He kissed her forehead and her temples before capturing her lips hungrily
with his own. A fire lit inside him and he felt her answering shiver as
his lips traveled down her throat, murmuring her name. Her fingers curled
around the nape of his neck, then moved down his back. He shuddered at the
feel of her cool fingertips trailing down his skin.
He'd been lying to himself and everyone else, all along, telling himself he didn't need her, didn't want her. God, he'd never wanted anyone so bad. He looked down into her eyes with pupils widened and dark, wanting him. Building her excitement with his own, he moved with her, held her. He closed his eyes, gasping, feeling what he'd wanted to feel since the first day they'd met, knowing he didn't want to leave her.
He opened his eyes and her sightless stare met his own accusingly. Her flesh was cold. He screamed and pulled frantically away from Liska's corpse.
Burke's wavering cry awakened Alan and Galen immediately. Pete sat upright, eyes wide in the moonlit night.
"What the hell?" Alan said, kneeling quickly beside his friend. Pete wrapped one arm around his stomach.
Galen knelt on the other side of him. "It's just another nightmare, Pete," he said, soothingly.
Abruptly Burke's head lifted to meet Galen's gaze with haunted eyes. Sweat beaded his forehead and upper lip. "I wish that's all it was."
"What is it, Pete?" asked Alan, concerned.
Pete opened his mouth, then shut it. He looked at them both briefly, then turned his head. "Like Galen said. a nightmare."
"That's not acceptable, Pete. No more hiding." Galen winced at the look in Burke's dark eyes as they moved slowly to his, considering.
"No, this hovering over me isn't acceptable," he said in a low voice. He sighed and lowered his head across his arms, propped on his knees.
The fog shifting and swirling in Pete and through him was cold and gray. It numbed him, separated him from his emotions, emotions that had taken on shapes he no longer recognized and was terrified to face.
But face them he would. Before he risked his life again, or theirs, or ruined any chances of freedom they still had.
Or destroyed the friendship they shared.
"I was going back," he said, voice muffled. There was a stunned silence. Slowly he raised red-rimmed eyes to meet Alan's. "To her. Understand?" A chill ran down Alan's spine at the raw pain he saw there.
"Oh God, Pete," said Alan. He looked away, shutting his eyes briefly.
"Why, Pete?" whispered Galen. "Why couldn't you tell us?" His sober brown gaze searched the astronaut's eyes.
"I lied to myself, to her. I'd only known her a few days. I wasn't going to let some infatuation control me. Now it's too late," said Burke. His long fingers rubbed his eyes. "She'll never know."
"I'm so sorry. I wish to God there was something." Alan started, deep voice soft.
Burke swiped at his nose and stared down at the ground. There was a long silence before he spoke, clearing his throat in attempted nonchalance. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, Al..."
"Anything, Pete. You name it."
"It's just a question. How the hell did you get away from the apes the day of the demonstration?"
Alan looked at him a moment and sighed. "I really don't want to tell you this."
Burke turned, surprised, towards Alan. "Why not?"
"I'll regret this. I should just make up something," he replied, disgruntled.
"C'mon, Al," Burke said curiously, Galen chiming in behind him.
"All right. Here goes." Alan took a deep breath. " I.. I hid."
"Yeah? No kiddin'," snapped Burke. Galen waited patiently, gazing at Alan.
"In a pile of garbage," Alan mumbled with his face turned away.
Burke put a hand behind his ear. "Where? What was that?" His dull eyes began to liven.
"I SAID IN A PILE OF GARBAGE," Alan said loudly.
"Those big piles in the alleyways?" Alan nodded. "Man, that must have been rough. Phew." Burke shook his head and smirked. Galen smiled. "What'd you do, just dive right in?" Alan nodded again, chagrined. "Hey, you know, I threw up on one of those piles. Maybe I threw up on you. I could have sworn that stack of garbage moved. figured I was hallucinating. You weren't hiding behind Market Square, were you?" Alan shot him a look, brows lowered. Galen chuckled. "Come to think of it, when you rode to the rescue there at Urko's, you did smell pretty ripe. I didn't want to say anything, buddy. didn't want to be indelicate."
Alan snorted. "You, indelicate? It'll never happen." Burke continued to rib him. Alan said, voice even, "You're pissing me off, Major."
The corner of Burke's mouth lifted. "Didn't you know? There are majors in hell, too. Pissing off the colonels."
Galen frowned. "Pissing off? That's disgusting." He shook his head. "I will never understand you two." He cocked his head sideways, considering. "You know.. I don't believe it's worth the effort."
Virdon patted Galen's back, and Burke smiled.
---------------------------
Two months later: The weather was pleasant in Central City. The sky was bright blue, and a freshening breeze blew in and around the stone buildings as a crowd of students gathered at the Commerce Plaza. A young chimp stepped forward to speak, holding his hands out for silence over the murmuring crowd.
The day before, in a dismal back street, a body was discovered. A chimp, shot once in the forehead. The wound was small upon entry, but the back half of the simian's head was blown away. He lay crumpled, black clothes ruffled in the lonesome wind. His gray eyes stared upwards, surprised, as the sun rose high over the city.
An unheeded warning echoed in his mind, one of the chimp's last sorrowing thoughts: It's too late for your bargains. It won't work even if you get to Zaius before I put a bullet in you.
Zaius, who would protect the secrets of mankind's legacy. No matter the cost.
Opening his eyes, the chimp struggled against the swift descent into blackness. His spirit fled before the shrinking corridors of his mind.
Shortly after noon on the day of his death, his body was discovered. Instantly a great clamor arose within the city. Another ape killed, within months of the other.
The next day, regardless of consequences, Gathor stood upon the steps of the Commerce Plaza intending a resurrection of a sort.
A new day had dawned on the planet of the apes.
~The End~
He'd been lying to himself and everyone else, all along, telling himself he didn't need her, didn't want her. God, he'd never wanted anyone so bad. He looked down into her eyes with pupils widened and dark, wanting him. Building her excitement with his own, he moved with her, held her. He closed his eyes, gasping, feeling what he'd wanted to feel since the first day they'd met, knowing he didn't want to leave her.
He opened his eyes and her sightless stare met his own accusingly. Her flesh was cold. He screamed and pulled frantically away from Liska's corpse.
Burke's wavering cry awakened Alan and Galen immediately. Pete sat upright, eyes wide in the moonlit night.
"What the hell?" Alan said, kneeling quickly beside his friend. Pete wrapped one arm around his stomach.
Galen knelt on the other side of him. "It's just another nightmare, Pete," he said, soothingly.
Abruptly Burke's head lifted to meet Galen's gaze with haunted eyes. Sweat beaded his forehead and upper lip. "I wish that's all it was."
"What is it, Pete?" asked Alan, concerned.
Pete opened his mouth, then shut it. He looked at them both briefly, then turned his head. "Like Galen said. a nightmare."
"That's not acceptable, Pete. No more hiding." Galen winced at the look in Burke's dark eyes as they moved slowly to his, considering.
"No, this hovering over me isn't acceptable," he said in a low voice. He sighed and lowered his head across his arms, propped on his knees.
The fog shifting and swirling in Pete and through him was cold and gray. It numbed him, separated him from his emotions, emotions that had taken on shapes he no longer recognized and was terrified to face.
But face them he would. Before he risked his life again, or theirs, or ruined any chances of freedom they still had.
Or destroyed the friendship they shared.
"I was going back," he said, voice muffled. There was a stunned silence. Slowly he raised red-rimmed eyes to meet Alan's. "To her. Understand?" A chill ran down Alan's spine at the raw pain he saw there.
"Oh God, Pete," said Alan. He looked away, shutting his eyes briefly.
"Why, Pete?" whispered Galen. "Why couldn't you tell us?" His sober brown gaze searched the astronaut's eyes.
"I lied to myself, to her. I'd only known her a few days. I wasn't going to let some infatuation control me. Now it's too late," said Burke. His long fingers rubbed his eyes. "She'll never know."
"I'm so sorry. I wish to God there was something." Alan started, deep voice soft.
Burke swiped at his nose and stared down at the ground. There was a long silence before he spoke, clearing his throat in attempted nonchalance. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, Al..."
"Anything, Pete. You name it."
"It's just a question. How the hell did you get away from the apes the day of the demonstration?"
Alan looked at him a moment and sighed. "I really don't want to tell you this."
Burke turned, surprised, towards Alan. "Why not?"
"I'll regret this. I should just make up something," he replied, disgruntled.
"C'mon, Al," Burke said curiously, Galen chiming in behind him.
"All right. Here goes." Alan took a deep breath. " I.. I hid."
"Yeah? No kiddin'," snapped Burke. Galen waited patiently, gazing at Alan.
"In a pile of garbage," Alan mumbled with his face turned away.
Burke put a hand behind his ear. "Where? What was that?" His dull eyes began to liven.
"I SAID IN A PILE OF GARBAGE," Alan said loudly.
"Those big piles in the alleyways?" Alan nodded. "Man, that must have been rough. Phew." Burke shook his head and smirked. Galen smiled. "What'd you do, just dive right in?" Alan nodded again, chagrined. "Hey, you know, I threw up on one of those piles. Maybe I threw up on you. I could have sworn that stack of garbage moved. figured I was hallucinating. You weren't hiding behind Market Square, were you?" Alan shot him a look, brows lowered. Galen chuckled. "Come to think of it, when you rode to the rescue there at Urko's, you did smell pretty ripe. I didn't want to say anything, buddy. didn't want to be indelicate."
Alan snorted. "You, indelicate? It'll never happen." Burke continued to rib him. Alan said, voice even, "You're pissing me off, Major."
The corner of Burke's mouth lifted. "Didn't you know? There are majors in hell, too. Pissing off the colonels."
Galen frowned. "Pissing off? That's disgusting." He shook his head. "I will never understand you two." He cocked his head sideways, considering. "You know.. I don't believe it's worth the effort."
Virdon patted Galen's back, and Burke smiled.
---------------------------
Two months later: The weather was pleasant in Central City. The sky was bright blue, and a freshening breeze blew in and around the stone buildings as a crowd of students gathered at the Commerce Plaza. A young chimp stepped forward to speak, holding his hands out for silence over the murmuring crowd.
The day before, in a dismal back street, a body was discovered. A chimp, shot once in the forehead. The wound was small upon entry, but the back half of the simian's head was blown away. He lay crumpled, black clothes ruffled in the lonesome wind. His gray eyes stared upwards, surprised, as the sun rose high over the city.
An unheeded warning echoed in his mind, one of the chimp's last sorrowing thoughts: It's too late for your bargains. It won't work even if you get to Zaius before I put a bullet in you.
Zaius, who would protect the secrets of mankind's legacy. No matter the cost.
Opening his eyes, the chimp struggled against the swift descent into blackness. His spirit fled before the shrinking corridors of his mind.
Shortly after noon on the day of his death, his body was discovered. Instantly a great clamor arose within the city. Another ape killed, within months of the other.
The next day, regardless of consequences, Gathor stood upon the steps of the Commerce Plaza intending a resurrection of a sort.
A new day had dawned on the planet of the apes.
~The End~
