A's/N: Hello everybody! Ready for a new chapter? XD
Sorry that I didn't update last week. Ya know those times in life when it's one thing after another and ya just have to go through the motions? Yeah, it was like that. Hopefully, I'll be able to return to my usual once a week updates again though, I have a particular chapter in mind that involves Christmas and I would like to get that one done next month...Course I have to get there first..
Anyways, enjoy the chapter!
Koba didn't stop running until he was deep into the empty city. By then, his mind was filled with a confusing blur of bad memories from the labs, the desire to kill all humans, and to top it all off, the face of Jacobs.
Jacobs is dead. You killed him.
I just saw him!
It was just a picture.
No! He was there!
She's not Jacobs. She's only his daughter. She doesn't even look like him.
His racing mind was giving him a headache. It was as if Koba was arguing with two people in his head. His rationality, and his own paranoia. But when he thought of Tori, he saw Jacobs. Sure she didn't inherit her father's looks, but he saw him in her nonetheless. Her eyes were his eyes. Koba put his hands over his ears, which were now ringing.
"Koba!"
His eyes snapped open when he heard her voice. How dare she speak his name! "Go! Away! Koba bellowed as he turned around.
Tori stood just mere feet away from him. She held no weapon, but Koba wished he still had the gun he stole days earlier. If he had it, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot her. She wasn't here to help at all! His paranoia had won the battle in his head. She want's to avenge her father!
The others were right behind her, though they were smart enough to keep a good distance from the two. None of them knew what to do, Tori was completely ignoring them and Koba was already beyond reasoning with. They could only watch helplessly as the scene unfolded.
Tori took slow breaths to stay calm, she didn't dare take another step toward the enraged ape. If Koba was indeed a victim of her father's experiments, then he's as unpredictable as a hurricane.
"I know he was a bad man, Koba, but he's gone. He can't hurt you anymore." Her voice shook as she spoke. Tori felt as if she were walking on eggshells..And in a way, she was.
Koba growled at her. How stupid did she think he was? Of course, he knew Jacobs was dead! He was the one that killed him!
"Koba! Not! Afraid of Jacobs!" He yelled. "Killed Jacobs! Jacobs dead!" The words were an attempt to remind himself that the human he hated so much and tortured him for so long was truly dead. Koba didn't realize he said them out loud until it was too late.
The humans all gasped in horror, while the apes cringed. Things are about to get ugly.
Tori took one step back, staring at Koba in mute shock. Did he really?! She knew her father had died in a helicopter that fell off the Golden Gate Bridge, but she thought it was an accident. She never thought an ape, let alone one of his experiments, had actually killed him.
"Wh-What?" Was he being serious?
But Koba was too far gone. His paranoia and rage had taken over him, consuming him. "Tori! Plan to kill Koba! Fight for Jacobs! Avenge Jacobs! Tori! Just as bad as Jacobs!"
Now Tori was mad. Her eyes slowly turned black with each accusing word Koba yelled, and her face twisting into a frown. She boldly walked closer to the scarred bonobo, no longer caring if she was calm or not.
She was now just a foot away from him. This close, Koba could smell salt water and sweat on her skin.
"You think I'm a monster too?!" Tori snapped. "I'm not the one who experimented on you! I didn't torture apes for no goddamn reason! I never abused anyone I loved! I didn't put money over lives!" With each word, came a bad memory of her own. From her father's ugly face to all the horrible things she and her mother ever went through because of him.
Her words took Koba by surprise for only a second. But his rage quickly took over. "Maybe not!" He admitted. "But! Are! Bad To the bone!"
"You don't know anything about me!" Tori was now yelling at him.
"You are human! You are his blood! That! Makes! You! A monster!" Koba yelled back.
"Well, at least I'm not a brainless lab rat like you!"
It was like time stopped when Tori said that. The humans froze, the apes became silent, the wind seemed to suddenly grow colder, and the air felt heavier. Koba's eyes widened with a new kind of rage. Tori's horrific words echoed in his mind. Lab rat?! Lab rat?! LAB RAT!? HOW DARE SHE CALL HIM THAT!
She's going to die for that!
Tori had just enough time to turn around and run before the now enraged bonobo lunged at her and chased her. He managed to grab both of her ponytails and yanked them as hard as he could. Tori retaliated by punching him in the face, right in his blind eye. Koba recoiled from the sudden blow, one hand covering the left side of his face.
She won't get away with this!
Thinking he was down, Tori charged at Koba. But, to her surprise, Koba used her own actions to his advantage and gave a punch of his own, knocking her to the ground. Tori landed on her side, blood running down her nose. Koba raised his hand again at her, but she kicked him in the stomach before he could hit her.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Ellie yelled, but her voice fell on deaf ears.
"We need to do something! He could seriously hurt her!" Said Kempt.
No one noticed Blue Eyes as he approached the Ape Council. Having finally recovered from his nausea, he had decided to return to the group…He was not expecting to find his honorary uncle and the pink-haired human fighting each other.
The prince walked over to Maurice and asked: "What's going on?"
"We just found out that Tori is the daughter of one of the humans who abused Koba. She tried to talk to him. It didn't work out well." The orangutan answered.
Stone kept looking away from the fighting, perhaps afraid he'll see one of them get killed. Grey, Rocket, and Luca were arguing about what to do. Maurice himself just wanted them to stop. Blue Eyes glanced back at the scene, unsure if he should be shocked at Koba's brutality or at how badly he and Tori were injuring each other.
What would Father do?
Koba wheezed as he felt his insides get punctured by Tori's foot. He staggered back, holding his tender abdomen. As angry as he was, Koba was genuinely surprised by how much that hurt.
As the scarred bonobo tried to catch his breath, Tori took the chance to try and run away. But Koba saw her get up and snarled. He again lunged at her, but this time, she didn't get away in time. He caught her and wrapped his hands around Tori's neck and started to squeeze. He was going to do it! He was going to kill her! Koba no longer cared that he didn't have a weapon, he wanted to strangle the life out of her.
"Victoria!"
"Koba, stop!"
"Someone get a gun! He's going to kill her!"
"Dreyfus, that's not helping!"
What would Father do?….What would I do?!
Tori could feel her throat closing as Koba's grip tightened around her neck. She knew she could die in his hands if she didn't do something, but Koba was beginning to squeeze to tightly, that she couldn't breathe. Is this really how it ends for me? She wondered as her eyes locked with Koba's. What did my father do to make you like this?
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
The voice was like thunder, loud enough that it woke Koba up from his rage. His grip loosened from Tori's throat, who looked just as surprised by the voice as he did.
The humans and apes looked around. Was it really..? The only person they knew who could bellow that word like that was Caesar…
But no, it wasn't the Ape King.
Blue Eyes stood there, chest heaving from the effort of yelling like that. Did he just do that? He sounded just like Caesar! If only Father was here.
Bang!
The noise was distant but loud enough for the humans and apes to hear it.
BANG!
That time it was louder, causing the group to look around. What's making that noise?
BANG! CRASH!
Koba, forgetting all about Tori, eyed all the buildings. Trying to locate where the loud noises were coming from. Once she knew she was safe from the bonobo's wrath, Tori got up and joined the other humans. She gingerly touched her neck, running her fingers on the red skin. She'll probably get bruises later, but at least she won't die today…
..Or would she?...
The building next to them was suddenly crashed into and started to collapse. The humans and apes ran to a safer distance. When they looked back, they were met with a confusing sight.
The thing that crashed into the building was a crane with a wrecking ball. The entire thing was camouflage painted, like military clothes. But on the side, in Greek style, the letters AO were written in white spray paint. The driver was hidden by the dirty window, but his silhouette was easy to make out.
Despite the possibility that the machine may not have been used in a long time, it crashed and destroyed buildings as if they were nothing and was moving faster than it was designed to. Was it modified somehow?
There was another crash. This time, it was caused by a bulldozer that was painted in the same fashion as the wrecking ball. The two machines were moving in the same direction the humans and apes just came from. It didn't look like there were any more, but the possibility was real all the same.
It took Malcolm a moment to realize where they were going. "They're heading to the quarantine area!"
"Why the hell would they-?"
"Isn't it obvious?! They're going to destroy it!"
"The ape colony and the survivors are there...Good god!"
With that, the humans and apes ran after the two machines, dodging any and all debris that rained down on them. Even Koba and Tori, abandoning their fight, followed.
"What's the plan?!" Yelled Dreyfus.
"Stop them!" Yelled Malcolm. "There should be a motor or gas tank or something that's allowing them to move-!" He ducked as a piece of concrete missed his head. "If-! If we could just turn them off, they'll stop moving!"
"How are we gonna do that?! They're moving faster than I could think!" Kempt shouted as he struggled to keep up with the others. He wasn't a very fast runner.
Blue Eyes kept staring at the wheels of the machines. How they pressed and grabbed into the ground and pulled the machines bodies forward. What if they..? "Traps!" He yelled. "Slow! Them down! Turn them off!"
It had to work. The humans and apes didn't have to say anything more, they knew what they had to do. The apes ran towards the buildings the machines weren't destroying and climbed on to the rooftops and continued to follow them. Still, on the ground, the humans ran in different directions, picking up and grabbing anything that could be used as a weapon.
Foster and Kempt found a barrel full of tar (possibly left over from past attempts to reclaim the city). Maybe this stuff could slow them down? Ellie found firecrackers, while Malcolm found matches. Tori, meanwhile, picked up a knife. It wasn't big, but it was sharp. Sharp enough to slash tires? Or at least, protect herself?
The ball that hang from the crane was now dangerously close to the apes, causing them to move faster. It was impossible to tell which one was scarier. The giant ball that could deliver death with one blow, or the claw that pushed buildings down like dominos. At that moment, Blue Eyes, Koba, Luca, Rocket, Grey, Stone, and Maurice were half trying to get ahead of the machines, half running for their lives.
Eventually, they had to jump to the building next to them. "What do we do?" Asked Rocket as he inhaled.
Blue Eyes glanced back at the crane. What if…What if that big ball couldn't move?...It looked like it could get stuck if something were to wrap around it.
"Get vines, ropes, wires. Anything that can wrap around that thing!" He signed.
Stone found something and held it up. "Like this thing?" It was a net.
Down on the ground, Ellie and Malcolm threw the now lit firecrackers at the bulldozer. Successfully getting a few inside the broken windows and in the wheels. The crackers exploded, causing smoke to spill out from the windows and around the machine. The driver insides gave a scream of shock and possible pain, but the sudden explosives didn't seem to cause much damage.
To their surprise, the driver jumped out of the machine. He wore ragged army fatigues and a helmet on his head. He pointed his gun directly at Ellie and Malcolm and started firing at them. As the couple ducked for cover, the shooter didn't notice Tori sneak up behind him with her knife until...
Slice!
Tori had jumped up at his back and slit his throat from ear to ear. The man was dead before he hit the ground. His blood now covered Tori's knife who promptly dropped it. Seemingly terrified of what she just did.
"Tori, you saved us." Said, Ellie, as she approached the younger woman. She placed her hand on Tori's shoulder, offering her some comfort.
Tori's brown eyes were locked onto the dead man who laid in front of her. She never killed anyone before, and never really wanted to either. It was hard to tell from the front, but on the back of the helmet was the words The REAL Mr. Clean written on it. "I know." Was all she could say.
She forced herself to look at Ellie and Malcolm. "Let's get that other A-hole." Tori hoped that the other driver would remain alive. She hoped they could hold him captive and question him. She doubted he'd be willing to tell them anything, but it's worth a try anyway.
In the short time they had, the apes were able to find two fishing nets and connect them. They also found several other pieces of rope, some vires and cable cords, and even some yarn. They tied them all up and then, Maurice, Luca, Rocket, and Stone made their way to the building across from the others.
Once there, Luca threw one eye of the net over to them while Maurice and Rocket held the other edge. Blue Eyes, Koba, and Grey caught the edge and held it tightly.
Figuring out what the apes were planning, Kempt, Foster, Derek, and Dreyfus brought the tar barrels under the buildings the apes were and emptied the black ooze onto the street.
First, the wrecking ball hit the net. The many cables, ropes, and wires wrapped around the crane and trapped it in a web and forcing the ball closer to the machine. When the crane moved, the ball swung and almost hit the machine itself.
Then, the tires got stuck into the tar. Maybe it was the result of the driver trying to get the large thing to move, or by the ball being so close, but the crane began to tip over and fell forward.
The apes joined the humans on the ground, all eyes were on the fallen machine. Malcolm held the gun that originally belonged to the first driver, pointing it at the door. Ready to fire at any minute.
"Come out with your hands up!" That was the first time in years that Dreyfus had spoken those words. A moment of nostalgia washed over him, but he forced himself to focus on what was happening right now.
Suddenly, the door swung open and a hail of bullets rang out. "We are the Beginning and the End!" The man bellowed.
"Run!" Foster yelled.
The humans and apes ran, hiding behind ruined buildings and taking refuge inside the ones that were still standing. One bullet hit Maurice, but the orangutan wasn't too badly injured and hid in the building Blue Eyes and Koba hid in.
Despite having a gun of his own in his hands, Malcolm was shot in the right arm and, in his attempt to get away from the gunfire, dropped the firearm…Big mistake…The shooter picked the gun up and began firing at both directions. He didn't seem to be aiming at anyone in particular, he just kept shooting bullets.
Blue Eye, Maurice, and Koba were the only ones in the building. The room they were in had white and black tiled floors, fading white walls, and small, metallic tables and chairs that were now rusted and scattered about on the ground. The glass on the counter in the right was broken, and glass laid everywhere in that area.
The worst part was the smell. It smelled musty, like something rotten was inside and the stink itself was dying. None of the three dared to come any closer to the counter.
The chimp and bonobo busied themselves by helping Maurice stand. The orangutan was holding the upper part of his right cheek flap, the place where the bullet hit him. He was lucky the bullet didn't come any closer than that.
"I don't know what to do now." Said Blue Eyes. It was as if his father had been guiding him and now left him. The courage and the ability to think that the prince had, was suddenly gone. Making him feel like a scared child.
Koba just gave a nod to the prince. "It's alright, Blue Eyes."
"You were like your father out there," Maurice added. "In more ways than you realize."
Blue Eyes bit his lips as he took in their words. He wasn't his father. His father wasn't afraid of anything, his father always knew what to do, his father could solve any problem. All I am is his son.
Suddenly, the door next to the counter opened. The three apes stiffened, expecting it to be the shooter, but were surprised to see Tori run inside instead. The pink haired human was holding her left arm, which was bleeding. Was she shot?
She apparently didn't realize the apes were inside with her until she looked over and saw them. However, her gaze fell on Koba. Who's own gaze was locked on her as well.
Koba slowly walked closer to the human, not taking his eyes off of her for a second. Neither did Tori, she just watched the scarred bonobo with wide, unblinking eyes.
Blue Eyes and Maurice cringed. Were they going to fight again? Was Koba seriously going to try and kill her a second time while a madman was shooting away outside?
Koba's green and milky eyes looked deep into Tori's dark brown ones. He expected to see Jacobs in her like earlier. He expected to see the same callousness and arrogance that Jacobs had. But to his surprise, he didn't see any trace of him in her.
It was only now that Koba realized Tori's eyes were different than Jacobs. Sure they had the same eye color, but the feeling wasn't the same. Jacobs' eyes were cold, greedy and uncaring. But Tori's…The bonobo couldn't explain it, but there was something else in her eyes.
And at that moment, being wounded, and the danger outside, Tori's eyes held one thing that Koba himself knew all too well. A feeling he would never admit to feeling.
She was afraid. She was vulnerable…And her vulnerability reminded Koba of…Of..
The sudden gunfire shot through the room. The crazed human outside didn't enter the building, but fired at it anyways. The stray bullets missed the four inside but hit the ceiling instead.
The metal tiled ceiling was old and falling apart on its own, but the bullets made lose parts fall. One part was directly over Koba and Tori's heads. It took just one bullet to make it fall.
Koba didn't think. He didn't tell his body to move, yet it did. He shoved Tori out of the way before he realized what he was doing.
The metal hit his head, and Koba found himself on the floor in seconds. Tori's alarmed face was the last thing he saw.
Blue Eyes, Maurice, and Tori were now frozen, huddled around the unconscious bonobo as the room around them crumbled.
The shooter entered, both guns pointed at them. The two apes and the human ducked, expecting to feel the bullets rip through their bodies and kill them…Instead, they heard a loud PANG! When they looked up again, they saw the shooter on the floor. Dead or out cold, they couldn't tell. The human who now stood in his place was Foster.
The human held a metal baseball bat in his hands, he stared at the human with surprised eyes before looking at the others.
"Are you all ok?"
"K-Koba...Hurt..Tori and Maurice too." Blue Eyes could hardly speak, he was shaking so hard.
Foster looked at Koba, then at Tori and Maurice. Then back to Blue Eyes. "I'll get Ellie."
Sleep proved to be nonexistent for Caesar. Every time he tried to fall asleep, he would either be woken up by the many noises in the base or have a horrible nightmare. The images he would see in these bad dreams haunted him for the rest of the day: Blue Eyes, Cornelia and Cornelius crying out for him, his ape colony being killed, Koba pointing a gun at him, Malcolm and the others turning against him.
If his dreams weren't bad enough, Caesar began to feel sick. His vision was becoming blurred, his head ached, and despite his body feeling hot, he wished he had something warm to wrap around himself.
Dolly had noticed this and began giving him her food and water. For some reason, the humans gave rations to Pope, Ash, Dolly and the orangutan, but never to Caesar. At first, the Ape King refused anything the female bonobo gave him out of distrust. But reluctantly accepted after realizing just how hungry he was. It wasn't long until Ash started doing the same, following Dolly's example to help keep their king alive.
Pope, however, didn't even spare a crumb to Caesar. He just watched in disdain as the Ape King fell back to sleep after drinking the water Dolly gave him. Once he was sure Caesar was asleep, his angry gaze fell on Dolly.
"Why are you helping him?!" He asked angrily.
Dolly was taken aback by his words. "He's our king, Pope. It's the right thing to do. I thought you knew that." Dolly was no stranger to Pope's dislike of Caesar, but this was different.
"It's his fault we're in here in the first place! If he didn't let those humans near our home, none of this would have happened!" Pope's hands were moving so fast with anger, that Dolly had to focus extra hard to understand his signs.
"That's not fair, Pope! Caesar doesn't have any more control than we do, and those humans aren't even with these ones!"
"I don't care! He was suppose to protect us and he didn't!" If only Koba was here, he'd agree with him!…Although, the scarred bonobo has been acting different since the humans were discovered. Pope hadn't talked to him in days. "Caesar is weak! Look at him, he's unfit to lead us!"
Dolly hissed at him. But despite her anger, she knew there was some truth in Pope's words. Caesar's health was obviously deteriorating. His wounds were no longer bleeding but were oozing thick and yellowy pus, and what little food she and Ash could offer simply wasn't enough. It felt like the humans were deliberately letting him become weak, but why?
"He's only like this because of the humans! Once he heals, he'll be strong again." If. If he get's better. But Dolly didn't want to think about that possibility.
Ash, who was sitting next to Caesar, watched them argue helplessly. "The colony and the good humans will find us." He said, hoping that maybe if he mentioned the others, they'd stop. "My father and mother, aunt Cornelia, Blue Eyes, uncle Koba,...What if they're on their way here right now?"
Ash's words only angered and annoyed Pope. How can he be so foolish and believe the colony could figure out where they are and who took them in such a short time? "Don't be stupid, boy! We've only been here two days!"
Tears began to fill Ash's eyes, but Pope didn't stop. The biting words just kept coming.
"They'll NEVER find us! Caesar can't protect us! We're all on our own!" Pope knew he was being harsh, but he didn't care. Ash needed to know the truth eventually, and he wasn't going to let Dolly poison his head with false hope or let Caesar's influence stick in the young chimp's mind.
Ash, now whimpering, ran over to Dolly and hid his head in her shoulder. Dolly only wrapped her arms around her honorary nephew. She glared at Pope with enough anger to make the scarred chimpanzee back away.
"What's...Wrong...With you?" Dolly's voice could make mountains fall. Her tone wasn't threatening but it was equivalent to being cornered by an enraged bear and Pope had faced enough grizzlies to know better than to anger her further.
Just then, the humans opened the door and two of them came in. They only had to take one step towards Caesar for the apes to realize what was happening. Dolly lunged at them, ready to harm any human who'd dare lay a hand on Caesar.
But the humans were too fast, and in seconds, Dolly was tased and put in a cage. Ash tried to fight but ended up caged as well. Caesar, who was barely was conscious merely dragged into a cage. Not a single movement came from him.
"What about these two?" Asked one of the humans, pointing at Pope and the old orangutan.
The other shook his head. "No, just these three."
The humans closed the door behind them, locking it before leaving with the three apes. Pope blinked in disbelief. What just happened? Where were they taking them?
Who cares, as long as they don't take me! Pope felt a little guilty when he thought that. Sure, Caesar deserves whatever he gets, but Ash was just a teenager who did nothing but repeat the Ape King's rules and Dolly, even if she didn't agree with him, was still his friend.
Despite his guilt, Pope's resentment grew. Caesar wasn't worth worrying for. He's unfit as a leader, and a foolish king who lets his feelings for humans corrupt his mind. I can do better than him. I can save us. I can get us all out of here! I can be a better leader than Caesar!
Pope had mentally ranted like this before. It was his favorite way to rebel against Caesar. He wasn't the only one to have these thoughts, Red, Rex, and Bon shared them-sometimes, Koba did as well. There were somethings, however, that Pope chose to keep in his own mind. His wishful thoughts, his evil fantasies. But this time, he realized, he had a chance.
If Caesar's health continues to get worse, he'll die. And if his wounds don't kill him, the humans could. That would make it easy to eliminate him. But the colony would still be loyal to him, and may still follow this rule…And if Caesar dies, won't that just mean one of the others in the Ape Council will take over? Or would it be Blue Eyes who'd take his father's place?
Suppose he could convince his friends to join him. He wouldn't have to ask Rex and Bon, they would be on his side instantly and while Red wasn't technically a follower to him, he knew the red and black gorilla could easily choose him over Caesar. Koba? Maybe him too…Although, Pope had a feeling Dolly wouldn't join or allow her brother to either.
While Koba carried enough rage and hate on his shoulders to kill a million humans and was willing to do so if, given the opportunity, Dolly didn't think like that. Her best quality, her protective nature, was also her greatest flaw in Pope's eyes. In some ways, she was just as gullible as Caesar! Plus, her bond with her twin was so strong, that Pope wondered if she'd actually forbid Koba from taking his side.
However, since he considered Dolly a friend and ally, Pope decided he'd spare her life. Regardless of her choices…He'll let her live…But he doubted her bond with Koba will...That depends on Koba himself.
The rest of the colony won't follow him, but he knew a good place to start a new one. The apes in..wherever here is...There's tons of them! Orangutans, chimps, gorillas, bonobos...Enough to make an even bigger colony.
Caught up in his vision, Pope looked outside. His face dropped when he saw the apes, now he knew why Caesar looked concern when he saw them.
All the apes Pope saw were covered in scars, mud, and dirt. They moved slowly as if they hardly noticed the ground beneath them. Most of them didn't look at anything other than the rocks they pushed and logs they carried. It was a scene of something deeper than just depression, worse than torture…It was tyrannizing.
One of them, a female chimp, was close enough that Pope could see her face. The look in her eyes was haunting.
Pope had seen what the eyes of a tortured person looked like. He saw it in Koba and Dolly when he first met them, he knew several other apes in the colony who had it, he himself had carried it. But the look in her eyes wasn't from years of cruel lab experiments and never knowing freedom. It was the look of a person who lost everything. An ape who lost all hope surrendered everything and has nothing left to live for.
The female must have sensed his gaze because she looked up at him and their eyes met. Her empty, grayish-blue eyes looking right through his golden ones. She would have been pretty if her face wasn't caked in mud, and her eyes weren't red and puffy from crying…How long has she been crying?…
Her eyes became watery and she returned her gaze to the rock she was trying to pull out of the ground.
"What is it?" The words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop them.
She flinched as if Pope's voice was a weapon. She shook her head. "I shouldn't speak to you." She signed without looking at him.
Pope raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"
"They'll make you suffer more. It's just easier to give in than fight them." She glanced over her shoulder. "I need to go."
"Wait a minute!" Pope wasn't about to let the first ape from here he spoke to go away so easily. The female gave him a pleading look, and he realized she may be risking her own life just by talking to him.
"What's your name?" He asked.
To his surprise, the female looked confused. "Name?" She asked as if it were the first time she ever heard of such a thing.
How long has she been in here? How could she have forgotten her own name?…Does she even have one?
"Yes, name." Pope was beginning to realize he needed to explain it to her. "Mine is Pope."
She studied the ground, searching. Trying to remember. Then, she slowly brought her hand to her right cheek. She scratched the dirt and grime off her face, revealing a slightly darker patch of skin. It was a birthmark, the size of a pebble. She pointed at it.
"..D-..D-..Ot…" Her voice was shaky and hoarse as if she hadn't used it in a long time. "..Dot."
Dot. Pope let the name sink in his mind. The small name felt like it once belonged to someone happy and cheerful. Not like the ape who stood before him right now. Whoever Dot was before, she was now a ghost of her former self.
She turned around and left before he could say anything more. As she turned her back to him, Pope's eyes widened at the long, ugly scars that covered her back. It was almost as if she had no fur, just scars, and skin. What happened to her?! And why was she so desperate to leave? he wondered. Pope glanced around, taking note of all the humans who stood guard. Some held guns, but most held whips and tasers. Could they be the reason why?
Pope's eyes wandered from the guards to the many other slaves that looked just as depressed as Dot...Though Dot had to have been the saddest ape he had ever met...Wait a minute! He eyed each ape, their scars, the unspeakable loss in their eyes, the intense saddens.
These are apes who have nothing. They don't have faith in anyone. They have no reason to be loyal to Caesar. If he could convince these apes that he could save them, that he could set them free, they'll become loyal to him and he'll have his own colony and army. Pope grinned as he imagined his colony going to war with Caesar's. First, they'll destroy the humans who imprisoned them, then they'll destroy any and all followers to Caesar unless they agree to follow him.
…And once all that is over, he'll eliminate the human race!
As pleased as Pope was with his scheme, he knew there were many holes in it. Firstly, the humans here obviously had all the power, power of life and death over all the apes. How could he destroy them without being killed himself?
Secondly, how could he convince Dot and the other slaves to follow him? These were apes who's lives were essentially ruined by these humans. Just by talking to her and seeing her, Pope knew Dot's mind was broken from whatever she was put through.
I'll talk to her every chance I get. He decided. I'll get her to trust me. To see me as a friend...If I meet any other slave, I'll do the same.
Pope was deep into his thoughts, that he barely noticed the elderly orangutan as she watched him. Even after he made up his mind about his plan, he didn't look her way. Instead, he found himself staring back at the slaves...And at Dot, who was now pushing a bolder with two other apes.
Their eyes met only once before she looked away.
The first shooter was confirmed dead. Tori had killed him, even if her actions shook her. The other, the one Foster batted, was still alive. His helmet had protected him from the blow. He was locked up in a cell in, what use to be, the police station. While Foster and Kempt were guarding him, the others were back in the building with the file room-only now, they were in a different room in the building.
Once everyone was back together, Blue Eye realized he and Ellie, Derek, Luca, Kempt, Foster, and Dreyfus were the only ones that weren't injured. Rocket's leg was crushed under some building debris that fell on him and Grey had narrowly escaped a bullet that went right through his ear, piercing it. Stone, meanwhile, had skinned his hand, trying to outrun the shooter.
Because of this more humans from the city and some of the female apes had to come to the building to help Ellie heal the wounded. Among them, were Tinker, Rocket's wife, and Ash's mother. Cedar, Grey's wife, and Cornelia herself.
Blue Eyes hardly got a chance to see his mother, they only saw each other once before she had to help a human get Malcolm's bleeding under control.
The hours were a blur of female apes and other humans running around, helping Tori, Malcolm, Rocket, Koba, Maurice, Grey, and Stone with their wounds, Derek and Dreyfus talking in another room, and Luca and Blue Eyes not knowing what to do. They eventually went outside the building, where it was calmer and much more quiet.
The sky was gray and the air was colder when Luca finally started telling Blue Eyes about the key from earlier. "It belonged to a human named Will. He raised your father. We know because the key was the basement key from his house."
"My father was raised by humans?" The prince's eyes shined with wonder. That's why his father was so sympathetic to humans. That's why he wanted there to be peace between them and the apes. "Why…Why didn't he ever tell me?" He asked.
"I think he wanted to, but things just kept getting in the way...Hunting, your brother's birth, the humans,...All this." Luca had a sad look in his eyes as he signed, remembering when things were easier.
Blue Eyes looked down at the ground, trying not to cry. He wished none of this had ever happened. That his father and the others were never kidnapped. No, that he and Ash never found the humans. It feels like that moment was the start of all of this, that it's just been one thing after another with the humans ever since they found each other.
Maybe it was wrong to think that, but life was easier back then.
Luca placed a gentle hand on the prince's shoulder, prompting him to look up at him again. "Blue Eyes...I know you don't think so, but you are more like your father than you think." He touched Blue Eyes chest, where his heart was."You have his heart: you chose love over everything else. Those who you love the most, you protect." Then he touched the chimp's head. "And you have his cleverness. You plan and think to solve problems. Even if you make mistakes, you always have a plan in mind."
The gorilla's words surprised Blue Eyes, wasn't Maurice the wise one? Could Luca be wiser than he looks? Blue Eyes trembled, thinking about his father. "But I'm not my father."
Luca smiled at the prince. "You don't need to be your father to be a good leader. You just need to be you."
Be me? Blue Eyes never allowed himself to consider that. He had been so afraid of not being like his father, that he never thought about what he already was. It sounded risky though, what if something happens and no matter what he does, it'll just get worse? But if I don't, Blue Eyes realized. Then I'll never know.
Comforted by Luca's words, Blue Eyes gave a small smile. Which made the gorilla smile back.
Another hour passed before all their wounded friends were bandaged up. The humans returned to the city, while the female apes went back to the building everyone was now calling 'Ape Building'. Only Cornelia, Cedar and Tinker remained. When Blue Eyes saw his mother, finally able to properly see each other, they hugged. Tinker was with Rocket, holding his face in her hands. His leg was completely covered in a cast. Cedar was sitting with Grey, hugging him tightly.
Malcolm's arm was in a cast and Tori had a thick bandage on her own arm and another on her nose. Koba was laying on a couch, his head wrapped in bandages. The bonobo was still unconscious. Stone's left hand was engulfed in the same wrappings. Grey and Maurice were lucky, they just needed a single band-aid.
"We should take a break from this. Rocket and Malcolm won't be able to do much for weeks, and Koba needs rest. Ellie spoke once it was just the other healers were gone.
Dreyfus huffed. "A break? We don't have time for breaks!"
"But we need one!" Argued Ellie. "We can't just keep looking for these bad people while half of us are injured, they need to heal first!
Blue Eyes couldn't help but look around at his hurt friends. Grey, Maurice, Tori, and Stone had flesh wounds, theirs will heal the fasted. Malcolm and Rocket will need more time to fully recover, but Koba? The extent of his injury was still unknown.
Derek stepped in, his eyes gentle. "How about this We let the wounded heal for as long as they need. In the meantime, the rest of us can keep looking." He suggested.
Dreyfus glared at the slightly older human. Then at the apes. He glared at them as if he blamed them for all this somehow. Blue Eyes only frowned back at him, suddenly wishing Koba could tear the human to shreds.
"Fine.." He looked back at Derek. "But don't expect me to help them."
Ignoring her mayor, Ellie walked over to where Koba was and gently rested her ear on his chest. Listening for his heartbeat.
"Koba...Hurt bad?" Asked Stone, as he watched from where he sat.
Once Ellie found the heartbeat, she listened. Then wrote something in her notebook. "Since Koba is still unconscious, I can't say how bad his injuries are." She glanced up at Tori. "What hit his head, anyway?" She asked.
Tori had been silent for hours. Her eyes had stayed on Koba the entire time. It took a moment for her to register the question, and she answered in a small voice. "..Metal ceiling tile...It couldn't have been any heavier than my old English high school textbook.." The concern in her voice was unmistakable, though Blue Eyes could not understand why.
Ellie nodded and glanced at Koba, then back at the others. "Judging by how heavy that tile was, and how hard it hit his head, Koba could have a concussion. Worst case scenario would be brain damage."
"Will he be alright?" Asked Malcolm. He's been asking that question ever since he and the others got back. He asked every healer who worked on the others if they were alright but never asked the same about himself. He was more concerned about the wellbeing of Maurice, Grey, Stone, Rocket, Tori, and Koba than he was for his own.
"He'll live." Ellie's eyes held a sorry gaze at her husband and at the apes. "But I'm not sure if he'll be his old self."
His old self…Every word Koba had ever said to him suddenly came rushing into his mind. Don't feel bad Blue Eyes. Scars make you strong…Must attack them Now! Before they attack us!…Human work…Human work...Human work!…Blue Eyes looked at Koba's still form on the couch. What would life be like if Koba wasn't Koba?…Who would he be then?...
"Yeah, well sorry to spoil your pity party." Dreyfus sounded more annoyed than usual. "But we have some bad guys to stop, and we're wasting time worrying about a stupid animal."
Blue Eyes whirled around and growled at the human. If it wasn't for Cornelia holding his shoulder, he would have lunged at him.
Dreyfus pretended not to notice. "And I'd like to start by reading his file." He pointed at Koba.
"You found his file?" Malcolm didn't think Koba even had one. It never occurred to him that one of the apes in the files could be among them. "You didn't read it, did you?" He asked.
"Not yet, but I plan to immediately," Said Dreyfus.
"No one's touching his file." Derek's voice was so stern, it sent shivers down all the backs who heard it. "Koba was very uncomfortable about his file being read. Now, I don't know what is in his file but we cannot read anything in it without his permission."
"Are you hearing yourself, Derek? He's an animal! He doesn't get to have a say in what we do with his file!"
Despite the rising tone in the other human's voice, Derek remained calm. "It doesn't matter, Dreyfus. If we are to work together with the apes, we need to establish trust between them-Koba included. Now, Koba obviously doesn't trust humans, and I fear that if we read his file without his consent, it'll just give him more reason to not trust us."
Dreyfus looked away from Derek in anger. He clearly wasn't going to let him read that stupid file. "Until Koba trusts us enough, none of us is to read his file, or his sister's." He looked at Malcolm, Ellie, and Tori. "And that goes for the rest of the apes. If we find any file that belongs to an ape from the Ape Colony, we cannot read them without their permission."
The humans agreed with him. Dreyfus grudgingly accepted as well. Though Blue Eyes hoped the files would be secured and put away somewhere so that the human couldn't get to them. It was decided then that Cornelia and Blue Eyes would go to the file room with Derek and Tori and the two humans would read them the names on the files. If the file belonged to an ape from the colony, then the file would be put aside for later if the ape gave permission for them to read it. Maurice offered to help out, which they accepted.
Just before they could leave to start, however, Tori suddenly spoke up. "I want to stay with Koba."
Everyone looked at her. What was she doing? Dreyfus walked over to her, fuming. "You're insane, Victoria! That monkey almost killed you! He killed your father! For all we know, he could be just as dangerous as the bad people!"
Though he would not use the same words as Dreyfus just did, Blue Eyes wondered the same thing. Just hours ago, Koba could have strangled Tori to death. Her neck now bore bruises that wrapped around the skin when his hands were. If Koba wasn't interrupted, he would have killed her, and Tori knew it just as well as the others did.
"Why the hell would you want to stay with him?!"
"Because I know his pain!"
Tori's words echoed throughout the building. Her voice was like a shout in the emptiness. Dreyfus froze, his anger melting into confusion. Ellie, Malcolm, and Derek just stared, unsure of what to do. All the apes watched with their own uncertainty.
Finally, Dreyfus spoke. "What..What pain? You weren't an animal experiment!"
"I didn't need to be! My father had no problem bringing his cruelty home!" Tori's eyes were so black, it was scary. It was like looking at a completely different human than the one that found Will's key. "If Koba truly did kill my father, then he got exactly what he deserved!"
Tori realized what she said. She came close to almost revealing the awful truth that was her childhood. She quickly tried to deflect her words. "Besides, Koba saved me from that metal tile! If it wasn't for him, I would be the one on the couch right now!"
Everyone was silent then, not a single noise from any of them. Tori's words repeated themselves in their minds. They all had questions, but no one dared to ask.
It felt like an eternity before Derek finally broke the uncomfortable stillness. "..Ok.." He glanced at Ellie. "Ellie, will you help?" He asked, being very careful not to ask Dreyfus.
Ellie nodded, knowing her husband and the injured apes would be fine without her.
"Watch Tori. If Koba wakes up, don't let him do anything violent." Blue Eyes wasn't sure how to word it as he signed. But thankfully, Luca knew what the prince was saying and nodded in understanding.
"Screw it, I'm gonna go for a walk." Said Dreyfus. He walked out of the room before anyone could stop him. Seconds later, they all heard the door slam shut behind him.
Derek sighed but said nothing. He and Ellie, Cornelia, Maurice, and Blue Eyes then left the room to go to the file room. Leaving the others to themselves. Rocket and Tinker snuggled, Grey and Cedar talked, Stone and Malcolm decided to take a nap, and Luca stood guard at the door.
With everyone else occupied, Tori sat down next to the unconscious bonobo. It shocked her that this very ape had nearly killed her earlier that day and now was in this state. She just kept looking at Koba's face. At the bruise over his blind eye that she gave him, and at all the scars he already had.
What did my father do to make you like this? The question from earlier came back to her as she looked at him. Was her father the only one that filled him with hate? Or was this the result of years of cruelty from other humans?
She shivered. From cold, or from thinking about her father, she couldn't say. A thought crossed her mind, and she glanced at him.
My father has done terrible things.
Tori picked up one of the folded blankets that were in the corner (seriously, how did Derek get all this stuff?) and gently pulled the soft fabric up to the bonobo's neck. Effectively tucking him in.
But I'm not like him.
Dreyfus, in his rage, didn't notice where he was going. Frankly, he didn't care either, he just wanted to be away from those filthy animals and stupid people. Tori and Derek especially, their words made him the most angry.
Because I know his pain!
What is that suppose to mean? That she actually cares about that ape?! Is she really that unrealistic?! Dreyfus had known Tori since she was eight years old, and she had proven herself to be nothing but trouble. He wouldn't say he hated her, but she definitely wasn't his favorite person.
And then there's Derek. What the hell is wrong with him? He's a former FBI profiler, not a goddamn monkey whisperer!
Dreyfus didn't realize he had found his way to the warehouse until he smelled something. A smell, that he knew all too well.
Decay.
Fully expecting to find another corpse like the one from earlier, he looked around. What he found instead were the bodies of Terry and McVeigh. They were laying on piles of sacks, fashioned into a sort of couch. Judging by the decomposition of their bodies, they may have been dead for less than two days.
Upon closer inspection, Dreyfus realized they were both shots several times in the chest. Who did this? One of the shooters they stopped today? Were they killed during the kidnappings?
..Or was it..?
Dreyfus didn't think twice when he reached inside Terry and pulled out one of the bullets. He didn't consider telling Derek about the deaths as he started to search for Werner and Finney. His actions were based on a possibility he could not ignore. If it were true than he'd have enough proof to get rid of the apes, to prove that they could not be trusted.
Dreyfus knew his next destination after speaking to Werner and Finney, was the Ape Village.
A's/N: That may have been the longest chapter I ever written for this story...And I'm making it longer by adding my notes in it..XD
I know, the attack with the bulldozer and wrecking ball was probably less than accurate..Best not to try it in real life though! Sorry if the fight between Koba and Tori and the bad guys felt bland, I'm not good at writing action/fighting scenes. XD
Anyone wanna guess who they think the bad guys are? I just gave you guys two hints (three if you count the Mr. Clean helmet!). =D
We also got to meet Dot! I hope you guys like her, she's pretty important-I also hope that I described Pope right, I haven't read any of the comics, so much of what I know of him comes from the Planet of The Apes fandom wiki. If I made any mistakes with him (such as his eye color. His eyes look orange or golden in his picture, but I could be wrong), please let me know so I can fix them!
So it looks like Tori has her own bad memories of her father...She and Koba have a lot to take about.
Thanks for reading and please review!