Burke opened his eyes to near-darkness, briefly surfacing from what seemed
a deep tunnel. He didn't want to think or feel and so he sank, retreating.
"The rest will arrive very soon, now," he heard the chimpanzee who'd
earlier accompanied Pergis comment. The rest of them? the question
formed in his thoughts, then faded. But the voices were persistent and
allowed no peace. "Pergis, vengeance is yours on this night. Urko's brute
force will not be felt by our kind again. Or his," added the chimpanzee.
Burke cracked his eye open to see the chimpanzee gesturing at him. For a
moment longer, he closed his eyes against the things he did not want to
face.
He sighed and gingerly pulled himself upright, nausea still dogging him.
Pergis handed him a canteen. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to wake up. We brought water for you," he said, and passed it to Burke, who took tentative sips. Nausea or not, his thirst was all-consuming. "Not too much, or we'll both be sorry," he added, dryly.
"You sound like Galen," Burke said, wiping his mouth. He turned carefully to him, wanting to see his face in the dim light. "Do you know if he's okay?" The silence stretched out. "What did he mean… vengeance?" he continued, jerking his thumb at the other chimp. Pergis looked down unhappily. "Will you just say something!" Pete yelled, and squeezed his eyes shut as the dull booming in his head intensified to a sharp pain.
"Galen is dead," the other chimp said.
"I didn't see it," said Pergis. "Malachi here, he saw it." He looked sadly at Burke.
"No," said Burke fiercely. "I don't believe it." He would not believe it. He couldn't.
Malachi shrugged. "Believe whatever you want. But tonight we'll make Urko pay for Galen's death."
Burke looked at Pergis beside him. "What's he talking about?"
Pergis looked calmly at him. "He's talking about what we're going to do. We're going to burn him out. Same as he did the humans."
Pete scrambled to his feet, swaying. The alarmed chimpanzees rose with him. Pergis reached out to him and irritably Burke waved him away. "I'm okay, I'm okay."
"What are you doing?" asked Malachi, impatient.
Burke glared at him. "I'm going after Virdon."
"You're in no shape to look for him," Pergis protested.
"Hopefully I won't have to."
"Explain yourself," said Malachi, looking annoyed.
"We agreed on a meeting place if separated. Hopefully he made it there." Malachi obstructed his path. "Get this guy out of my way, before I move him," Burke said to Pergis.
Malachi laughed unexpectedly. "Touchy, aren't we?"
"Like I said before.. who the hell are you?"
"I am Pergis's friend and council in this war against ignorance."
Burke paused a moment. "Council, huh." He rubbed his forehead wearily and looked at Malachi. "Something tells me you have a lot to learn."
Malachi threw him an irritated glance. "We'll see."
"I'll send one of our group to your meeting place for Virdon. Just tell me where it is," Pergis interrupted. Burke nodded. Some of Pergis's supporters began to come through the door. They stared at Burke, who ignored them.
Burke focused on Pergis. "What do you hope to accomplish with this? Are you crazy?"
Malachi said, "You're the one that killed a gorilla."
Burke froze. He stared at Malachi, eyes flat.
"And a gorilla killed my cousin." Pergis spoke up. "Galen was his friend, Malachi."
"Galen is my friend," Burke replied, eyes still on Malachi, who looked away. After a long, silent moment Burke turned to Pergis and put his hand up in a stopping motion. "Okay, okay. Tell me how you hope to accomplish this? Urko has guards surrounding his house."
"There is all of us, and more still coming," said Malachi, waving at the filling room. "We will overcome the guards."
"They're trained soldiers!" snapped Burke. "Carrying weapons. The only thing you know how to carry are books."
"Maybe. But we're going," Pergis said.
"Fine. So am I."
"You! You're a liability. You can barely stand," Malachi stated.
"He can go," said Pergis. He looked at Malachi evenly.
Malachi shrugged. "Very well. Stay out of our way."
Burke stared at Malachi, lips in a tight line. "No, you make damned sure you're not in my way. Got it?" He turned to Pergis. "I can help and God knows you need it. In return, you allow me to question Urko before you do anything else." Pergis raised his brows at Burke questioningly. "I need to find out what happened to Virdon if he's not at our meeting site. And I want that flight disk."
"Urko has it?" asked Pergis.
"You know about it?"
Pergis nodded to Pete. "Galen told me."
Pete's throat tightened at the mention of Galen's name. "Urko took it from where I… left it, in Chandar," he said. He watched Pergis's face as realization dawned.
"It was you… you started this."
Burke looked at him, expressionless. "Yes."
Pergis watched Burke's face for a moment, then nodded in understanding. He took a step closer and rapped his knuckles lightly on Pete's chest before turning away to address his compatriots.
He sighed and gingerly pulled himself upright, nausea still dogging him.
Pergis handed him a canteen. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to wake up. We brought water for you," he said, and passed it to Burke, who took tentative sips. Nausea or not, his thirst was all-consuming. "Not too much, or we'll both be sorry," he added, dryly.
"You sound like Galen," Burke said, wiping his mouth. He turned carefully to him, wanting to see his face in the dim light. "Do you know if he's okay?" The silence stretched out. "What did he mean… vengeance?" he continued, jerking his thumb at the other chimp. Pergis looked down unhappily. "Will you just say something!" Pete yelled, and squeezed his eyes shut as the dull booming in his head intensified to a sharp pain.
"Galen is dead," the other chimp said.
"I didn't see it," said Pergis. "Malachi here, he saw it." He looked sadly at Burke.
"No," said Burke fiercely. "I don't believe it." He would not believe it. He couldn't.
Malachi shrugged. "Believe whatever you want. But tonight we'll make Urko pay for Galen's death."
Burke looked at Pergis beside him. "What's he talking about?"
Pergis looked calmly at him. "He's talking about what we're going to do. We're going to burn him out. Same as he did the humans."
Pete scrambled to his feet, swaying. The alarmed chimpanzees rose with him. Pergis reached out to him and irritably Burke waved him away. "I'm okay, I'm okay."
"What are you doing?" asked Malachi, impatient.
Burke glared at him. "I'm going after Virdon."
"You're in no shape to look for him," Pergis protested.
"Hopefully I won't have to."
"Explain yourself," said Malachi, looking annoyed.
"We agreed on a meeting place if separated. Hopefully he made it there." Malachi obstructed his path. "Get this guy out of my way, before I move him," Burke said to Pergis.
Malachi laughed unexpectedly. "Touchy, aren't we?"
"Like I said before.. who the hell are you?"
"I am Pergis's friend and council in this war against ignorance."
Burke paused a moment. "Council, huh." He rubbed his forehead wearily and looked at Malachi. "Something tells me you have a lot to learn."
Malachi threw him an irritated glance. "We'll see."
"I'll send one of our group to your meeting place for Virdon. Just tell me where it is," Pergis interrupted. Burke nodded. Some of Pergis's supporters began to come through the door. They stared at Burke, who ignored them.
Burke focused on Pergis. "What do you hope to accomplish with this? Are you crazy?"
Malachi said, "You're the one that killed a gorilla."
Burke froze. He stared at Malachi, eyes flat.
"And a gorilla killed my cousin." Pergis spoke up. "Galen was his friend, Malachi."
"Galen is my friend," Burke replied, eyes still on Malachi, who looked away. After a long, silent moment Burke turned to Pergis and put his hand up in a stopping motion. "Okay, okay. Tell me how you hope to accomplish this? Urko has guards surrounding his house."
"There is all of us, and more still coming," said Malachi, waving at the filling room. "We will overcome the guards."
"They're trained soldiers!" snapped Burke. "Carrying weapons. The only thing you know how to carry are books."
"Maybe. But we're going," Pergis said.
"Fine. So am I."
"You! You're a liability. You can barely stand," Malachi stated.
"He can go," said Pergis. He looked at Malachi evenly.
Malachi shrugged. "Very well. Stay out of our way."
Burke stared at Malachi, lips in a tight line. "No, you make damned sure you're not in my way. Got it?" He turned to Pergis. "I can help and God knows you need it. In return, you allow me to question Urko before you do anything else." Pergis raised his brows at Burke questioningly. "I need to find out what happened to Virdon if he's not at our meeting site. And I want that flight disk."
"Urko has it?" asked Pergis.
"You know about it?"
Pergis nodded to Pete. "Galen told me."
Pete's throat tightened at the mention of Galen's name. "Urko took it from where I… left it, in Chandar," he said. He watched Pergis's face as realization dawned.
"It was you… you started this."
Burke looked at him, expressionless. "Yes."
Pergis watched Burke's face for a moment, then nodded in understanding. He took a step closer and rapped his knuckles lightly on Pete's chest before turning away to address his compatriots.
