A's/N: Yay, I finally finished this chapter! :D I had a little writer's block as I wrote this, so it took a little while to finish it...Though I have to admit, I've been updating this story once a week since I started it, which is better than my usual update habits. XD Also! This is the first of my stories to ever get TEN REVIEWS! :D (that may seem like nothing to those of you who get up to eighty or a hundred reviews but for me, that's huge!) Thanks, guys! I hope to get more as I continue this story! =D
Little warning here! There will be some gore and some minor cursing in this chapter-consider it an early Halloween scare!...You'll also get a few surprises, as well..;)
Enjoy the chapter!
"Don't you look at me like that! I know you did it!"
Koba ignored Dreyfus and just kept frowning at him.
"Admit it! You spat in my coffee!"
"Human! Lie!" Koba didn't know what this 'coffee' stuff was, but he sure didn't spit in it!
"No! You lie!" The human's face was turning pink with anger. "Filthy monkey!"
Now it was Koba's turn to be angry. "Filthy human!"
They've been doing this all morning. Dreyfus accusing Koba of various things, and Koba deliberately getting him mad. Blue Eyes watched them from the corner of the room with tired eyes. Waiting for them to either stop or start fighting physically. The young prince knew he probably should intervene or do something other than sitting quietly and do nothing, but he was so tired from having little sleep and getting up early, that as long as neither of them had a gun or a weapon, he didn't care what they did.
However, the argument was becoming annoying as Dreyfus and Koba's voices echoed throughout the near empty building.
Then, a new voice broke in. "Nice to see you found your match, Doofus." Tori stood in the doorway of the room. Her eyes glaring at the human and the scarred bonobo.
Dreyfus seemed angrier when he saw her. "Stay out of this, Victoria! This doesn't concern you!"
Tori defiantly walked over to them. "You're not the boss of me." She said once she was standing with the two. "And seriously, stop the propaganda talk already."
"This damn animal spat in my coffee!"
"Yeah well, maybe you deserved it." Tori frowned at him in annoyance. "When are you going to get it through your tiny brain that the apes are no different than we are?"
Tori made the mistake of glancing at Koba, who growled at her. Still distrustful of her, no doubt. But even the snarl of the scarred ape didn't phase the pink haired human. "Asking for round two, Smiles?" She asked sarcastically.
If it wasn't for Dreyfus and Blue Eyes being there, Koba probably would have strangled her. "Humans dangerous…Humans should die!" In his mind, this female human had become the new Jacobs. He could almost see him in her eyes. All his hatred towards the humans, all the hatred he felt in the last few days, had suddenly been focused on this human, who he barely even knew.
Tori was either genuinely unaware of Koba's rage, or she just didn't care. "You don't scare me."
Blue Eyes gulped, hoping Koba wouldn't do anything. Though he had to admit, he was impressed by Tori's boldness and being so outspoken towards Koba. Especially since the scarred bonobo had tried to attack her the previous day, and she could still look him in the eye with no fear…But he hoped she'd back off before Koba gets too mad.
Just then, Grey, Stone, and Foster appeared. "Hey, guys! Come on, we found something!" Foster's voice had a strange edge to it. Like he wasn't sure about something.
"What is it?" Dreyfus asked, relieved for a new subject. Despite it not being good.
"A dead body," Foster replies as the two humans and apes followed him and Grey and Stone out of the building. "Only...I don't know how to explain it."
Blue Eyes and Koba followed behind with Grey and Stone. "What's going on?" Koba asked.
"What human said. Dead ape and human found. Not ours though." Stone looked disturbed as he answered.
"Something else." Grey looked just as disturbed. "You two need to see this."
Koba and Blue Eyes just looked at each other. Why did they suddenly have a bad feeling about this?
The body, if one could even call it that, was just feet away from the city. Blue Eyes and Koba immediately realized what Stone and Grey meant when they saw it. The body was a human, but it had a chimps face, arms and legs stitched to it and various patches of ape skin had been sown on the human's flesh.
It looked like a grotesque rag doll.
As if the body itself wasn't bad enough, written in red spray paint read: 'One in the same'.
The sight of the dead body grossed out Grey, as he looked away from it. Kempt refused to go near it. It seemed like the only ones that could look at the body without feeling sick was Tori, Ellie, Derek, Koba, Blue Eyes, and Luca.
"Tell me those two were already dead when this happened." Said Malcolm, who was looking away from the corpse.
Ellie was examining the stitched body. "They may have died yesterday, I don't think they've been dead longer than twenty-four hours."
"What the hell is wrong with these people?!" Burst Dreyfus. "Why the in the world would they do this?!"
"Could be to scare us, or to taunt us," said Derek, who had been silent since they discovered the body. "It certainly speaks to how they see apes and other humans."
"Very bad humans." Signed Rocket to Maurice, who nodded in agreement.
"They kill humans and apes...They don't care who they kill." Added Luca.
Koba and Blue Eyes were the only apes who didn't say anything. They just kept staring at the mutilated corpse in mute horror. What if that dead ape was Caesar? Or Dolly? Or Lake? Or even Pope? What if the dead human was Malcolm's son?
They stole a glance to each other, seemingly asking each other the same question. Could this be the fate of Blue Eyes father and Koba's sister? To be killed and ripped apart and stitched together with a dead human? The very thought genuinely scared them.
In fact, just thinking of his father like that made Blue Eyes feel nauseous. Koba felt it too, and neither ape dared to look back at the corpse.
If it wasn't for what happened next, the two of them probably would have left...
"There's something in the throat." Said Tori.
Just hearing her voice made Koba wish it were her laying there. He turned his head to growl at her but stopped himself when he saw her eyes. Tori's usual brown eyes had turned black and were squinted into a focused glare. It was as if she were a hunter, stalking her prey.
Tori got closer to the corpse, Ellie handing her a latex glove as she opened the dead human's mouth. Then, Tori reached in…
"Victoria!" Dreyfus gasped in disgust. Malcolm shushed him, though he didn't seem to like seeing this either.
Morbid curiosity got the better of Blue Eyes and, despite his nausea, turned his head.
Thankfully, Tori didn't need to dig too deeply to find whatever it was that was lodged inside. Once she had it trapped between her fingers, she pulled it out. She froze.
The humans and apes could only stare in surprise. Dangling from Tori's fingers, coated with dried blood, was a key.
"What the heck?" Kempt walked over and took the Key from Tori. "What is this? Coraline? What's next? A white rabbit and a hole?" Despite being very close to the body, his eyes were focused on the small, metal object.
"Be serious, Kempt." Said Tori, clearly unamused by his rant.
"Why would they hide a key inside of a dead body?" Asked Malcolm.
"Why would anyone?" Said Foster. "I'm telling you guys, there's something screwy about these people."
Blue Eyes hardly paid any attention as the others talked, the nausea was beginning to weigh itself on him. He felt as if his stomach were filled with warm water that splashed his insides every time he moved. If that didn't make him sick enough, he felt a strange feeling in his throat…As if something was stuck inside of it…Or worse, crawling out of it.
"Blue Eyes?"
The teenager looked at the scarred bonobo, keeping his mouth shut. He suddenly felt worried that if he tried to speak, something other than words would come out.
Koba saw the look on Blue Eyes face. He understood why the corpse was a little too much to take in. Even for a prince.
"Go to your mother." He signed to him.
Blue Eyes bit his lip. "But what about the key? And you and the council?" He really did want to stay and help them figure out where that key went to and find his friend and father.
But at the same time, Blue Eyes didn't want to stick around and possibly vomit in front of everyone.
"We'll take care of it. Just go and take a break."
Reluctantly, Blue Eyes gave a nod and left. Koba glanced back at the corpse one last time.
How could he stand it? He wondered. Blue Eyes has never seen an ape get killed by something other than a bear before, but Koba had seen plenty of apes get hurt by the hands of humans. He and his sister were almost used to it. However this was a new low for the humans, and it honestly frightened Koba just as much as it angered him.
"Wait a second," Dreyfus said. Koba looked back up and realized the human now held the key. His eyes taking in every detail from behind his glasses.
Dreyfus then carefully scraped the blood off of the key. "I think I know where this key goes."
Despite the nausea, nothing came out of his mouth. Relieved by this, Blue Eyes just stayed sitting on the ground and drank water from the river. Trying to calm down and erase the image of the corpse from his mind.
The familiar smell of pine trees filled his lungs. This was the closest river to the city he could find and even though he still felt wary of the forest, it felt good to be back home. Maybe this was what I needed.
When he finished drinking the water, Blue Eyes saw his reflection in the water. He stared at himself, from the eyes that gave him his name, to the still healing scars that danced across his shoulder and chest.
He looked the same, but he didn't feel like himself. He felt like the face in the water belonged to someone else, like he was a shell of his old self.
Why? He wondered. Is it because of the corpse? No. The dead chimp and human wasn't what scared him...At least, not entirely...Blue Eyes slowly became aware of a fear he has had since the second he saw his father get taken away by the helicopter. Though he was positive most, if not all, of the other apes had the same fears, he didn't dare let himself think about it but now, he knew he couldn't deny it.
What if he and the Ape Council and the humans are too late to save them all?…What if his father and the others are already dead?...
Blue Eyes bit his lip but didn't fight the thought from entering his mind. He thought about all the people that were kidnapped. His father, his honorary aunt Dolly, his best friend, Ash, his beloved Lake, Lucky, Andy, Pope, Red, Winter, Alex, Pinto, Pepper…Did their loved ones even get a chance to say goodbye?...To give them one last hug?...To tell them they loved them?...
A lump formed in his throat…He didn't do that…He never even got to reconnect with his father...
Suddenly, he heard a twig crack and Blue Eyes whirled around. Ready to pounce at whatever it was that dared to come near him.
But when he saw it was just his mother, the teenager immediately ran to her and hugged her. Letting his tears run down his face as she returned the hug.
Cornelia said nothing as she held him, knowing exactly why he was crying. She knew because she had cried the same tears as the colony slept. Her own fears were intensified by the fact that Blue Eyes was with the Ape Council, trying to find Caesar and the others. What if he was taken away too?
When Blue Eyes calmed down enough, he started signing. "What if they're all dead, mother? What if we never see father again?" He asked. "What then?"
It was the very question that Cornelia had been asking herself all night long. If her Caesar was truly gone, what would that mean for her children? What would Koba do without his twin sister? What would happen if Ash and all the others died? She knew the bleak answer but didn't have the heart to speak it.
Instead, she said: "They may die, but they'll never leave us." Blue Eyes raised an eyebrow as she continued. "When apes die, their memory lives on. If your father dies, you won't see him again but he'll always be with you." She then placed her hand on her son's heart.
"Right here." She spoke.
Blue Eyes put his hand over his mother's. He thought of his father with every beat his heart made. He smiled at the idea.
Until a more troubling thought entered his mind.
"What about Red and Pope? And Koba and Russell?" He asked. "Dolly is all Koba has, and Winter's mother is already dead. I don't even know if Red and Pope have any family." Russell, Winter's father, was one of the gorilla's in the Gorilla Guard. Winter was his only child and Russell loved him dearly, and always told the white gorilla that.
Dolly, meanwhile, was the only one in the entire colony that could reason with Koba. As his twin sister, she probably knew more about the scarred bonobo than anyone else did. She may also be the only person Koba has ever truly trusted.
He didn't even want to think about what would happen to Russell and Koba if Winter or Dolly were killed.
Blue Eyes also didn't want to believe that Red and Pope were truly alone in the colony but, as far as he knew, neither of them had any relatives. Just a bunch of fellow gorillas and accountancies that Blue Eyes wondered would even mourn for them if they died.
Cornelia was silent now. Carefully thinking about how to answer that. "I like to think that when apes die, they all go to the same place." She finally said. "If Red and Pope die, they'll be reunited with their lost loved ones. Same with Dolly and Winter, and Koba and Russell would follow after them."
Blue Eyes doubted that could happen, but the thought was comforting. He could easily imagine his father, being surrounded by ancestors and family long dead. Welcoming him with open arms and telling him that they've been waiting for him. Same with all the others, if they died too.
But Blue Eyes had a feeling he shouldn't tell Koba or Russell what his mother said. He suddenly felt worried that if they had the same idea as Cornelia, and Dolly or Winter died, one or both of them may become suicidal.
"Where are we going?"
"I'll tell you when we get there, just keep driving!"
Malcolm drove the car that Dreyfus, Ellie, Kempt, and Tori were in, and Derek drove the one that was behind them. While Grey, Stone, and Rocket were riding in the car, Maurice, Luca, and Koba were following the two vehicles. Climbing over houses and trees as they went.
"How can I drive us there if you won't even tell me where I'm going?" Malcolm was really confused. Did Dreyfus want them to get lost or something?
"You're not making any sense here, Doofus." Added Tori.
"Just shut up and-Stop!"
Malcolm slammed the breaks and the car stopped so suddenly, that everyone in the car slammed into their seats. It was only by good luck that Derek didn't crash into them.
Maurice, Koba, and Luca watched the two cars from above. What were the humans doing? Were they lost? The three of them certainly felt like they were. The buildings all looked the same, and the green plants everywhere made it hard to tell which direction they came from.
The humans got out of the car, Rocket, Grey, and Stone jumping out eagerly. "We're here." Said Dreyfus.
Rocket hooted, motioning for the other three apes to join them on the ground and in seconds, Koba, Luca, and Maurice were with them.
The house in front of them was nearly buried in weeds and vines, obviously abandoned by its previous owner. Though it was hard to tell from the ground because of the trees, the apes could clearly see a very familiar symbol on the window.
"The police department use to get tones of complaints from the guy that lived next-door to this house. Nothing major, just a bunch of domestic disturbances. But the guy that lived here had a father who had Alzheimer's and one time, we searched the house for any guns-we didn't find any, but I remember they had a basement." Dreyfus was in that 'act now, talk later' mode.
"Why would that matter?" Asked Malcolm.
Dreyfus looked annoyed. "There was only TWO rooms in this house that required a key. The front door, and the basement. And the basement key had this exact design on it." He showed them the key.
With the blood off, the group could clearly see it's design…Something only Maurice and Koba recognized but never understood it's meaning, and something all the humans knew very well. Though the design was chipped and faded, the silhouette was unmistakable.
"Why would anyone use a Hello Kitty key?!"
"Duh, to make it obvious!" Kempt answered Foster.
"That basement had only one key," Dreyfus added. "And Will was the only man I've ever seen use a key with Hello Kitty on it."
Ellie blinked. "His name was Will?" She asked.
While the humans had that conversation, the apes talked to each other in sign language. "Hello Kitty?" Asked Grey.
"It's something young human females often like. There use to be tons of them at the circus I was in." Signed Maurice.
"I think Dolly wore that bow once." Said Koba, his face frowning as he tried to recall the memory. "I don't remember when though."
Luca, Maurice, Grey, Stone, and Rocket looked at the scarred bonobo. Humans made Dolly wear that bow? The suddenly couldn't help but picture Koba wearing that Hello Kitty bow and chuckled quietly at the thought.
"Anyways, if we're going in there, I'm staying outside." Said Kempt.
"But what if we need you?" Asked Ellie.
"I don't care, I'm not going in there if there's another dead body inside."
"I highly doubt there'd be another dead body in there." Said, Malcolm.
Foster glanced at Kempt, then at the other humans. "I think I'll stay out here with him, I feel a little weird about going in there anyways." He said.
"Fine, stay out here." Dreyfus spat. He turned to the apes. "C'mon monkeys." He said. Clearly ignoring the fact that they were apes.
Derek looked at him. "Dreyfus, please be nicer to them." He said, earning an eye roll from the mayor.
Luckily, the apes ignored Dreyfus and his insult. "Luca, keep watch." Said, Maurice. Luca nodded in reply.
"I'll stay out too." Signed Stone. This surprised Rocket, Luca, and Maurice but Koba just look bored and Grey looked sympathetic.
"Why?" Asked Rocket.
"I'm scared of spiders." Admitted Stone.
What? He had to be joking. How could Stone, a soldier of the Ape Army, be afraid of spiders?
Seeing the looks on their faces, Koba chimed in. "He's not joking. I've seen him around spiders. Three words: run away screaming."
Well, that changes things. Though there was no telling what they'd find in that basement, they definitely didn't need Stone running around screaming over a spider. "Ok." Said Maurice, turning to Stone. "You stay with Luca."
"I stay too." Said Grey. Earning him a few surprised looks from the others.
"Are you afraid of spiders too?" Asked Rocket.
"No, dark places."
Luca, Rocket, and Maurice looked from Grey to each other. Then back at him. "Grey, it's daytime and we're always in darkness at night." Luca pointed out.
"Not that kind of darkness!" Said Grey. "I mean the kind of darkness that comes with caves."
"let him stay out too." Said, Koba.
"Why? Same thing?" Asked Luca.
"Yes, only he tends to bang into things as he runs and screams."
Rocket walked over to the scarred bonobo. "How do you know this stuff about them?" He asked.
Koba huffed. "Most of the time, I'm with Dolly or Pope but when I'm not, I'm with these two clowns. That's how I know." It genuinely both annoyed and amused Koba that the only two apes who truly knew how deep his hatred went, and knew of his attempt to murder Caesar, happened to be afraid of spiders and dark caves.
"We're not clowns!" Stone protested.
"Then what do you call the one time that spider landed on your head and you ran away screaming and banged into Grey, who fell into that pit that led to an underground cave and him running out screaming and scaring Winter, who in turn scared all the young ones?" That honestly had to be the dumbest thing Grey and Stone had ever done. It was only a miracle no one was actually hurt when all that happened.
The two chimps looked at each other, defeated by Koba's argument. "Ok, fine. We're clowns." Said Grey grudgingly.
"Monkeys! Hey!" Dreyfus was practically fuming.
"Shut up! Human!" Koba yelled back.
"Maybe we should go inside now." Said, Maurice.
Rocket and Koba said nothing, but followed Maurice inside the house, where Tori, Dreyfus, Derek, Ellie, and Malcolm were.
The house was even spookier on the inside than it was on the outside. Old and faded pictures hung crookedly on the walls, the rugs and curtains were old and caked in dust, the floor creaked whenever someone stepped on it, and the furniture had holes and tears in its fabric. If this was someone's home at one point, it obviously wasn't anymore.
The light from the windows provided some relief from the darkness, but it felt like the rooms had been in the dark for so long that even with light everywhere, there were still some lingering shadows.
It didn't take Dreyfus long to find the basement door, it was right next to the staircase. The key fit into the wall but, when Dreyfus attempted to open the door, he realized it was jammed.
"Shit." He muttered.
"There must be another way in somewhere." Said, Malcolm.
Before Dreyfus could answer, a sudden and loud crash rang through the house, startling everyone. The humans looked around, trying to figure out where that noise came from. Then, they noticed Koba and Rocket looking down at the floor with surprised faces.
One ape was missing.
"Where's Maurice?" Asked Derek.
"Down. There." Koba answered half-heartedly.
Sure enough, a big hole was in the floor. Upon closer inspection, the humans realized the wooden floor around the hole was weak and brittle. Possibly due to neglect. Maurice must have been standing on the dead floor and it collapsed, causing him to fall in.
Despite his sudden fall, Maurice didn't look hurt. He was looking up at the humans and two apes from down below. He appeared to have landed into a dark, cemented room. Even from up above, they could all see the dust on the floor where the orangutan stood.
"I think he just found the basement." Said Ellie.
"And a way in." Added Malcolm.
Dreyfus looked disgusted. "You can't be serious."
"Works for me." Said Tori. She then jumped into the hole and landed next to Maurice.
Rocket and Koba followed, then Ellie and Malcolm. Derek eased his way in. Dreyfus, reluctantly, went last.
If the house was creepy, the basement looked like it could easily be haunted. The ceiling was covered in cobwebs that extended to the cracked walls, the floor was uneven, the light bulb the hung on the wall was broken and appeared to have been reclaimed by a spider web. It was small, big enough to hold an orangutan, a chimp, a bonobo, and five humans, but probably not big enough to hold more than ten people.
Aside from the water heater, which stood next to the broken stairs to the far right, and the two boxes in the left corner that read 'Halloween/Thanksgiving' and 'X-mas', the basement appeared to be empty…Except for one thing...
The desk was against the wall on the right. It was old and ugly looking like it's sole purpose was to be in the underground room. On it stood a laptop, which was strange considering that most people took all their electronics with them when they fled during the virus pandemic.
Malcolm walked over to the laptop and turned it on, surprised to find that it worked. He put his finger on the laptop mouse and looked through its history and files. Nothing, the computer was completely empty. Either deleted or was simply not used.
The other's watched, unsure of what to do or what would happen next. Rocket and Maurice watched intently, fascinated by this strange, new object and curious about it. Koba ignored all of them, uninterested. All the labs he had been in had these things, they really weren't anything special.
Malcolm stopped when he finally found something. A video. Nothing else, just one video.
He turned to look at the others as if silently asking to click on it. To his relief, they all seemed interested-except for the scarred bonobo, who just looked away from them entirely. Typical of him.
With that, he clicked play.
The screen filled with the image of a man sitting in front of the laptop. Due to the poor quality, the man's skin was practically white and his hair seemed black. His long face distorted by shadows.
"Caesar." Hearing the name surprised all of them. Even Koba turned and looked at the screen.
The man sounded upset like he was trying to compose himself. He sniffled and continued. "Caesar, if you're watching this, I want you to know I'm sorry…I'm sorry things had to turn out this way.." He rubbed his eyes, was he crying when he made this video? "..I hope you're happy in the forest...I hope you and all the other apes have everything you've ever wanted now.."
He was silent before continuing, possibly thinking about what to say next. "If...If you're not Caesar, my name is Will Rodman...If you don't know who I am, I'm..I'm the one that accidentally created the virus.."
All five humans changed when the man said those words. Ellie stiffened, Malcolm froze and Derek and Dreyfus became glued to the screen. Koba, Rocket, and Maurice watched as Tori's eyes turned black once again.
The three apes recognized the human now too. Maurice and Rocket now remembered that he was the human who left Caesar at the shelter and Koba realizes that this was the human who he attacked and tried to kill in the forest after the battle at the bridge….The last human who ever experimented on him and Dolly. His stomach burned with regret that he didn't kill him.
"I didn't mean to create the Simian Flu, all I wanted was to save my father and so many other sufferers of Alzheimer's," Will spoke once more. "I take full responsibility for the effects of the 113, the apes have nothing to do with it. If you want to blame anyone for it, blame me but leave them out of it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key, which looked better in the video than it did now.
"I left San Fransisco. Not because of the virus, but because of something else…There have been people going missing...Apes from out of town too...Everyone assumes the apes joined Caesar, and the missing humans are believed to have fled...That's not what happened...They were all kidnapped." He knows about the kidnappings?! "I know because I joined the people who have kidnapped them...I joined them so that I could protect Caesar and all the apes in the Muir Woods, but now I realize it's not just apes who need protection...I don't know what these people are up to, but they're enslaving all the apes they kidnap and all the humans are being held in cells.."
Cells? Slavery? What is he talking about? Why would anyone do that?
"We're going to the base soon. I don't know when we'll come back to San Fransisco, or if we ever will. But before I go, I wanted to leave something behind. I worked at Gen-sys and, before I left, I stole all the files of all the staff and scientists who ever worked at Gen-sys and all the files of all and every ape that was experimented on in the building. I have them in two, separate boxes, you'll find them under the desk." He held the key up.
"This is the key to the basement. I'm locking it up and taking it with me. If you ever get this, it means I'm alive and I'll help you stop these people. If you don't get it.." He paused. "..Then…Assume that I'm dead.." Will took another deep breath. He may have been crying, but his face was hard to make out because of the lighting. "If that's the case, then..I'm sorry I couldn't be of any more help...But if I'm still alive by the time you get this video...I promise I'll help in every way I can."
The last thing Will Rodman said before ending the video was: "I understand if you resent me for my actions. But please know that I'm your side. I'm not an enemy of the apes or to the human race. I'm a spy."
The video ended. Leaving a blank and empty screen, and a silent basement. The group stared at the laptop in disbelief. Shocked at what secrets it held.
When they finally broke out of their shock, Malcolm bent down and looked under the desk. Ellie, Maurice, Rocket, and Koba looked too.
Covered in dust and cobwebs, were two boxes. One had APES written on its front, and the other had STAFF.
It wasn't too hard to get the two boxes back to the building and into the File Room. It wasn't hard to get out of the basement either. And despite the confusing area, the Rodman house was in, going back to the city was pretty easy. The hard part turned out to be Kempt and Stone asking too many questions, Koba's grumpiness, and Dreyfus complaining.
"Doesn't Derek already have files?" Asked Kempt.
"Not these ones." Said Dreyfus. Who grudgingly glared at Derek, possibly annoyed with having to look over these files.
Derek didn't notice though. He was preoccupied with taking some of his existing files and comparing the names with the ones from the boxes Will left behind. "We need to compare these files with what we already have."
Ellie caught on to what he was saying. "Rule out any that belong to anyone confirmed dead."
"This is a waste of time! These are just records and backgrounds of idiot scientists and dimwitted animals!" Dreyfus argued. "Besides, we'll never get this done!"
Foster rolled his eyes. "Then we'll enlist help from the other survivors, I'm sure they'll be willing to help. If not, then we could just teach the apes how to read." He suggested.
Dreyfus snorted at him. "Do you really think these disgusting beasts could learn anything?"
"Do you really think you're better than them?" Tori shot back.
The apes tried not to let Dreyfus get to them. They just talked amongst each other about what they found. "How do we know the spy-Will, will help us?" Asked Luca.
"He sent us the key, isn't that enough proof?" Asked Rocket.
"He made that..video?...Many years ago..What if he's like them now?" There was a cautious look in Stone's eyes. He was genuinely worried about this spy turning against them.
Maurice put a comforting hand on the chimp. "Don't worry, Stone. If Will truly loved Caesar as his son, then he wouldn't have changed at all."
The only ape that didn't sign with the others was Koba. The scarred bonobo was sitting by himself in the corner. Glaring at the humans with disdain.
Those files…One of them was his…And another was Dolly's…He didn't know which ones, but he knew they were in one of those boxes. He also didn't know exactly what was in them but, based on what Derek and the humans said, he had a pretty good idea of what it was. The thought of these humans finding out what Jacobs, and other humans, had done to him in the labs made him wish he had that gun back….He couldn't stand the possibility of anyone finding out how vulnerable he was deep down inside…
Derek noticed Koba's enraged face from across the room. The old human put the file he currently held down, and slowly approached the bonobo. He stopped a good few feet away from him and sat down on the ground so that he was at an equal eye-level to him.
"Are you ok, Koba?" He asked.
Koba snarled. How dare this human feign concern for him! ".Don't...Trust...Humans." He answered, reluctantly.
"I understand that." Derek kept his voice calm, knowing he had to be delicate. Just looking at him told Derek that Koba was on the verge of going on a rampage. "You have every right to not trust us, only you can decide that."
Derek couldn't help but let his eyes wander from Koba's blind eye to the scar on his face and the scar behind his ear. It didn't take much for him to figure out why the bonobo felt so much hatred towards the humans.
"But I promise you." He continued, keeping his gaze to Koba's. "Nothing in your file will be read without your permission. Neither will your sister's."
Koba blinked. Surprised by Derek's words. A humans promise is equal to a lie. He thought to himself. But Derek's voice was soft, like duckling feathers, and the sincerity in his eyes was real. Would Derek really allow him to keep his past hidden? Away from other humans and his fellow apes?
Despite his distrust, Koba felt the ends of his mouth slightly lift.
Derek returned the small, half smile. Knowing that he succeeded.
"Oh my god..!" Those three words changed the atmosphere of the room. Everyone froze and looked over to see who said them. Tori stood at the right side of the table, holding one of the files. Her brown eyes huge with surprise, as if what she was looking at, was something she didn't expect to see.
Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "..It's...My father.." She opened the file and picked up the picture.
The light from outside made the picture see-through…And even from where he was, Koba could clearly see the face...
Steven Jacobs.
Jacobs…Jacobs…Jacobs…..JACOBS…JACOBS!
The rage and the hatred filled Koba, faster and stronger than ever before. In his eyes, Tori transformed. The pink-haired female human suddenly became the grey-suited human male that Koba despised more than any human. His chest burned, his mind raced, his breathing became snarls…
..The urge to kill Tori rose...
Overwhelmed by his own emotions, Koba ran out of the room and out of the building, ignoring the humans shocked gasps.
"Koba?" Malcolm asked too late, as the door banged behind the scarred bonobo.
"What got into him?" Asked Ellie.
Tori placed her father's file and picture down and rushed over to Derek. "What happened?"
"I don't know." He answered. "He was agitated a minute ago, but only because his file may be in the boxes."
At that moment, both Derek and Tori put two and two together. If Koba came from Gen-sys, and Tori's father worked there, then...
"Oh god!" Tori ran out after the bonobo. "Smiles! Wait!"
"Victoria, are you crazy?!" Dreyfus yelled after her, rushing as he followed the younger human. Ellie, Malcolm, Derek, Foster, and Kempt rushed out too.
"Leave him!" Grey shouted as he chased after the humans.
"Let! Him! Calm! Down!" Stone added as he and Luca followed.
Rocket and Maurice looked at each other. If Tori and the other humans had any sense at all, they'd let Koba vent his rage in peace.
"This isn't going to end well, is it?" Asked Rocket.
"I think we both know it won't." Said, Maurice. Reluctantly, both apes followed.
Little did they know just how bad things were about to get.
A's/N: Yuuuuuuuuupppp looks like Koba and Tori are about to go head to head! The next chapters are going to be mostly based around those two, so get use to them!
And yes, I added Will Rodman to the story! :D Honestly, I was sort of disappointed that he was never seen/heard from/mentioned again since Rise (except for that cute home video in Dawn). When I saw War, I thought I saw him but realized it was Preacher. DX Seriously though, what the heck happened to Will and Caroline?
As you know, Winter is part of the story and I wanted his father to have a minor role, and since he doesn't appear to have a name (as far as I know) I gave him one. XD And yes, I know Grey and Stone probably aren't like that in the movies and books, but I still wanted to add a little humor to them-same with Kempt. You may see this happen a lot in the story.
I have one question for you readers...Does that dead body scene qualify this story for an M rating? I doubt it would since that's the only really gore-gore scene in the story, but I don't want to get in trouble for a wrong rating. If I should change the rating from a T to an M, please let me know and thanks!
Just letting you guys know, this may be the last of my weekly updates for a while. Next week is going to be complicated for me and I need a little mental break to figure out where this story is going to go. XD I'll try and update it as soon as I can.
Thanks for reading and please review! And Happy Halloween everyone! :D