Before The Storm (To be re-written expect future changes)

by MackDreamer

Story is to be re-written at a later time. Until then, feel free to read the original!

16. The Color of Blood

A's/N: Sorry for the long wait guys, I kinda got distracted with life again. XD

So anyways, this chapter was literally the hardest one I've ever made so far! I had to take things out, move things around, rewrite and rethink a lot of the stuff in it, but I'm finally happy with the results and I hope you guys will be as well. ^^

Warning: This chapter includes scenes/mentions of torture, mention of Rabies, interrogations, hints of suicide and self-harm behavior, and hints of stalking.

Anyhow, enjoy the chapter! :D

---

Almost as soon as Malcolm read the hidden message, the group looked around the building for any clues as to who may have left the flowers. When they didn't find any, they locked all the doors and windows as best as they can. They said nothing, too overwhelmed to say anything. It wasn't until they knew the building was fully secured that they finally started talking again.

"Is this a joke?" Asked Foster.

"If it is, I don't get it." Said Kempt.

Dreyfus looked at them both with a frown. "Joke?! What kind of sick joke is this?!"

There was no question as to who did it, species-wise. This was too humanish to have been done by an ape. Not even Dexter, the notorious prankster of the Gorilla Guard, could come up with something like this. This wasn't even his usual pranking style! Problem was, there weren't very many human pranksters in the city at all. Everyone was mostly too busy trying to stay alive to sneak a mischievous laugh with nasty tricks.

"Shouldn't we be more concerned with the message itself?" Malcolm asked, looking from the words to the others. "Whoever did this knows all our names and that we meet here."

"Someone we know?" Blue Eyes couldn't think of any human they knew that would do something like this.

"Maybe…Or worse, someone we don't know."

The room suddenly didn't feel safe. It was like the words themselves had eyes and were watching them talk. Understanding what they were saying.

Alex fell silent after recognizing the rainbow out of the names. Maurice had stayed with him while the others locked up the building. Now, the orangutan looked just as worried as they were. "What about our families?" He signed. "Everyone in the infirmary and in Ape Building?"

Ape Building was the unofficial name given to the building the apes now stayed in. It was originated by the other humans in the city as a nickname but the ape colony adopted it as the name of the building because it fit so well. Maurice was right. Even though the names of their loved ones weren't included in the message, it didn't mean they weren't also being watched.

Everything about this made Caesar nervous. He was the leader of the ape colony and, as their king, he's suppose to protect them all. But this was different, unlike any danger he ever encountered. When they first escaped into the Muir Woods, he knew the enemy was any and all humans who came after them from the city and then after that, it was just bears and the occasional wolves. But this danger didn't have a name or a face and no known pattern that he could work with. It made him feel utterly helpless.

"Luca, have Gorilla Guard check on everyone in city." He said as he turned to look at the gorilla.

Luca gave a nod and immediately left the room. Probably relieved to just get out of the building. No one would blame him, the four walls of the file room didn't feel right anymore.

"So what do we do now?" Asked Kempt.

Everyone was asking that question, and there didn't seem to be any good answer. Aside from the message, no other threatening thing had happened. No attacks, no kidnappings, no murders…And even if there was any, how could they tell if they were related?

"We just…Keep working on the radio and be very careful."

How can we be careful when someone is watching us and could hurt us at any second? Blue Eyes had to literally bite his tongue and squeeze his hands into fists to keep from saying those words. He knew Malcolm was right, but he hated it. If someone really is watching them, and they have intent to harm them, being careful wouldn't be enough to protect them. But not knowing who this person is or what they look like, makes it harder to do that.

---

McCullough hated the security cameras. They were useful, but were in dire need of replacement. The base was filled with them but most didn't work and the ones that did, were suddenly buggy. Old age and exposure to the elements, most likely.

"I thought I told you to have this fucking thing fixed!" He said as he angrily turned to look at Boyle.

"We did, Sir." Boyle quickly stated. "The wind must have done it."

The colonel rolled his eyes in annoyance. It wasn't Boyle's fault he wasn't skilled in dealing with technical issues, but it would have been nice if he was.

There had to be about ninety security cameras all together. Twenty of them were outside, and the rest were in the buildings but even then, only fifteen cameras were actually functional. Thankfully, the one he was most interested in was one of them. The camera in particular was on the ceiling of the hallway were Red and Winter were, directly pointed at them. They were slightly blurred on the screen, they could clearly be seen standing guard at Rose's door.

"Shall I have someone check the cameras again, Sir?" Asked Boyle.

"Later." McCullough kept his gaze on the screen as he watched the two gorillas. Sometimes they'd sign to each other and other times one of them would fall asleep while the other kept watch and then they'd switch places. It was Red in particular that the colonel watched the closest. "Right now, just get me a cigarette."

Boyle nodded and abruptly left. The room they were in was hidden by a door: it could easily be mistaken for a closet if the door was left unopened. It was located next to the bedroom and was always locked whenever the servants around. It was the only room they weren't allowed in.

"Is Johnathon in there?" Came the sweet voice of Elaine.

"Yes but he-"

"Let her in, Boyle." McCullough interrupted. Seconds later, Elaine appeared. "What is it, my exotic flower?"

A different Caroline would have been disgusted with being called that by him. But that part of herself was gone, replaced by a person who can mask her feelings easily and without effort. "I just wanted to know what you'd like for breakfast. The servants found pancake mix."

At the mention of pancakes, McCullough couldn't help but lick at his lips. Pancakes with hash browns were his favorite but he knew such food was rare to find nowadays. "Tell them to make that."

"They don't know how."

"Then teach them." Elaine was the only person he never got annoyed with. Maybe it was because she chose to stay with him this long, despite all the destruction he caused and was still causing…Unlike his first wife.

Caroline was about to leave to do just that, when she caught sight of what the colonel was looking at. One of the gorillas on the screen was white, but the other...It couldn't be! Was it? She walked a little closer to get a better view. Focusing on the red and black furred gorilla.

"New guards?" She asked casually.

"Yes, by the advice of Roscoe." McCullough didn't notice how interested she really was. "The white one is Winter and the other is named Red." He shook his head. "Apes have such weird names."

It is him! Caroline couldn't believe it. Red was older now, no longer the tiny and helpless newborn who needed care in her veterinarian office, but it was him.

Flashback

Caroline woke up at about six AM and after a quick shower, a visit to her closet, a coffee run and a short drive in her car, she was in her office. It was a typical morning at the zoo, with the early morning lines just beginning to form and stores opening for the day. The smell of cotton candy and churros hadn't yet filled the air with their artificially sweetness but it smelled nice outside anyway. Caroline didn't expect anything crazy would happen; she had made plans with Will after work and was looking forward to seeing him and Caesar again and as far as she knew, nothing else would happen.

That is, until one of the zookeepers came rushing into her office. "Dr. Aranha! Somethings wrong with one of the gorillas!"

Caroline had just enough time to swallow her sip of coffee before some other zookeepers, Chad and Laura, pushed a table with a sedated gorilla laying on top of it through the door. "What happened?" She asked as she grabbed her stethoscope.

"I was just putting fresh food into the gorilla enclosure and she just collapsed." Caroline felt bad for Laura. This would be every new zookeepers worst nightmare...Well, one of them anyway. "I came closer to her and she was breathing funny."

Caroline quickly examined the female gorilla, listening to her heart beat and her breathing. Both were abnormal. She then took her temperature and checked her pulse. "I'll have to run some tests on her but I think she may have pneumonia. She has a fever and it sounds like there's something in her lungs." She said after a few minutes.

"Aw man, don't tell me another illness is effecting the animals!" There was recently a bad case of white-nose syndrome in the bat enclosure and the whole exhibit had to be closed for weeks. The bats were finally put back just last Friday, but many of them had died because of the illness.

Caroline had decided to give every animal in the zoo a through physical to check for any other sicknesses but hadn't found anything. "What's her name?" She asked as she grabbed her chart. To make it easier to identify the animals, the zookeepers would name them and then Caroline would keep a chart that listed their names, species, genders, ages, and place of their births. Not all zoos do this, but there's a certain joy that comes with naming an animal, domestic or not, and keeping track of all them and where they all came from was convenient in this circumstance.

"Ariyah."

Caroline flipped the clipboard chart over to the gorillas page and found he name easily. According to the chart, Ariyah came from Africa. "She's from the wild."

"So?" Chad was getting impatient, but he always was when he wanted answers.

This would be why the chart was so convenient. "If she came from the wild, it's likely this is something she picked up while she was in Africa and it just didn't take effect until now. If that's the case then the other gorillas might not be sick-we should still check them to make sure though."

"Will she be ok?" Asked Laura. She was holding Ariyah's larger hand to her chest, as if she were hugging it. She loved gorillas.

"It depends on how bad it is but I think-" Caroline paused mid-sentence when she noticed something. Did Ariyah's stomach just move? Gently, she felt the gorilla's belly. Hoping her out-of-wack bedtime schedule and early wake up hours, mixed with her daily dose of caffeine were finally getting to her. "Is she pregnant?"

Chad and Laura were confused by the sudden question. "What? Wasn't she tested when they caught her?"

"They make sure that the animal is healthy, that doesn't include a pregnancy test." So Chad didn't know. As assistant to the head zookeeper, Chad was supposed to know these things. But if he didn't know, then…!

"We need to do an ultrasound." Caroline hoped she was wrong. She hoped that what she saw was just Ariyah breathing but she knew what pneumonia breathing looked like and whatever is was, it absolutely, positively, wasn't that.

Chad and Laura helped her take Ariyah to the surgical room, which was slightly bigger than her office but felt smaller because of all the machines in it. Including an ultrasound machine. Caroline's fears were confirmed within minutes. Ariyah was indeed pregnant and sick with pneumonia. She was only seven and a half months along, but her baby was in trouble.

The baby was in fetal distress.

End of Flashback:

"Where did they come from?" Caroline asked, hoping to hide the tension she felt.

"That Ape Colony in San Fransisco." Luckily for her, McCullough was too focused on his screen. "I doubt Winter's competence, but I think Red could be useful to me."

Useful? What does that mean? A chill ran down Caroline's spine as she looked back at the screen. She could tell he was planning something, and whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Caroline learned the hard way years ago that once McCullough had a plan in mind, virtually nothing and no once can stop him. His ambition cost the lives of millions and, despite being the closest to him, Caroline couldn't do anything to change his mind. The blood of innocent, murdered apes and tortured humans were on her hands just as much as they were on McCullough's and their ghosts haunted her for not doing enough to save them.

Now she feared Red would carry the same burden. "All that thinking must make you hungry then." She began to leave the small room. "I'll get the servants and make you some pancakes."

"Bring them in when they're ready." McCullough was still studying Red. He looked at the gorilla as if he were a new car he was debating on. Disgusting.

Caroline slipped out of the room and looked at the three apes in the kitchen area. Cortez was holding the pancake mix while Lake stood next to him. Rowena was mopping the floor-which was hard to watch as the action seem to give her pain. It was hard to say just how old she was, but Caroline could guess that the elderly orangutan was probably close to a hundred in ape years and might have arthritis.

"What's wrong?" Asked Cortez.

In her opinion, the one good thing that came from all of this was Caroline learned more Sign Language in the last ten years. She was better at it now than she was before the virus. "Someone I used to know is in trouble. I think McCullough is going to use him for something."

"Who is he?"

"A gorilla named Red."

"I know him!" Lake piped in. All this time she wondered what has become of Red and Winter since that scene outside. "Where is he now?"

"He's guarding one of the rooms. I don't know where it is, it's one of those rooms McCullough doesn't tell me about." Even though she could easily be McCullough's 'queen', there was a lot about the base, and about the man himself, that not even Caroline knew. Certain parts of the base that Donkeys and soldiers could only be allowed in if they were blindfolded or unconscious, rooms that McCullough didn't let anyone enter under any circumstance, and just things that the colonel simply wouldn't tell anyone. Sometimes, Caroline liked to pretend she were trapped in a castle full of secrets but other times, she feared what those secrets could be and hoped she'd never have to uncover them. "He's with another gorilla named Winter. Do you know him too?"

"Yes, I'm from the same colony as them." For a moment, Lake allowed relief that Red and Winter had managed to stay together to fill her before the dread of what may happen to them could take over. "Did he give you any indication of what he's planing?"

"He just said that Red would be 'useful' to him. I don't think McCullough is going to hurt him, but it sounds like he's going to use him as a pawn or something." If that was the case, Caroline feared what it would happen to him.

A familiar feeling washed over Lake, and she felt her hands curl into fists. She wanted to find the two gorillas and warn Red about McCullough, but she knew nothing of what the colonel was planning and she didn't even know where in the base Red and Winter were. Much to her disappointment, there was nothing she could do to protect them until McCullough did whatever he planned to do.

---

Somehow, Koba had managed to sit still while Ellie stitched up his cuts. Both humans thought he'd at least protest against getting stitches, but he didn't even do that. The scarred bonobo just sat quietly and stared at the ground, keeping his gaze away from the needle as Ellie poked and pulled it in and out of his skin. Detached from the pain.

"Aren't I hurting you?" Asked Ellie as she made another stitch.

"Use to it." Koba lazily muttered in reply. He was actually too troubled to feel any pain. He couldn't understand why he'd harm himself like that when he no longer wanted to. It was as though he had betrayed himself.

Tori had wanted to be with him while he got the stitches for moral support but Koba didn't want her to. He knew that if she did, he'd see the concern in her eyes and that alone would make him feel worse, possibly even make him cry. He couldn't even look at Ellie because he could feel her worry every time she looked at him.

It was only when he felt his skin get pulled by one of the stitches that he flinched. "Sorry." Said Ellie as she tied a small knot. "Almost done, I just need to bandage them to keep the stitches dry."

Koba really didn't feel like talking, but he knew that if he didn't Ellie would worry more so he just nodded.

"So…" Ellie grabbed some white bandages and began wrapping it around one of Koba's arms. "Tell me about this nightmare you had last night." When Tori pulled her out of the file room, Ellie knew something was wrong. The younger woman had explained to her what had happened and that Koba felt like he needed help but Ellie wanted to know more.

Koba still avoided her gaze. "…Blood…Everywhere…Fill up room…" He suddenly tasted blood and realized he had been bitting at his lip the whole time. "The…Human…Who killed…Mother. He there too…"

It took a moment for Ellie to remember their names. Tina, his mother, and Roger. The man who killed her. According to the files, Koba and his sister were about a year old at the time but the event had obviously traumatized both of them.

"Did anything happen yesterday that would have reminded you of them?" She asked.

"No…Not really…" Koba did a full rewind of what happened the previous day in his mind. Not once was Roger ever mentioned, but…His father. "My father…Asked about my mother…He still. Hates. Humans."

Given what Carlos had been through, it didn't surprise Ellie that he'd feel that way. Even though his attack on the nurse was believed to be a mental breakdown or something related to his drug and alcohol withdrawal, Ellie still wasn't fully convinced that was the case. Oddly enough, Ellie hadn't seen that nurse since yesterday.

Wait a minute. She realized. Koba sleeps in the same room as Carlos. He see's him every morning and every night, both he and his sister have to help him get out of his delusions and get him to go to sleep. Carlos had to know by now that both of his children had suffered at the hands of humans and that Tina was killed by one of them. That alone could make him hate humans more than he already did. Was it possible he openly talked about it with Koba? And, inadvertently, caused him to have this nightmare?

"Does he ever talk about it?"

"Only. When. He angry." Koba had never considered his father a danger to the humans, but after the attack in the room, he didn't know what to think anymore. He still highly doubted Carlos would actually take a gun and shoot at them though.

"Koba." Ellie hesitated. "Do you think, maybe, your father asking about your mother and his 'hating humans talk' could have provoked this?"

Koba didn't know what to say. How could his father be to blame for his nightmare? He had the same rage as him, and hated humans with all of his being, that was obvious. But Carlos' anger ran deeper than from just abuse. They didn't ruin his life because he didn't have one to ruin, unless one could call mating without love, never knowing any of his children and being high on whatever the colonel forced in his system a life at all. It scared him that his father harbored that rage, but that couldn't be enough to make him have nightmares, can it?

"…Don't know…" He said as he drew his now bandaged right arm close to himself. Knowing the wound he inflicted on himself will scar over the one humans gave him first. He'll never forgive himself for giving himself these scars. Let alone, be proud of them.

"Hay." Ellie put her hand on his shoulder. "The fact that you want help means you don't really want to hurt yourself."

"Then...Why did. I do it?"

"I don't know, but that's why we're going to get you some help." Ellie gave a reassuring smile. "It will be alright, we'll figure this out." She held Koba's larger hand in hers when she finished bandaging his left arm. "You're going to be ok."

Ellie was the third person to say that. Tori had said that in the jail cell, but it was Mary who said it first. Koba could no longer put a face to the familiar name, but he still remembered the happy, gentle tone of Mary's voice. It was hard to think about her; her memory brought Koba back to a happier time. Back when all he knew was hugs and tickles and games. You're going to a nice place, with nice people. She had hugged him and Dolly when she told them that. It was a hug that Koba had tried to give himself back in the labs. No one would hold him, so he'd hold himself. But he learned quickly that hugs are cold and lonely when there's no one to hold him. You're going to be ok.

Mary lied. Koba and Dolly didn't go to a nice place. They didn't meet nice people. They were not ok.

Koba gave no indication of what he was thinking or how he felt. Perhaps he just didn't feel like talking anymore, or maybe thinking about it made his head spin and left him feeling sick. Whatever the reason, he answered with just a nod and hoped that Ellie was right.

---

Rocket hadn't left his son's side all night and didn't plan to that day either. Ash had nightmares about what he went through in the base throughout the night and would only calm down when his father held him. That's why, instead of joining the others like usual, Rocket stayed in the infirmary with Ash. The near hairless chimpanzee was sitting on the bed with the younger ape snuggled in his arms. Ash was no longer crying or shaking, but now stared off into space. His mind elsewhere, but hopefully not thinking about the Breaking Room.

As hard as it was to see Ash like this, he was better now than he was when he woke up from being tranquilized. When the teenage ape saw his father that day, he screamed and didn't want to be near him. It broke Rocket's heart, but it also scared him because it gave him an idea of how his son suffered and it was worse than he could have imagined. The one thing Rocket feared more than losing his only child was Ash seeing the human's dark side. The side that he and all the other adults had always warned him about. But Ash had seen it-a very darker form of it, and Rocket couldn't protect him from it.

"…Fff…Father…" Rocket stiffened at the shaking voice. It was rare for Ash to actually speak but he hadn't uttered a word since before he was taken.

"Are. You alright?" As much as it relieved Rocket to finally hear Ash's voice, it pained him to listen.

Ash pulled away from the warmth of his father's touch, his gaze turned away. He wasn't crying, but he was sniffling and rubbing his nose on his arm. Rocket didn't press him, only waiting patiently for his son to say anything again.

Slowly, with hesitant hands, the young chimpanzee signed: "…I…I had…Did you…" Tears began to blur his vision as Ash couldn't find the right words to sign. How could he ask such a horrible thing?

"You, what?" Rocket asked as he touched his son's shoulder.

Ash couldn't look at his father. He felt like he was going to start crying again if he did. He knew his father wouldn't judge him if he did, but Ash also knew that he would't be able to ask him his question if he started crying.

"Ash." Rocket's voice, the voice that always told Ash he was safe, made him look at his father.

Rocket's eyes were soft, despite the worry in them. "I'm your father." Rocket's hands moved with gentleness. As if he were stroking the air with his hands. "You can tell me anything."

It was enough to make Ash cry again. He grabbed Rocket the second he felt the older chimp pull him into an embrace.

Bitter nostalgia washed over Rocket. There were times when Ash was younger when he had needed his father, but never like this. Even if he didn't though, Rocket was no stranger to offering comfort to someone he loved that needed it. The near hairless chimpanzee had no memory of his parents or his origins aside from his old cage in the primate shelter, but he did remember that he had siblings. The one he remembered the most vividly was Dash, the one that Ash was partially named after. But even Dah's memory alluded him.

Rocket remembered Dash's brown, primitive eyes and the white spot on his nose. He remembered that he had to comfort him and take care of him even though Dash was older than him by a good eight years. Most of all, he remembered that something had happened to his older brother. This was as far as the memory went. Try as he might, Rocket couldn't remember anything else. One minute, he and his brother were in the same cage together and the next, Dash was gone and Rocket himself was in a different cage in a different place and he never saw his brother again. As if the world had swallowed him.

There were times when Rocket thought his brother was only a dream, but every time he considered that, he'd remember all the times Dash hugged him when he was scared. The feeling of that hug, was too real to be a figment of his imagination. Too real to have been a dream. Perhaps this was why his son's name came from Dash. So that part of his memory would still live on. Real or not.

Ash suddenly pulled away. Tears still ran down his face, but he dried them away with his arm. Then, without looking at him, he asked. "Did you try to kill me?"

Rocket's heart stopped. "What?!"

Barely suppressing his whimpers, Ash kept signing. "Humans in base hurt me...Every time they did, I'd remember things...Things that scare me."

Rocket was crushed. Is this what the humans were doing to him in the breaking room?! "Ash-!" Rocket breathed in, trying to calm the pain he felt. No, not physical pain. The emotion he felt hurt like it was though. "You. Attacked. By wolf. When younger."

This was a day Rocket remembered as vividly as if it were yesterday. It was the day he almost lost his son. Ash was playing in the grass and a wolf, foaming at the mouth, suddenly appeared and chased him. Rocket had managed to get between them, grabbed Ash and climbed a tree to safety. Caesar, Koba, Pope, and all the other Ape Army soldiers ambushed the wolf and threw arrows and spears at it until it died, then they burned it's body. Even though no one had ever been bitten by one, the entire colony knew that a bite from a foaming wolf or another animal meant insanity and certain death. They knew this from apes who had lived in zoos and those that came from the wild and had seen rabid animals attack was a name to this disease, spoken only in hushed tones and concealed signs because it was so feared by the apes. Rabies. No one, not even Koba or Pope, would dare to fight an animal with the disease.

Ash had not been bitten by the wolf, but it had scared Rocket so much that he never let Ash go into the forest alone. To this day, he still doesn't let Ash go without someone with him. Ash never minded this, but only because it was always Blue Eyes that he went with.

Ash sniffled, rubbing his face and winced in slight pain. He had been rubbing like that so much that his eyes began to hurt. The young chimpanzee was barely a year old at the time of the attack. Too young to remember the wolf, but he remembered the snarling sounds it made. Apes don't sound like that. The memory itself, as vaguely as it was, was different than the image of his father attacking him and trying to kill him. That image was clear...Too clear to be a memory from his early childhood.

The realization seemed to hit both apes at once. That memory wasn't just fake…It was also a tool for manipulation, created by the AO soldiers to create monsters out of innocent apes. It was that false memory, and all others like it, that drove Ash to attack and attempt to kill his own parents. Not out of hate, but out of controlled madness.

This time, when Ash hugged Rocket again, there was some relief in him. His father wasn't the one that attacked him all those years ago. There was no betrayal. His father was still his father. But there was still so much he didn't understand. Why did those soldiers brain wash him like that? He never did anything to them! Was it because he was ape? Did they have a grudge against his parents and the other older apes somehow?

Rocket, however, only felt one thing…Now he understood what Koba and Pope probably feel for bad humans like these soldiers, because now he wanted to kill them all too. It didn't matter that the soldiers had tried to turn his only son and child into a murderer, but that they had hurt him. Tortured him in was that will haunt the young chimpanzee for the rest of his life.

They won't get away with this. Rocket thought bitterly. If I ever see those soldiers, I'll kill them all.

---

Pope hadn't slept well at all. Every time he'd close his eyes and drifted to sleep, he'd find himself trapped in a nightmare he could only escape from by waking up. Only to find that he had woken Dot in the process. Though he did dream about his past, Pope mostly saw Hazell in them. The dreams always started out with Pope surrounded by thick fog and not knowing where he was or why he was there. Then he'd feel the chill of Rowena's glare come from all directions. It was as though that primitive orangutan had become the mist itself, and was now watching his every move. Seeing his wickedness. But then, he'd turn his head and see Hazell standing there when he swore she wasn't there before. Hazell, with blood running down her face from the bullet wound that killed her, would then say: "What are you fighting for, Pope?"

That question left Pope shaking all day. In the brief time he knew Hazell, he never told her about Caesar and the colony. Let alone the fact that he had been scheming ways to overthrow the Ape King and kill all his followers and all the humans in the world…So how could Hazell have known about it?…No, she couldn't have known it…The only ones who knew of his old desire to kill Caesar were Bon and Rex, and they weren't even at the base and Pope never told anyone else about it.

The more Pope thought about it, the more he began to realize it wasn't what Hazell asked in his nightmare that got under his skin so much but rather, the fact she was in his dreams at all. The scarred chimpanzee hadn't known her long enough to form any sort of friendship with her, so why did she haunt him?

You saw her die. He reminded himself as he stared at the ceiling. You saw Preacher shoot her…And you saw what happened to her daughter.

Though he would not admit it, it was becoming clear to Pope that witnessing the murder of Hazell's daughter had effected him more than he thought. It was one thing to want the entire human race dead and overthrow Caesar. But Harmony was a newborn baby. The most innocent and the most harmless being imaginable, human, ape or hybrid.

Now, Pope found himself unable to think about Hopely without feeling like he should have done something to save his mother and sister, but there was nothing he could have done. It all happened so fast and even if Pope had intervened, he would have been killed too.

He sighed and began to rub his left ear, the one that was scarred. Ever since he got these scars, the outer layer of Pope's ear would ache whenever he was thinking too much about something that troubled him. This is how he developed the habit of rubbing it.

Dot, who was playing with something she found on the table next to their bed, noticed it and put whatever that black thing was, back on the table as looked at him. She couldn't help but look at his scars, the way they curled around his face, head, shoulder, arm and neck. They seemed old, like they had been there for years though Dot knew he wasn't born with them. No, these marks came from a human.

Carefully, with a touch as soft as a feather, she touched them with the tips of her fingers.

Pope immediately flinched at the unexpected touch. No other ape has ever touched his scars before, so he instinctively felt the urge to punch whoever it was. He had just curled his right hand into a fist when he turned around and realized it was only Dot. Pope released his fist. He couldn't hit Dot, even if he wanted to.

Dot had pulled her hand away when Pope moved, thinking she had startled him. She didn't realize he had almost hit her. "Do they hurt?" She asked.

The fishnet scarred chimpanzee felt as though he were exposed. As if Dot had somehow found a hole in him and now could see his vulnerability and his weakness. But he trusted her. She had to be the first, and only, ape Pope really trusted. Deeper than the trust that comes with any friendship. "Only my ear." He admitted. "It hurts when I'm stressed."

"Is that why you're rubbing it like that?"

Pope didn't answer because he realized at that moment that he had let Hazell take over all of his thoughts. At this rate, he may rub his ear to the point of irritation if he doesn't stop. "Do you remember Hazell?" He asked, deciding it was better to talk about it then take it out on his skin.

She and Hazell had never met. It was Dot being a broken slave and Hazell being a rebel forced servant that prevented them from having any interaction between them. But Dot did remember her. She remembered her as the dead female ape the soldiers put in the flying machine, not realizing she and Pope, Milo, Carlos, Hopely, and Spazz were hiding inside, and fearfully expecting to be killed like her at any second.

"Yes…Did you know her?"

"Not really. I met her when the colonel made me his servant." Pope replayed that day in his mind, trying to remember if he had mentioned anything personal to the rebels. All he could think of was Rowena, and her glare. Don't be fooled by him, Hazell. I was in the same cell as him for days. He's been scheming, I don't know what, but he is wicked on the inside. Wicked. What does that mean? And how can elderly, primitive ape sense that in him? "She and her rebels were the ones who helped me free you."

That's how he saved her. Not surprisingly. Pope would have needed help to get her and himself out of the base. Dot may never have attempted to escape herself, but she had seen how tight the security was. The only escape in that base was death. "They're brave to rebel in that place." A thought came to her. "Are they the ones troubling you?"

Though it was only Hazell that haunted him, Pope felt as if he could never shake Rowena's glaring eyes. He wondered if they'd follow him for the rest of his days as a curse. "Just Hazell…I keep having dreams about her…All bloody and standing next to me."

Dot knew the kind of dreams he was talking about. They were similar to the dreams she sometimes had of Thyme, or of Remy. "Does she ever say anything?"

"Yes." Pope was surprised she guessed that. "She always asks me what I'm fighting for."

That's a weird thing for a dead person to ask. Whenever Dot dreamt of her lost family, they rarely ever said anything to her, let alone ask her something like that…But…Wait. Dot never questioned where or how Pope got his scars-it didn't matter, the mark of cruelty done by humans didn't need explaining, but now she suddenly wondered how Pope got his fishnet scars. Those were not from a whip, and a blade couldn't possibly make that design on it's own.

"…Pope…" Dot's voice dripped with concern. "…How…You get. Scars?"

Numbness was all he felt. Perhaps Pope was detaching himself from all feeling, or maybe it would come later. Either way, he was just glad it was Dot who asked about his scars and only Dot in the room. The fishnet scarred chimpanzee never thought he'd tell anyone about what happened to him. He always believed he'd keep his past a secret, something he'd take with him when he dies...A piece of his weaker side that he did not want the world to know...

But Dot was different...She was like him back then...Another ape who needed saving.

"...I grew up in labs." Pope hoped he could stay detached for this. "I never knew other apes as a child...They used to keep me in a big cage, with only a giant, stuffed bear...They'd give me food every day, but I'd only eat when I was starving...I didn't want to leave that bear,"

Dot stayed still. Her eyes focusing on Pope and his signs, already dreading what he'd say next.

Pope breathed slowly. His ear was aching again, but he ignored it. "One night...A group of humans came and took me out of my cage...They brought me outside...They smelled funny and had bottles in their hands...Some of them had lighters..." Pope couldn't stand it any longer, he rubbed ear, which was now burning. The whole scarred part of his body felt achy all of the sudden. "They...They burned the wire fence until the metal was white...Then they..." Pope tried to keep signing, but he was shaking too much. He felt as if the pain he felt that night was back.

"Pope?" Dot was becoming alarmed.

"They...P-Pressed...Pope...Against it." Pope rasped. He felt the sting of tears before he knew he was weeping. He dried the tears away, feeling like he wanted to scream.

He felt Dot hug him, and he immediately returned the embrace. He needed someone to hang on to right now. He didn't flinch when he felt tears soak his fur, expecting them to be his own but knowing they may be Dot's for all he knew.

"...D-Dot...Born in Zoo." Said Dot through her own tears, "...N-Never knew. Bad humans. Until. Base." She squeezed him in her embrace. "Wish you. Were-Were there too. Would have. B-Been. Happier. In zoo. G-Good humans there."

For a brief moment, Pope envied Dot. She grew up surrounded by apes and all of them were completely ignorant of how horrible humans could be. He wished he had had that life. As sheltered as it was, Pope knew he would have been so much more than just happy.

When he finally felt better enough to sign more, he said: "I feared humans ever since that night...Then I started to hate them...I still hate them. That's why I beat up Koba the other day. I saw his friendship with Tori a betrayal. He of all apes should know how cruel humans could be."

"I don't like humans either, Pope." Signed Dot as she sniffled. "I'm scared of all of them...But I don't hate them. Not all of them are bad." She gestured to the door. "The ones here aren't bad. You told me that when we came here." Out loud, she said: "Pope safe here."

"I know." Said Pope. Even though he hadn't touched his scars, they were no longer aching. The burning he felt under his skin was gone. "So is Dot."

---

Koba stared at the floor the entire time Tori walked with him. It was easier to watch the marks in the old tile move than looking anywhere else. Despite knowing he was safe, Koba felt like the walls were closing in on him. The hallways felt narrower than he remembered and when they went up the stairs, Koba felt like something was going to grab him at any second. This was why he felt relived that Tori was with him. Even if she didn't say anything at all, her company made the brink of panic feeling go away.

Tori didn't show it, but she was on edge too. She kept side glancing at the bonobo and eyeing his arms. Even though they were bandaged, she could still see the blood. It felt like the image of Koba running to her and bleeding would never leave her, no matter how hard she tried to block the memory out.

"Koba…" She croaked as she fully looked at him. When his eyes met hers, Tori found herself taking a good, long look at the scarred bonobo. From his scars, his black and bits of graying fur, to his green and milky eyes.

Koba was a survivor, Tori knew that. He had lived through hell, and had the scars to prove it. He was shorter than her by only two inches, but he was stronger than her. Strong enough to beat a man to death. He would have broken her neck and killed her if Blue Eyes hadn't stopped him, but that was what he was: powerful and fearsome. But now, standing in the hallway of the infirmary and just feet away from his door, Tori could see something had changed. Maybe Koba was already changing when she met him, or maybe it was buried deep within his being that was only now reaching the surface, but she saw it as clear as day.

How could anyone so strong look so fragile? Or so frightening look so afraid? And how could scars look like open wounds?

"Do you feel safe in that room?" Her throat felt too dry to ask out loud.

Koba glanced at the door and then back at her. "I think so…My father and sister are in there and they won't let anything happen to me." The room itself was safe. There wasn't anything Koba, whether he meant to or not, could use to hurt himself with. Even if Carlos decides to rant about humans, Dolly could make him feel more at ease.

Tori knew this too, but it didn't make her feel any better. "What if you were left by yourself?" She pressed on. "Would you feel safe if you were alone?"

That question wasn't just hard, but it was also one that Koba tried to avoid. Each time he had harmed himself, he had been alone. The first time, he had done it consciously and had wanted to die but this time he didn't realize he had done it. Nor did he want to do it. How could he feel safe alone when he can't even trust himself?

"…I don't know…" He answered with hesitant signs.

Tori bit her lip, feeling cold on the inside. Choking her. The whole time she was washing off the sand from her skin and changing out of her swimsuit and into her regular clothes, Tori had been worrying about the bonobo. She knew her father had abused them differently, but it wasn't just her father that hurt Koba. There were other humans who abused him too, each one leaving a mark on the bonobo's skin. And now she was beginning to realize that Koba's scars ran deeper than what showed on the surface. His blind eye and the scar running down over it, the scar on his neck, the one on his forearm and all the other scars on his body were just the ones that can been seen. His other scars, the most serious and worst ones, were hidden.

Taking in a breath and letting it out in a shaky sigh, Tori pulled Koba into a tight hug. She suddenly felt this need to hold him, to feel his furry, muscled body against hers. The feeling was similar to that panicky, earth shattering feeling she used to feel as a little girl when she feared she'd lose her mother. She needed this to let her know that he was still here. Still alive and not just a memory. That she didn't lose him.

Koba wasn't expecting to suddenly be hugged, but he found himself unable to move. Frozen by Tori's arms. He could feel her bury her face into his shoulder. What is she…?

Koba's eyes widened when he felt something cold and wet suddenly drip on his skin and dampen his fur. Shortly after, he heard a sniffle come from her.

"Tori?" Koba wrapped his arms around her as he returned the embrace, shocked. He knew Tori was worried about him, but he didn't expect this from her. Did he really worry her enough to actually make her cry?

Tori didn't answer him. She just held on to the bonobo, letting the black fur tickle her nose as she breathed in the pine smell that lingered on him. Koba's fur wasn't very soft, but feeling it gave her comfort. She wished it could stay like this. Koba in her embrace, safe from all harm and her knowing no one can hurt either of them anymore. All the while, the rest of the world stands still as it stops moving.

But at some point, all hugs must break apart. Tori rubbed her face, trying to dry the tears away.

"Sorry." She croaked in a cracking voice. "I hate losing people...And I don't want to lose you."

"Tori-"

"Just promise me you won't hurt yourself again." Tori's voice was almost pleading. "If you ever feel unsafe like that, tell me. If not me, then one of the others."

Koba just stared at her. The only person who had ever been this worried about him was Dolly, but she was his sister and a fellow ape. Koba wasn't used to a human worrying this much about him and it left him feeling confused. "Koba promise." He said, and he meant it.

Tori sighed. Letting the thickness she felt go. "Good." She breathed. "I'm going to go back to the others. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Tori, wait."

Tori turned to look at him, meeting his eyes. Despite drying her face, tears still glistened in Tori's eyes. Koba could only bite at his lip with the tips of his teeth. The only thing he ever hated more than humans was this feeling that would come whenever he was confused and didn't know what to do. Luckily, he only felt this feeling when he was around other bonobos. Koba didn't dislike his own kind, more like didn't understand them and their craziness. Sometimes he found it hard to believe he and his sister shared the same species with a bunch of gossipy, crazy, and literal 'mate-hoping' apes when he and Dolly didn't share that behavior nor had any interest in it…But Koba never felt this kind of confusion with any other ape, let alone with a human.

Too unsure to speak, he signed: "Why are you so worried about me?…I know you are, but I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Not your fault." Signed Tori. "I'm worried because…" Her hands froze.

Koba wasn't sure what this meant, but before he could say anything, Tori sighed. Her next words would shock him. "Because you're the only good thing that has happened to me in so long."

---

Malcolm hadn't seen Ellie since that morning. Now that it was later in the day, about noon, he was wondering where she was. He had just entered one of the hallways of the infirmary when he heard Ellie's voice come from one of the other rooms. He was about to go inside, when...

"What's his name?"Asked a voice Malcolm didn't recognize.

"Koba."

Koba? Their talking about Koba? Come to think of it, Malcolm hadn't seen the one eyed bonobo all day. Curious, he stood by the door and listened.

"What kind of ape is he?"

"Bonobo."

"Do you know how old he is?"

"Hmm, maybe twenty-six? He was born in 2000, and he was sixteen at the time he and the apes escaped the city."

"Aside from his blind eye, do you know if he has any allergies or health problems?"

"He's allergic to the drug ingredient Phialaziphine. They experimented it on him back at Gen-Sys and he had a severe allergic reaction and they had to remove his appendix and gull bladder. I don't think it caused any long term problems though."

There was a brief silence and Malcolm realized whoever Ellie was talking to was probably taking notes.

"Ok, I have one more question: To your knowledge, does he have a history of violence or suicidal behavior or attempts?"

Violence? Suicidal behavior? What are they talking about in there?

Ellie took a minute before answering. "...Violence yes, suicidal I'm not sure...He did attempt to kill Caesar, the leader of the apes, and start a war with humans. I don't know of any other suicide attempts before the one in the jail."

"Ellie, I have to ask. Do you think Koba is a danger to humans or to other apes?"

"No. Not anymore."

"Do you think he's a danger to himself?"

"…That I don't know. He doesn't want to hurt himself, but I'm afraid he might do it unintentionally."

Silence for a minute again.

"Alrighty, I'll talk to my psychiatrists and see if any of them will take his case. If not, then I can see him. Until then, make sure he's in a calm, safe environment."

"Ok thank you, Mike. That means a lot." Ellie was probably about to open the door when she suddenly said: "Oh! One more thing. Koba is fluent in Sign Language. He speaks verbally but I think he's more comfortable in Sign Language."

"Not a problem Ellie, me and all my psychiatrists know ASL too."

"Oh good! Thank you." That was when Ellie walked out of the room and saw Malcolm as the door closed behind her. "Malcolm." She gasped in surprise.

"What happened?" Asked Malcolm. "What's going on with Koba?"

Ellie sighed, letting the heaviness in her chest settle. She had a feeling Malcom, or one of the others, would eventually ask that. She didn't think to ask Koba if he'd like them to know about his latest brush with suicide, but she supposed they'd have to know regardless. "Come with me." She said as she took Malcolm's hand.

"Where are we-?" Malcolm didn't get a chance to finish asking before his question got answered when Ellie pulled him into a random supplies closet.

"Koba tried to hurt himself again." Ellie said as soon as they're alone.

Malcolm's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

"He had a nightmare about his past and then he had a blackout. When he woke up, he had deep cuts on his arms."

"Blackout?…Are you saying he wasn't in control of himself when he-?"

"God, I don't know Malcolm." Ellie ground out, feeling frustrated with the whole thing. "Koba is scared, he doesn't understand why he did this anymore than I do. He wants help, so I was just talking with Mike, who used to run a psychiatric clinic that specialized in PTSD and other disorders that may attribute to it. Some of his psychiatrists are still around, so maybe they can help him."

Malcolm could barely wrap his mind around this. He knew Koba wasn't better, but he didn't think he'd hurt himself again either. Maybe they should have gone to Mike sooner. Maybe the very day after Koba's suicide attempt in the jail they should have gotten him that help. But things kept happening and now, Malcolm felt like Koba's problems had gotten worse without anyone realizing it...Did that mean it was too late to help him?

"...So where is he now?" He asked in a calmer voice. Hoping the scarred bonobo was ok.

"I had Tori walk him back to his room. As far as I know, he's with his father and sister right now."

That sounded like a good place for him. In a familiar room with people who love him most of all. Malcolm hoped that was enough to keep Koba safe, for now anyway...And if he's in that room, then whoever sent that message can't get to him either, right?

"Are you ok?" Ellie had noticed the look on his face.

Malcolm hesitated before realizing there was no point in keeping it a secret from her. Besides, if there really is someone watching them, not telling Ellie may do more harm than good. "After you left, Foster found something...Ellie, someone's watching us."

Ellie blinked at him in disbelief. "What? Watching us?"

"Watching us and Foster, and Maurice, and Blue Eyes and-and everyone else. I don't know how long it's been going on but, whoever it is, knows who we are and where we go every day." Even as he explained it, Malcolm could feel how dangerous this situation was. There was still no way of knowing what this person's intentions were, but if they knew as much about the group as Malcolm feared, then that person could easily do them harm if they wanted to.

Ellie looked at him with shock, which then melted to fear and worry. "Show me." She rasped. It wasn't that she wanted to see that message, but rather she needed to see it. If only to make sense of this new, possible threat.

---

Red, completely unaware that he was being watched by the colonel's camera, was trying to keep himself awake and was losing the battle. Since the hallway had no windows, there was no way of knowing whether it was day or night, so he and Winter had been awake for hours. When Winter started to get sleepy, Red offered to keep watch so the albino could sleep for a little while.

Idiot. He scolded himself. You need your rest too, what makes him so special? Despite his annoyance at Winter, Red knew he was the one who had suggested it and he had good reason to. He knew that if Winter had to keep watch first, he'd most likely jump at every sound he hears and even if the hallway remained empty, that didn't mean Winter wouldn't be too scared to protect himself or Red. No, it had to be Red to take the first watch.

The red furred gorilla was literally about to fall asleep when a poke from Winter startled him awake. "Did any soldiers come?" Despite actually getting some sleep, Winter looked tired but not tired enough to not be scared.

"No. Did you sleep well?"

"Not really. I wish I could lay down."

Technically, McCullough never said anything about sleeping when he brought them here. He didn't say they couldn't lay down on the floor if they wanted to, but both gorillas were too cautious of whatever the consequences for doing so could be to do it so Winter ended up sleeping while standing up. Even though Red hadn't fallen asleep himself, his legs and back ached from hours of standing.

"Red? Winter? Still there?" Came Rose's voice from the other side of the door.

Sometimes, Rose would come closer to the door and talk to them for a bit. Talking was always awkward, since they could only verbally speak and Winter and Red hardly ever used their voices and Rose, despite being better at speaking than they were, struggled to pronounce some of her words. But talking filled the otherwise silent halls with noise and that was better than not having it.

"Yes. Still here." Red wondered if they were even allowed to talk to her. He and the other Gorilla Guardians didn't talk to the human called Malcolm when he came to the gates of the village, but that was different. He was an intruder to their home, a possible threat to the apes. Rose was just a child that McCullough kept locked away for unknown reasons.

For some reason, thinking about Malcolm and the humans in the city made Red's blood boil. He knew it wasn't Malcolm's fault the Alpha-Omegas invaded the Ape Village and took him and Winter away but ever since those humans first showed up in the forest, nothing good has happened. He wanted to blame them for everything. That none of this would have happened if the humans in the city weren't still there. It was just easier that way, but it was wrong. For all Red knew, the colonel and the soldiers probably would have came to the forest whether the apes knew there were still humans or not.

"You…Ok, Rose?" Asked Winter. He knew no one had been in that room since he and Red met the small bonobo, but that didn't mean she was alright. The room wasn't a cage, but it minus well be.

"Yes." There was a brief silence before Rose asked: "What it like?…Where you…Come from?"

Red and Winter looked at each other. They hadn't expected her to ask about their home but then again, why wouldn't she? For all they knew, she never seen a forest in her entire life.

"It a forest." Said Red. "Big trees. Lakes, rivers...Apes build village there."

"Any...H-hue mans?"

"No humans. Only apes." Red found himself thinking about all the apes in the colony. He may not have liked Caesar's rule, but the apes who lived under it were all good people and he had nothing against them. He didn't even resent Lake, despite her being close to Blue Eyes. They all lived freely, with no humans to dictate their lives or cages to limit their world. With the sun to warm them during the day, endless trees to climb, fresh air to breathe, and stars to gaze up at at night. Children Rose's age would spend all day playing and conquering the forest, ignoring their parents stories of the past as they did.

Rose was about to ask another question, when the sound of a door opening and closing startled the three apes into silence. Red and Winter heard shuffling behind Rose's door, and knew the little bonobo had ran deeper into her room. Possibly to hide under her blanket. Footsteps echoed in the hallway, coming closer to them. Red stiffened, unsure what to do. Winter was trying to hide his fear, but was doing a terrible job at it.

Three soldiers appeared from the corner and walked right up to them. One of them had a blindfold and the other had a syringe. "The Colonel wants to see you." The one who only had a gun on him, possibly the leader of the trio, was facing the two gorillas-but he had his gaze directly at Red.

Red didn't have time to react, the blindfold was on his face in seconds. The instinct to fight back and run screamed at him but Red knew better and just let the soldiers lead him away. "You stay here." He heard the lead soldier say to Winter.

Red turned his head in the direction of where Winter was, but couldn't see him due to the blindfold. "Don't! Be! Afraid!" He called out from the hallway. Red felt like he should say something more, but that was all he had time to say before he felt the sting of the needle as it penetrated the skin on his shoulder and felt himself start to fall asleep. The only thing he could think was: At least I get some sleep now.

"Red!" Winter cried after he heard those three words. His heart pounded as he heard the soldier's footsteps disappear, taking Red with them.

He was alone. For the first time since being kidnapped, he was all alone…Alone in an unknown location with only the ceiling lights and the thick walls to offer protection. But Winter felt exposed, naked without protection from whatever could be lurking just around the corner. Winter glanced from left to right, feeling as if the walls themselves were closing in on him. As if the shadows were reaching for him. His breathing became quicker and he pressed himself into the wall and began to rock.

He and Red were never friends before all this happened and it probably wasn't fair for the shorter gorilla to have Winter leaning on him for protection when Red needed it just as much as the albino himself did.

But Winter wasn't Red. Red could take care of himself. Red isn't afraid of anything…He's not a coward like Winter is…And even if Red couldn't keep him safe, his company was enough to make Winter feel like he was.

"Winter?"

Winter nearly jumped out of his skin. His eyes darted as he looked around, but didn't see anything. Is this place haunted?!

"Winter? What…What ha-happened?"

Rose…It was Rose! The bonobo was too young and too small to offer him any protection, but she was here with him! He wasn't really alone! Winter breathed a sigh of relief, finding comfort in the child's company.

As he calmed down, Winter's fear turned from his own safety to Red's. Why did the soldiers take him? What is the colonel going to do with him? "…They…Took…Red…" He panted as the severity of the situation settled in.

Rose, meanwhile, tilted her head at the gorilla's words. Soldiers always came down here. Sometimes to stand outside the door, and other times to walk by it. No one that walked through these hallways never stayed long, but some always came back-like the man with holes in his face.

"When will…He…C-Come. back?" She asked. Rose had only known the two gorillas for a short time, but she liked them. Many people came and went, but they were the first to actually talk to her. The only other person to do that was the man with holes in his face, but only to ask her questions about other peoples dreams and then he'd give her a treat. Then he'd leave, but he'd always come back.

Not when. Winter thought. Will. The real question here, was will Red come back…And if not, then…? Winter inhaled and exhaled slowly as he realized he many never see Red again. What's going to happen to him?

"I…Don't know." Don't be afraid. Red's words weighed heavily in Winter's head. He blinked and the sting of tears hurt his eyes. Mentally, he promised: I'll try…But stay alive, Red…Please don't leave me here.

---

The colonel wants to see you…Preacher stiffened as the very words said to him were repeated in the hallways outside his door. He had replayed those words nearly a hundred times in his head, but hearing them spoken by a voice that didn't belong to his memory made his heart stop.

Flashback:

The holding chamber always gave Preacher goosebumps. The long hallway was like a maze and each footstep taken on it's floor echoed and sounded like light slamming. Every time he had the displeasure of visiting this place, Preacher would focus on whatever his orders were and pretend he wasn't standing within feet of frightened apes and just over the heads of the humans who'd never see the light of day again.

Today, it was different. McCullough had called him here and requested that he'd come alone. The short walk to the furthest room in the holding chambers felt longer than usual. McCullough hadn't told him why he had called him down here or what was going on. Just to meet him in the single holding cell.

He hesitated before knocking on the door. "Sir?"

"Come in, Preacher."

He opened the door. McCullough, wearing his army fatigues, was standing over an ape who's hands were chained behind it's back. Unlike all the other apes when brought to the holding chambers, this one wasn't chained to the wall.

IT. That was how the soldiers were supposed to refer to an ape who's name they didn't know. IT. That was what the apes looked like to most of the soldiers. Not someone's child, not a wife, not a husband, not a mother or father, not a sibling, not a friend, not even a person. Just. An. IT. He understood why this was so, but it was a hard pill to swallow regardless.

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Despite being careful, the door made a loud slam as it clicked back into place. Everything sounded loud here.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" He asked.

"Yes." McCullough looked at him, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. Preacher hated those glasses. They made him feel intimidated by his own leader…Maybe that's why the colonel wore them so much. "Remember how supplies had been disappearing?"

"Yes, Sir." Food, water and medical supplies was limited and had been since the virus, but it was especially important out here with the everlasting coldness of winter and few warm days of spring, fall and summer. It made sense that everyone in the base wouldn't be happy to find their treasured inventories and infirmaries suddenly emptying with no known cause.

"I think I've found our culprit." McCullough nodded at the ape.

Preacher glanced at the ape. He froze. The ape…Was the very female chimpanzee that had given him the apple!

She looked back up at him, her glare meeting his in secret recognition. She wasn't afraid of him, he could tell. Why would she? He was just a soldier who couldn't even stand up for himself. Let alone be a threat to her. But McCullough was, and she wasn't afraid of him either. She looked at the colonel right in the eyes with no fear. Only disgust and anger, as if she were looking at something that crawled out of horse scat.

Preacher gulped. He didn't want to be in this room anymore.

"Now then." Preacher stole himself and looked at the colonel. "I want you to interrogate her. Any and all information you get out of her, you tell me immediately."

Preacher knew he was a sunken ship right then and there. Why the heck would McCullough have him do an interrogation when he couldn't even stop other soldiers from bullying him? It was an assignment that Preacher knew he'd fail, like that Chemistry project he had to do in eighth grade or that time his old high school friends dared him to do a handstand in twelfth grade. Though he now felt like he could do either one of those things better than actually intimidate someone to give him information. Even if it was an ape.

He didn't have much choice back then though. There was no getting out that Chemistry project unless Mr. Brown canceled it and Preacher's friends would have teased him if he didn't do the handstand, but in both situations he would have lived. Not obeying McCullough, however, could result in his death.

He reluctantly nodded his head. "Yes, Sir."

"Good." McCullough turned around and opened the door. But not before giving the soldier one last glance. "I'll check back with you in five hours."

Preacher kept his stoic face until the colonel closed the door behind him. Then he sighed and gulped again. Feeling as though he may vomit on the spot. Thank goodness there are no cameras in the holding room. Otherwise, the entire base would see how weak and stupid he actually was.

He felt eyes on him, making him nervous. He turned around and saw the chimp staring at him. Her spring eyes looking right into his. How can an ape have eyes like that?

How am I going to do this? Preacher thought about all the tough guys in the base. The ones who knew how to get information out of their victims. What would they do?

Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to the chained ape. "I'm Preacher." He assumed this would be the easiest way to start. Ask the easy questions and building his way up to the harder ones. "What's your name?" Did she even have one?

She continued to stare at him. Preacher wondered if she understood him at all. He was about to ask another question when she answered: "Hazell."

Again, Preacher felt his inside bounce. He was still not used to apes talking to him, but how could her voice be so calming and yet so rasped?

"I'm from Wyoming. Small town, near the forest. I had to leave because of the virus." This was probably a bad idea. Ask and talk about personal stuff before the real interrogation…But Preacher knew he was stalling, he was just hoping Hazell didn't. "Where did you come from?"

"The. Wild." Hazell's eyes seemed to change then. She looked almost sad. "Taken. By humans. Put in zoo." She motioned with one hand their surroundings. "End up. Here."

Now Preacher always knew all the apes originated from the wild somehow. If they weren't born there themselves, their parents or grandparents were. But he never knew which ones were born in zoo's or in labs, and which ones were born in the wild and he never actually talked to one of those wild-born apes. And now, despite everything he knew about the apes, Preacher found himself feeling bad for Hazell, and for all the other apes who had been ripped from their world in Africa. He wasn't supposed to feel sympathy, but he felt it like a pain in his chest.

Wait! What if she's manipulating him?! Trying to get into mind and turn him against his fellow soldiers?!

"Did you steel our supplies?" Preacher may not be the strongest human on this base, but he certainly wasn't the stupidest! He wasn't going to let Hazell and her sob story get to him so easily!

"Maybe." Hazell's eyes hardened. Her spring eyes still focused on him. It honestly sent chills down his back. "Maybe not."

"Answer me!" It took all of Preacher's strength to shout in that tone.

Hazell rolled her eyes at him. It was as if she could tell he wasn't good at this. "Humans. Always. Steel from apes. What difference. Does it make. If apes. Steel. From humans?"

"That's not the question!" But she's right. Preacher didn't want to admit it, but there was some truth to Hazell's words. His fellow soldiers, scientists in labs, poachers in Africa, and who knows how many other humans, did steel from the apes. They stole them away from their family and friends, their liberty, and in some cases, their lives. It seemed petty to be angry at them for steeling food when humans had stolen so much more than just fruit and bread from apes, but that wasn't how McCullough saw things.

"Th-That apple you shared with me! Where did it come from?!"

This time, he got a real answer. "From. Bag."

"Ah ha! So you admit you stole it!"

"I give. It. Back. To you." Despite him yelling at her, she was still calm. "Is that. Still. Stealing?"

"Yes! You ate half of it!"

Hazell looked annoyed at him. "YOU give me. Half."

"Yes, I-" Preacher's eyes widened when he realized he had forgotten that little detail. "Shit!" If Hazell had given him the apple, it was still stealing because she had taken it from the inventory. But if Preacher had given her half of it, was it still stealing?

Preacher sighed in frustration. He was doing a horrible job at this. Boyle would have her begging for mercy by now if he was the one interrogating her.

Glancing back at Hazell, he asked: "Why did you give me that apple anyways?"

Much to his surprise, Hazell shrugged her shoulders. He didn't know apes knew how to do that. "Preacher hungry." She said as she motioned to him. "Hazell hungry." She motioned to herself. "Equal to. Each other. Only difference. I had apple. I give it to you. Show kindness humans don't show to apes."

"Then why did I share it with you?" This question was more out of annoyance than for the sake of intimidating her.

Again, Hazell shrugged and turned her head away. "Don't know."

"Hay!" Preacher grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. He frowned at her. "You will look at me when I'm speaking to you! You didn't deserve that apple half! I don't know why I gave it to you! Soldiers never feed apes that kind of food!-"

"May-Be! You not real soldier!" Hazell shouted back at him.

Preacher, startled by the loud tone, jumped back. He stared at her as her words sunk in. Not a real soldier? What was that supposed to mean?! That he wasn't strong enough?! That he wasn't scary like the others?!

"I'll show you…!" He barked as he marched back to her until his face was inches from hers. "I'll show you I'm a real soldier!" He knew what he'd do. He'll interrogate her and torture her until he got all the information out of her. Until there's nothing left of her. He swore, on his gun, that he'd break her-no! That he'd DESTROY her!

Hazell, despite the human shouting in her face…Despite his voice being loud enough to vibrate through her being…glared at him right in the eye. Showing no fear.

End of Flashback

Not a real soldier. At the time, Hazell probably said those words to get him to let go of her. A forced explanation for Preacher's decision. But now he knew, whether she meant it or not, that Hazell was both right and wrong.

Preacher was a soldier. She was wrong about that. But she was right that he wasn't the kind of soldier that McCullough wanted. In his dark room, Preacher wondered if this was something war vets had to figure out themselves in the old days. Before the virus started. That there are two kinds of soldiers: The one that the world expects, and the one the individual wants to be. There maybe a thousand different ways to look at it but no matter what the individual fights for, who trains them, who tries to shape them or what their superiors want from them, it's ultimately the person themselves who decides what kind of soldier they are. Especially in the situation Preacher was in.

McCullough wanted him to be the kind of soldier that followed his orders to kill, destroy and leave misery and anguish in his wake. More than that, he wanted followers who'd mold the world to be the one he wanted.

Preacher knew he wasn't that kind of soldier. He figured that out long ago. He still wasn't sure what kind he was, but he knew he wanted the killing to stop. Preacher didn't mean to fall in love with Hazell, but he had. And he knew that if she had survived, if she had listened to him and escaped with the children, he would have married her…Maybe that's how to end the war…Not with hate, not with guns…But with love and understanding.

That was the kind of soldier he was. The kind that didn't want people to die.

---

Red slowly drifted in and out of consciousness until he was finally, fully, awake. Wherever he was now, it was dark, almost pitch black, and cold. Though he could not see anything, Red felt something hard and metallic on his wrists, his ankles, on his abdomen and around his neck. Pinning him to the flat surface his back was pressed on, preventing him from moving.

Despite the obvious trouble he was in, Red kept a stoic face. He wasn't going to let whatever hid in the shadows frighten him. Show no fear. He remembered his mother telling him. Fear doesn't make you weak but, if your enemy can smell it, it can kill you. She drilled that in his head from an early age. He still wasn't sure if she had been right but another side of him, perhaps a more childish side, still believed her.

"Finally." Came a voice from somewhere in the abyss of a room. "It's about time you've woken up."

It was the colonel, he was sure of it. He was the only human who's voice made Red queasy.

"Got anything to say, Donkey?"

Donkey? Is that his name now? He supposed so. Or maybe that's just what McCullough saw him as. Red kept his mouth shut.

The lights suddenly turned on, nearly blinding him. They were bright, like the way Winter's fur would glow in the sunlight. Only stronger, on purpose. Meant to burn the eyes.

McCullough was immune to the brightness by his sunglasses, which blared cruelly in the light. He walked over to the gorilla who was pinned on the wall. Taking slow steps, letting the sound echo in the room until he was close to Red. So close, that the gorilla could see his reflection in his glasses. "I said, do you have anything to say?" He repeated coldly.

Red knew what he was doing. He was trying to intimidate him. Assert his dominance. Make him scared of him. It's not going to work. "You. Don't scare me." But I should be. Red saw this man kill a newborn baby, and forced the infant's father to kill her mother and he knew the colonel was capable of other evils. By all means, he should be scared of him.

But he would never let McCullough know it. He had to have known he was frightening. Even to his own species. But he'll never see Red fear him.

McCullough was still for a second before backing away. He nodded to someone that Red couldn't see. Then Red heard the sound of a lever being pulled.

Then suddenly, pain. No, not just pain. Something more! It felt like his entire body was being stabbed with blades! It was so sudden, so strong that Red didn't have time to react. He wanted to scream, but it was trapped in his clenched jaw. The lever sound came again and the pain stopped as suddenly as it happened, leaving his body burning. The only sounds Red could make, was a strangled moan.

"Now." McCullough stepped closer again. "Let's talk about you."

Red winced with each word. His ears hurt as if sound itself were a weapon.

"Your name is Red, obviously because of your fur. You're from Caesar's colony, which means you follow his rule-But! There's something different about you." Red opened his eyes and saw McCullough's face just inches from his. "You want to survive. You want to live, just like me. You'd do anything to survive."

"I-! D-Don't! Kill! To survive!" Red managed to yell.

"Maybe not!" McCullough yelled back as the lever pulled again, sending Red back into the shaking pain. "But I do!"

The pain lasted longer than before and when it stopped, Red could barely suppress a whimper. The stabbing pain had doubled, now attacking his insides!

"Your name is Red because you're angry." McCullough's voice was different, his tone faster. Louder. "I don't know what you're angry about, but there's anger in you and you want to let it out!"

"Nnn…N-No-!"

The lever pulled, but this time Red screamed. His body flailed and shook as the pain ripped and tore at him. When it stopped, the back of his head and body hurt from banging into the wall.

"Your name is Red!" Stop saying that! Red's mind begged. "The color of blood! You care for your own survival! You don't care for anyone else! Not even your own kind!" McCullough was shouting at him. There was only one of him, but the echoing in the room made it sound as if there were more than just one McCullough. Red swore he saw more of them, surrounding him as they shouted at him. "You will kill for me!"

"Ssssstop! S-Stop!" Red pleaded.

Red, who had never let his pain show or let his enemy sense his fear, was in too much agony to fight his fear. The gorilla had always pictured his fear as a caterpillar, forever hidden behind layers of it's cocoon. He felt as though that cocoon had been broken, it's folds ripped away and his terror exposed. So exposed, the colonel could smell, feel and hear it as it filled the room.

Red wanted it to stop…But McCullough won't stop. The lever pulled, this time the bolt of lightning was so strong, the lights began to flicker.

"Your name is Red! The color of blood! Your name is Red! The color of blood! Your name is Red! The color of blood!" McCullough kept repeating the same words, over and over again until it was the only sound Red could hear.

Red, now writhing in pain, wanted to die. Anything would be better than this.

---

It had been a long day for everyone, a blur of worrying and just going through the motions. So when night fell on the city, and the sky became blackened, they all went to sleep without trouble. Most were just exhausted from working on the radio, but others were still afraid for their friends, their loved ones, and that message. Nonetheless, they were all ready to close their eyes and let the memory of today fade from their minds.

But while dark night gave the group time to find sanctuary in their dreams, it also offered the perfect camouflage for someone to sneak around in. After waiting until the entire colony, humans and apes, had fallen asleep, the figure made their move. Hidden in the night, no one knew they were here. No one knew what was to come.

Caesar and the apes never displayed fear in the eyes of the survivors in the city and even if they did fear the humans, they only feared what the humans could do to their home. Malcolm and the others were told to fear the apes, but they never did. And they certainly never feared one of their own…But they'll soon find that they should be afraid…They all should be very afraid.

They wouldn't find that out until morning, though. Until then, they'd have to enjoy the peace while they still can. There wouldn't be anymore of this calmness, of this restful sense of safety, for a long time.

---

A's/N: Wooh! Sure glad this one is finished. Now I can start on the next one! XD

That's right guys, we're gonna get some more background stories! Has anyone else noticed that, as of right now, Koba and Caesar are the only apes whose backgrounds are known? What is up with that? Anyways, here's what I made up so far!: Ariyah (Pronounced: R-E-Yah) is Red's mother and Dash is Rocket's older brother. Both characters are technically dead, but we will see them in flashbacks. In case anyone is worried about reading a lot of different backgrounds of different characters, all backgrounds do relate or correlate with each other so it shouldn't be much of an issue.

I don't know if Red was really born premature, but he does share a characteristic I read about once. I'm probably wrong, but aren't animals who are born premature or are the 'runt of the litter' tend to be more desperate for survival? If that's true then it would explain why Red cared so much about his own survival in War. And also, in Revelations, Red was described as being 'short'. That could be just a height/gene-related thingy but it could be from being born premature too. Plus, if he was born premature and he was born at a zoo (possibley the San Fransisco Zoo), then it would be possible that Red and Caroline would know each other...Don't worry, we'll see more flashbacks like this later! X3

Speaking of Red! In War, Red became a Donkey and worked for McCullough voluntarily so he could survive. In my version, what if Red was brainwashed/tortured by McCullough and then forced to work for him? And when Red is a Donkey and doing whatever McCullough tells him to do, it's not out of any disloyalty he has towards Caesar but actually because he had been broken down and rebuild into McCullough's donkey and is under his control?...This opens a door for Winter to start shining and a possible role for Tanoddah

Pope's past is also explored a little bit here! My thought is that he was pressed against a burning chain linked/wire fence and was burned as a child which gave him his scars. Meanwhile, we also learn about Dot's past of living in a zoo-sort! XD

I imagine Ellie also has LOTS of connections to the medical personnel survivors in the city. LOL

I actually made that flashback scene with Preacher and Hazell earlier and it was originally going to be in...I think chapter 13 or 14(?), but it got moved because it didn't fit well to me and as I was writing that scene with Winter and Rose, I thought this would be the perfect place to put it.

Remeber when I said that I wasn't done with Koba?...Get ready cause the next chapter is going to be a doozy! XD

Now then, about that figure running around the city...Sweet dreams! XD

Thanks for reading and please review! :D