CHAPTER THREE

ARREST

Pete's eyes were darting over the area in spite of the fact that he was well aware that there wasn't a whole lot to see. It was a vacant area, where they wouldn't run the risk of "infecting" anything belonging to the apes with the disease of humanity. It had once been a horse pen. Now it was a crumbling fence around a beat-down area, with an equally rotted out canopy shelter in one corner. Not what he'd call a five star hotel...

But there were bigger issues to be discussed than how large the cockroaches got at this particular bed and breakfast. "Did he tell you anything useful?" Alan's voice was urgent. He looked like he was about ready to snap. It must have been sheer torture for him to walk through the city streets, a mere two paces behind Galen, and not voice his questions until they were safely out of earshot.

Galen flashed his two friends a smile, but then frowned. "Well, I found out that there were five of them." Pete watched, silent, not getting his hopes up yet. "Two were found dead. The other three are being held in the jail with every available guard guarding them."

"Three out of five," Alan repeated, lowering his head and looking away. He looked devastated.

"Still a pretty good chance, Alan," Pete mumbled, eyes locked on his friend. "You figure at least three of those five had to be qualified to fly it."

"Well, the prefect wants them gone as soon as possible," Galen continued. "And it'll be seven more days until Urko arrives." He sighed, and offered an apologetic look at his friends. "We aren't welcome for even that long because of my two servants."

"Yeah, and those eight days are assuming that Urko takes his sweet time," Pete sighed, raising his hand to his mouth and chewing on his thumbnail as he stared at the dirt.

"How many guards in all?" Alan asked.

"I don't know." Galen shook his head. "He didn't say a certain number. Just all of them."

Pete managed a half-hearted shrug. "Well, the city's not that big," he offered. "All the officers they've got can't be as many as we've faced in Central City..."

Galen nodded. "Good point." He reconsidered almost as soon as he'd spoken. "But we'll need to be able to get away from here quickly."

"And get the survivors out quickly, too." Alan made sure that they were included.

Galen nodded, quiet, affirming noises forming in the back of his throat. Pete stared for a long moment at the ground, still chewing his thumbnail. "Okay," he started. "So we need to be in and out in, what, thirty seconds?"

"You need to be in, and out, before any gorillas start shooting at you," Galen said conclusively.

"Probably thirty seconds," Alan confirmed. "Forty-five would be pushing it."

"Got a grenade?" It was a joke, but Pete was well aware that it wasn't all that funny. Even he didn't smile.

Galen tipped his head. "What's a grenade?"

"That thing we used to get you out," Pete mumbled, half-heartedly.

"Oh." Galen glanced at Alan and did a double take. His friend was pacing, head down, arms across. Galen's eyes followed him, back and forth, back and forth... Finally, Galen turned to face him fully. "Alan?" He looked up at the sound of his name. "Alan, would you please stop pacing back and forth? You're making me uneasy just watching you..."

"Sorry."

The blonde man propped himself up against a rail. Galen's eyes remained on him for a moment, then turned to Pete just as he dropped his hand. "Look, we were in and out of Central City's jail, with Galen in thirty seconds easy. Before Urko could run from the next room." He glanced back and forth between the two of them. "There's no reason we can't get in, grab them, and get out, if we know who's got the keys. 'Cause best I can tell, we're gonna need 'em."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Alan mumbled.

"Knowing who has the keys, and being able to get them are two completely separate things," Galen reminded.

"Yeah, but it's kinda hard to get 'em if we don't know where they are..." Pete answered.

Alan's eyes fixed on the ape standing between them. "Galen, you've got to get into that jail," he stated. "We need to know what it looks like, how to get in and out quickly. A... layout of the place."

"And who's in charge," Pete added.

Galen shook his head. "I thought you would want me to attempt as much," he answered. "But I can't get near the jail. The prefect won't allow it."

"Oh, come on Galen..." Alan shot back, disbelieving. "There's gotta..."

"Don't 'come on Galen' me," the chimpanzee cried. "I am telling you there is no way I will be..."

"Well then we need another way in," Pete interrupted. He looked to Alan. "I don't think either one of us would have a hard time getting ourselves thrown in jail."

Galen's eyes widened. "Oh no. No no no..."

Pete ignored him. "I'll go in, check it out, find out where the keys and the prisoners and the exits are... you come in and I'll relay everything and we'll be out quick. Easy." It wasn't easy. He knew it. But he wasn't ready to let it go yet. If Galen couldn't get inside, it was their only way to check it out.

"We won't have the luxury of communication back and forth while you're in there," Alan stated.

"So we'll only get one shot," Pete inferred. "How's that different from any other plan we've ever had?"

Galen's jaw was dropped as the two humans discussed their plans as if he was not even standing there in their midst. "Now wait just a minute!" he broke in, feeling his frustrations mount as they both stopped, and turned to look at him. "And if this plan of your fails just who is going to get you out of that jail?" The both of them stared back at him with expressionless faces. "What if they capture you both in this crazy attempt; I have no authority here! The prefect won't even let me near the jail, and Urko will be here in a matter of days!"

Still, they stared. They stared in that way they did when they had already made up their minds, and nothing he said or did could convince them to see things from a different perspective. He'd seen that look several times, and he wasn't terribly fond of it. "Alan be reasonable!" he cried. "Urko is on his way; there will be no time if you're caught to get you out! You'll be gift wrapped and sent back to Central City and to Urko's firing squad!"

"Look, Galen, you got a better idea?" Pete asked calmly, his face still the emotionless expression of finality.

"No, of course I don't but you can't expect me to just go along with a plan that's almost sure to get you killed."

Alan turned, and crossed his arms loosely over his chest, watching Galen with a pathetic look on his face. Galen was determined... but these were the two humans who had dragged him back to a plague-ridden village by the string of his loyalty. They were also the two humans who had placed him on a flying machine and sent him jumping off the edge of a cliff. He knew he wouldn't win this argument any more than he had won either of those.

He also knew they were right. If they knew what they were walking into, it would minimize the risk when they actually made the move to break the survivors out of the jail. But even so... it seemed a terrible risk all the way around. In the attempt to break the survivors out, if anything went wrong, they could at least run and get out alive. But if Pete was in there with them... Galen sighed inwardly as he realized what he already knew. Alan wouldn't leave those people even if his life were in danger. It was likely Pete wouldn't, either. If something went wrong in any stage of this rescue, they were all going to die. It was that simple.

Galen hissed. "Oh... fine! Do it your way!"

"No, really, if you got a better idea, I want to hear it." Pete didn't want to just "do it his way". He wanted to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was the only way to do it, before he put all their necks on the chopping block. "He won't let you near that jail. And that kinda limits our options for how to get into it."

"We have to get into that jail any way we can." There was an urgency in Alan's voice that was unmistakable. "We can't just run in there blindly."

"There may not be a lot of gorillas here compared to Central City," Pete continued, "but I bet dollars to pesos they can still take the three of us out if it comes to that."

Galen sighed, and once again tried the voice of reason. "Maybe the prefect has a set of keys to the jail in his house. I could always try to take..." He stopped when he realized the looks he was receiving, and sighed. "Bad idea." He frowned deeply as he realized what he was saying. "But Pete, whether I get caught stealing keys or you get caught doing god-knows-what, we'll both end up in the jail! And I would certainly receive better treatment than you would."

Alan's arms crossed a little more firmly. "And if anything should go wrong, we would have no chance of reasoning our way out of it."

"And you think I would have a chance of getting him out?" Galen pointed at Pete.

"A chance, yes," Pete answered. "Not a guarantee."

"I don't like putting our lives on a chance!" Galen cried.

"Our lives are based on the ability or inability to get those people out of there," Alan explained. "If we're unable then anything else is a shot in the dark."

"Why don't you let me try and draw some of the gorillas away... and you can inspect the jail that way?"

Both of them gave him utterly pathetic looks in response. "Galen, how long do you think you're gonna be able to keep them away?" Pete demanded. "Long enough for us to search the jail and every guard in it for the one with the keys?"

"Or do you suggest we attempt a surprise attack?" Alan added. Pete shot him a look, but said nothing. He didn't need to. Alan already knew how stupid that idea was.

"Oh, now that would cause me to seriously question the intelligence I thought you so highly capable of."

"If we don't know what we're up against, we got no business runnin' in there," Pete agreed. "We might've done some surprise attacks in the past but we always knew who we were surprising..."

Silence descended on them. Galen looked at the sky, turning darker by the minute, and sighed. "The prefect will be wondering where I am," he mumbled. "Can't take too good of care of you."

Pete stared for a moment, then briefly raised his hand to his mouth again, chewing on his nail for another second. His mind was racing, and coherent thought was a bit out of his grasp. Alan cast a quick look to him, then back at Galen. "You'd better go," he sighed. "Pete and I will figure something out. Maybe it would best if you didn't know anyways."

The chimp sighed and shook his head. "If you say so..." He was resigned to whatever they decided. He knew they would indeed figure something out, and that he might not entirely approve of the outcome. Nevertheless, if the past was any indication, whether or not he approved, they may very well be right. Then again, all too many times, their fates had been left to chance.

He turned, and walked a few steps before Pete's voice stopped him. "Hey, Galen..." He glanced back over his shoulder and saw his friend's eyes locked on him. "You trust me?"

Galen blinked. What a strange thing to ask... He turned fully to face him and tipped his head to the side. "Of course I trust you; what kind of a question is that?"

Pete offered a smile - one that was completely forced, Galen could tell - and shook his head. For a long moment, the chimpanzee didn't move. Then, finally, he turned away, glancing back over his shoulder every few steps until he was a safe distance from the pen.

A human on a casual stroll through the streets of Pagon attracted the attention of every ape he passed. Pete was well aware of it. He could feel the eyes on him, and half expected to be stopped before he even reached the prefect's house. That expectation dimmed, though, with every ape who turned tail and ran at the sight of him. One would almost think they were afraid of him. Maybe it wasn't him, specifically. More likely, it was the disease of humans in general they feared...

Pete let the hostility build up his own mood, and slowly managed to put himself into the mind of the character he intended to play. It was only then that words began to come to him, and he realized what he intended to do and say when he arrived at the prefect's house.

He banged on the door with the side of his fist, and put his head down to shield his eyes from the morning sun. It was only a matter of seconds before the door swung open. "Good mo-" The prefect stopped short as he saw it was a human who had come to beat on his door. Over his shoulder, Pete caught a glimpse of Galen, rising from what looked to be a breakfast table.

"I need to see Master Helius," Pete stated firmly.

The ape was clearly shocked to hear such words come so boldly from a human. "Why, what manner of business do you a human have to make demands of an ape? How dare you!"

Pete shot the prefect an angry - but carefully measured - look, and turned his attention to "Helius" as he approached behind the prefect. Without wasting a moment, Pete straightened just a bit, and spoke boldly, just shy of directing anger specifically at Galen. "Master, you gave your word that we would leave here first thing in the morning and the sun is already high in the sky..." He let the statement hang in the air, waiting to see how Galen would play it.

Galen stared blankly, wishing he had been informed of the plan, whatever it was. Finally, he realized that his "servant" was waiting for a response, and he snapped out of his trance. "Trunt, it is not your place to question my authority." Galen -Helius - stepped forward. "Go back to where you are staying and don't bother me until I call you." He stood a bit straighter as he fell into character. "I should have you whipped for such insolence!"

"Trunt" was distinctly aware of the fact that those passed were slowing to watch the scene unfold. "But you gave your word!" he cried, still bold but nearing frantic in his tone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the prefect, already appalled that a human would walk to his house and bang on his door and now about to hyperventilate.

Helius lowered his voice to a hiss, making it perfectly clear that he was not intending to cause a scene. "It is not up to you when we leave," he stated firmly. "Now I told you to get back where you belong!"

"You allow your human to talk to you like this?" Prefect Volar demanded of Helius.

Helius turned and bowed apologetically. "No, sir, usually he is well behaved. But you know how humans are..." He turned and glared at the one standing at the front door.

"This matters a great deal to me!" Trunt stepped forward, easily intruding on both apes' personal space.

The prefect jumped back. "Helius, if you are not able to control your servant I will have him removed!"

"I want to go home!"

"This is an outrage!" Helius looked back and forth between the ape and the human, both yelling at him. "Now you see why we don't allow these beast in our village!"

Trunt backed off for long enough to give his master time to deal with the hysterical prefect. "Sir, I will take care of the problem immediately if you would just give me a little time."

"Time! What time do you think we have?"

Pete watched. To his own ears, his act didn't sound terribly convincing. But he didn't have to put on an Academy Award winning performance. All he had to do was stir the pot, and it looked as if it was starting to simmer quite nicely. He gave second thought to attacking the prefect, but decided that was more likely to get him shot than arrested.

"Don't worry, sir, I'll take care of it." Helius turned to him and straightened. "Come, Trunt, back we go." He stepped toward the door, preparing to lead his servant back to the corral. "I'll be right back. Sorry for this little... mistake."

"Mistake indeed!"

Trunt planted both feet firmly on the porch of the hut and blocked the path. "No."

Helius had no choice but to stop short. For just a moment, both apes blinked at him. "Are you telling me no?"

"I'm telling you I want to go home! And I am not going back to that cage while you sit and drink with the prefect!"

The prefect's jaw dropped. Trunt pressed forward, backing his master up a step, into the house. "You gave your word." The tone was blatantly threatening.

"You are going back to the corral now!" Helius threatened right back. He shot a concerned look at the prefect, then turned back. "Go!"

That look of concern was a card well-played. Pete knew it wasn't real concern. Galen wasn't stupid; he knew what was happening. But at the moment, he could only play along. Anything more or less would compromise his position.

It was down to the wire, and the prefect still hadn't called a guard. They could go on like this for another ten minutes, or Pete could take matters into his own hands. He chose the latter, and lunged forward, his hand immediately at Galen's belt.

"Aah!" Galen had known Pete was about to do something, but he certainly hadn't expected that! He fell backwards, trying to get out of the way and nearly falling over the prefect in the process.

"Guards! Help! Guards!"

"Stop! I order you to st-" Helius was cut short by the glint of a knife.

"Guards!" The prefect was not so incapacitated.

The prefect's loud cries triggered something in Pete, and the part of him that had still been only acting suddenly became lost in the role. The small part of his mind that had been wondering just how stupid he would have to be to pull a knife on his master, in a prefect's home, in a city of armed guards, and expect not to be arrested, was now lost in the fact that he'd just done it. Suddenly he realized he was holding a knife, a crime that was in and of itself punishable by death, and he was moreover holding it to his Master. Suddenly, he realized that if he ran... they were going to shoot him.

Galen watched him carefully, sharing a brief flicker of conversation that had been spoken before...

"You trust me?"

"Of course I trust you; what kind of a question is that?"

Suddenly, Pete's eyes changed color, becoming almost black. Suddenly, he'd spun around behind him, and had the knife pressed up against his throat. Galen gasped, eyes going wide in a split second of very real fear as years of firmly-ingrained teachings came to mind. You couldn't trust humans... They would turn on you in an instant... They would lie and cheat and steal and kill you when it was all said and done...

Stop that! he chastised himself. This is Burke you're talking about!

That reminder comforted him. He had known that all along. But the knee-jerk reaction had been long ago established. For that matter, Galen still wasn't entirely sure if Pete was still in control of his acting... or if the role had control of him. His trust wavered, but he didn't dare speak or move.

Pete felt Galen's tension and pulled the blade back just slightly. Instantly, Galen relaxed, just enough for Pete to notice. Outwardly, he still showed pure fear as two armed gorillas stormed in through the already-open door and did a double take. Certainly it was a scene they'd never witnessed before. They raised their guns.

"Don't shoot!" Galen cried, real fear setting in. Galen knew that Gorilla's didn't have the best aim. He didn't want Pete to be shot and he surely didn't want to be shot himself. "Please!" The guns were lowered again, just slightly. The soldiers were unable to shoot for as long as the human was hiding behind an ape.

The prefect stared at them, then at the human and Helius, then back again. "Don't just stand there, do something!" he yelled.

The guards looked at each other, raised their guns again, and lowered them again before turning to the prefect. "We can't shoot..." one of them stated, as if he didn't already know that. But they weren't sure what to do at this point.

The human stared at them, fear and horror written all over his face. Pete Burke could have thought of a thousand moves to make, but the human servant he was playing didn't have the slightest idea what to do next... The move wasn't his to make. He glanced around frantically, looking for an escape other than the one being guarded by the gorillas with the guns. But he already knew there was nothing. He was trapped.

"Well, do something... else!" The prefect was nearing the point of breakdown. Clearly, it was too much for him to handle: a human, in his home, attacking another ape. The gorillas looked back and forth at each other. If they shot, they could hit an ape. If they attacked, the human could kill the ape. Either way, they were out of options.

They had reached a standoff. Galen decided to take things into his own hands. He bent his arm, and shoved his elbow back into Pete's stomach. It wasn't enough force to really hurt, but it looked like it did. Certainly, it was enough force to give Pete the idea.

The human staggered back, his grip on the knife loosening as he doubled over, clutching his stomach. Instantly, the gorillas instantly had their guns raised again, and pointed directly at Pete, but shooting inside the prefect's house would only be at his command.

"No!" Helius quickly picked up the knife and grabbed his servant by the back of his shirt. "Don't shoot him. He is too expensive. He belongs to the High Council, not mine personally." It was the only lie he could come up with, but he doubted that any one would question the logic of it. They were all far too shook up.

Trunt allowed himself to be led by his master's grip, still gasping and nursing the horrible, excruciating pain of being elbowed in the stomach. One of the gorillas stepped closer, gun still aimed at Pete, and growled at him, gesturing with the rifle for him to move toward the door. The ape released his shirt, shoving him none-too-gently toward the door.

"Is there a place you can lock him up?" he asked Prefect Volar. The ape was now slouched in a nearby chair.

"Lock him up?" one of the gorillas cried. "I will have him executed immediately!"

"You most certainly will not!" Helius replied firmly, still rubbing his neck. "He is the property of the High Council and you will answer for any injury he sustains."

Pete continued nursing his imaginary pain, but his eyes darted back and forth. Immediate execution was not part of the plan. "But he has attacked an ape!" the gorilla protested. "That is absolutely..."

"... The High Council's problem to deal with," Helius cut him off.

Volar waved at them. "Ooh... shoot the beast already."

"No!" Helius protested, stepping forward. "If you shoot him, the High Council will have to train another servant and I guarantee you there will be personal consequences that you will suffer once Zaius speaks to Chief Urko about it!"

The mention of Urko made both gorillas straighten. Galen relaxed just slightly as he realized he had their attention. "Now, Urko will be here in a few days," he reminded them. "Send this disobedient servant back with him and you will be able to wash your hands of the whole messy business. Until then..." He turned to the human and pointed. "Lock him in your jail where he can cause us no more trouble. It would be a shame if one of you had to answer to the High Council for any injury he may attain..."

They looked to each other, then to the prefect. Volar waved at them. "I don't care what you do with him, just get him out of my house immediately!"

Pete straightened as the end of a gun hit him between the shoulder blades, and he was shoved none-too-gently through the door. He knew where he was headed. Pete was careful not to instantly recover, but he was even more careful not to stumble. He'd probably end up shot if he did. He walked on his own too feet, just slightly unsteady, as he was led out into the street and toward the jail. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a light-haired human on the rooftop of the house across from the prefect's. In an instant, he was gone, and Pete's attention returned to the task of walking and being injured.