet but, in Urko's appraisal, he wisely acknowledged the superior in this situation and addressed his answer directly to the security chief.
"Because the entire place is in flames! The fires need to be out before worrying about how it started!"
"General Urko. Prefect Osmur. I have some information for you," a very large gorilla intruded in the conversation. He approached them from the river side of the chaos. He coughed raggedly, then spit a wad of phlegm to the side before shoving a chimpanzee in front of him.
"Chief, this is Hafva, the assistant overseer," Osmur provided a brief introduction.
"I began questioning witnesses immediately," Hafva explained, avoiding the hazardous glower of his supervisor. Urko took immediate note that the chimp, who wore a rifle over his shoulder, was unaccustomed to its presence. The smaller ape cowered in front of the gathering of leaders.
"Speak!" Hafva hit his shoulder with a hard fist, causing the chimp to take another half-step forward.
The chimpanzee swallowed hard before saying, "I saw someone…."
Pete successfully kept one foot moving in front of the other as they maneuvered through the inky woods, his eyes locked on Alan's back. Follow Alan. Follow Alan. It resumed an old and became a new litany to keep his mind awake and away from the murky fingers claiming more and more of what remained of his consciousness. He was grateful for the occasional gentle tug of Galen's hand on his sleeve when he felt himself take a side-step away from the trail Virdon was making. The chimp directed from behind allowing their blond-haired leader to keep the point position he preferred.
The mud continued to flake off Pete's skin aided by his repeated swipes to catch the slow drizzle of blood seeping from his nose where the jackass popped him. Didn't even bother to thank them for saving their lives. S'okay. Woulda dunn'it anyways. One part of Burke's tired brain acknowledged he needed to stop soon. Even his thoughts were beginning to slur.
"Slow down, Alan," Galen was saying. "It's near here but it was bright daylight the last time I was here." The woods had an eerie silence as the creatures sought shelter from the tell-tale smoke that drifted on the breeze. "We may need to risk a torch—."
"The patrols aren't on our tail yet," Alan allowed and immediately rooted on the ground for a suitable shaft of wood. Using the flint and striker Pete had taken from his evening escapade, the man quickly had a dim light burning, and handed the torch to Galen, who accepted it with a nod and a chirp. With the added light, he was able to locate the overgrown opening. They had to drop to their stomachs to slide through the narrow crevice about two feet off the ground, but as the chimp promised, the area opened up inside with space enough to house the three of them and their gear.
Laying out their bedrolls in the feeble light, Burke continued moving at a pace reminding Virdon of his ire. He positioned himself in front of his junior officer, his arms crossed, and demanded, "Take your shirt off."
"Ya know Galen's 'barrassed 'bout tha' kinda thing," Pete replied groggily.
"Galen said you were bleeding. I can't tell the difference between the mud and the blood in this light, so I am saying for the last time, take your shirt off." The Virdon's-giving-an-order tone was in full force. Pete attempted to comply, but with his left arm hanging uselessly, and his rapidly degrading balance, Galen needed to jump in to help him. As soon as the shirt came over his head, the young man leaned against the rock wall next to his bedroll for support.
"What the hell, Pete!" Alan snapped as he grabbed his friend's left arm revealing a deep, oozing laceration running across the width of his bicep. Potential infection screamed from the mud, grass and shirt fibers caked to it.
"Bul'et. Almos' missed." Burke tried to grin, but his head dipped forward, and he slid down the wall, his legs done for the night. Alan's firm grip guided him onto his blankets. Galen was with them in moments, a waterskin and dampened cloth in hand ready for Virdon. They had been through this drill before, too many times before.
"We need to talk about this," Alan barked as he pulled the cloth from the chimp's hand and began to cleanse the wound as best he could in poor light. They all knew infection was one of their greatest dangers, with even minor injuries having the potential to turn deadly. Galen handed Pete another damp rag for his face, but his hand remained listless in his lap. The chimp retrieved the cloth and wiped at the man's bloodied nose himself. Pete ineffectually slapped at the chimp trying to avoid the pain of the pressure Galen applied as he removed most of the blood and gunk from his face. Pete attempted to turn his face away until Galen grabbed his chin to hold it in place. Pete finally gave in and let him finish, his eyelids slitting open, and drooping closed at random intervals.
Once released, Burke's chin jerked in spasmodic increments up and down to his chest until he no longer had the strength to keep it upright. "Gotta sssleep. Pleassse."
"We're gonna talk, Pete. I'm serious. This can't go on. We're gonna talk about this in the morning."
"Lissten bet'er. Intha mornin.'" Pete faded away as he sagged against Galen.
"Hold him up while I finish this." Alan darted his eyes in the chimp's direction. An angry scowl deepened on his rugged features.
"Are you okay, Alan?" the intuitive chimp asked, his concern growing for both of his friends.
"I am just reminding myself of all the reasons why I demanded that Burke stay on my team. I argued with our Chief Astronaut that I needed him because of his loyalty, ingenuity, and courage. He should have reminded me about his being headstrong, stubborn, and impulsive. Get me something dry I can use to wrap this wound." Galen's nose twitched uncomfortably as he reached for and handed Alan a wide strip of cloth from his backpack. Sometimes, he discovered, silence was the best response.
Despite his obvious frustration, Alan gently lay Pete onto his right side, facing the wall, keeping the pressure off his injured arm. He tugged a blanket from the younger man's backpack and tucked it around him. Both chimpanzee and human sat back next to their friend and eyed him silently. Alan was already having his nightly conversation with Sally in his head, all focused on what to do about Burke.
"Ass chew in the morning?" Galen finally broke the growing silence with a slight tease in his tired voice.
Virdon looked at his friend with a smirk, breaking the consternation that had become an all-too regular expression over the last few days.
"I'm going to give a Master Class."
Galen didn't even need to ask what he meant.