A's/N: And another long awaited chapter is finally posted! XD Sorry guys, I can't believe I made you all wait that long for this one but I didn't want to post it until it was perfect so here it is!

Warning! The following chapter mentions death, blood, gore and body mutilation (not that detailed, I swear!). I know I said that dead body in chapter 5 will be the only gore in the story, but the plot has expanded since then so I guess that means there's two now. 'XD

Remeber in chapiter one where I started the story right where Koba is about to shoot Caesar? This chapter has a similar awkward begning-The first bit (or flashback of what happened earlier) is told in Koba's point of view and then shifts to Malcolm and Ellie. Shouldn't cause any probalmes, but just thought you should know.

Enjoy the chapter! :D

Earlier that morning

"OH MY GOD!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"SOMEONE GET ELLIE!"

"HOLY SHIT!"

The loud voices seemed far away. It was as if he were underwater, unable to fully hear the noises. When Koba opened his eyes, he felt like the world was spinning and he was in the center of it. As he slowly sat up, his head pounded. He put a hand to his face but it did nothing to help with the pain.

"Koba-!" Another voice said. Koba recognized it as Malcolm's. His vision was still blurry, so it was hard to fully see the man's face. "Koba, are you ok?!"

"Mmmaaal…Um." Koba gurgled, barely able to pronounce the name. Why was he so dizzy?

"Koba?"

"Diz…Z-zy" He tried to stand up but Malcolm quickly stopped him.

"No, no. Stay down." There was an urgency in the human's voice that he couldn't understand. As Koba felt Malcolm's hands on his shoulders, he suddenly became aware of how wet his fur was. Almost sticky. "What happened here?"

"Whaa…?"

"Last night. Koba, do you remember anything?"

Right as Malcolm asked, Koba caught a glimpse of something. He turned his head to the right, and saw Dolly lying on the floor with something else near her…She was covered in..!..In-!

Suddenly, before Koba had any time to react, vomit burned his throat as it burst from his mouth. Then everything went black again.

Present time

"The body was dismembered." Malcolm described in a solemn voice. "The only part that was still attached was the head."

Ellie sighed, lowering her face into her hands. She had hoped that it wasn't as bad as the infirmary staff had described it. That maybe they exaggerated it. Intelligent or not, apes weren't normally this violent and they certainly didn't tare up a body with their bare hands. Now, she just felt defeated.

"Ellie." Malcolm sounded just as upset as she felt. "What are we going to do?"

Ellie shook her head sadly. "...I don't know...Even if Koba and Dolly didn't do it, no one will believe them unless we can prove it...And if they did, then..." Ellie's voice broke then. Neither of them wanted to go there.

Despite that, the question was still there: Could those two bonobos really have done this? And if they did, then how? Why? Did that nightmare make Koba snap? He killed humans before, but never like this. But then why would Dolly be in on it if she never was before?

"No." Malcolm's chest felt heavy, like a brick was lodged somewhere in his ribs. "They didn't do this."

"Malcolm-"

"No!" He repeated in a louder tone. "Ellie, we know Koba. We've seen him snap before. He wouldn't do something like this and for all we know, Dolly never killed a human in her life. Let alone rip their body apart."

"But if they didn't do it, then who did?" Ellie agreed with Malcolm, but in her heart, she knew whatever they believed wouldn't be enough to prove Koba and Dolly's innocence.

Malcolm felt that crushing blow of defeat again. There was no one else to blame. Nothing to indicate someone else did this.

They heard someone approaching them just then. "Dreyfus." Ellie gasped when she saw him.

"I assume you two know about what happened?" Dreyfus asked as he approached them.

Oh no. Malcolm thought as he turned to the mayor and frowned at him. "Dreyfus, I swear if you put Koba in that jail again, I'm going to-!"

"Relax Malcolm, I'm not putting anyone in jail." Dreyfus interrupted, throwing Malcolm off guard.

Malcolm stared at him for a second in disbelief. "What?"

Ellie glanced from Dreyfus to Malcolm and back to him. Slowly, a little smile crept on her face. "Are you serious?" She asked.

Dreyfus nodded. "Aaron thinks they should be locked up, but I'm not convinced Koba and his sister did this."

"So...You're going to help us?" Malcolm was amazed by the sudden change in the other man.

"Yes." Dreyfus was shocked at himself too. When he found out about the dead man in that room, he knew it was plausible that an ape or two had torn and ripped him apart limb from limb. If an ape had enough strength to beat a human to death, it wouldn't be too hard for them to mutilate their body without a sharp instrument.

But Koba never did this to any of his previous victims and Dolly was never violent to humans before. It just didn't add up. "Now, lets get some answers."

The first floor of the infirmary had the most beds, it looked more like something out of a war setting than in the ruins of a hospital. It was also where more of the staff were, and they kept watch twenty-four-seven. Meaning, no one could come in or out of that floor without someone seeing them. Even so, Luca stood guard at the twin bonobo's bed sides. Not fully trusting they'd be safe unless he was there.

For Maurice, it felt like Dolly had never woken up from being tranquilized at all. The only differentiation between now and then was that Koba now laid in a bed with an IV in his arm too.

"Koba was definitely drugged." Said Riley, one of Ellie's nurse friends from the past. "I don't know about Dolly though."

"Is there anyway you can find out what kind of drugs? Test them or something?" It wouldn't surprise Malcolm if they couldn't. It amazed him how much he, and many of the survivors, took doctors and surgery for granted. When he was a child, Malcolm had had his tonsils removed. Now, they the few doctors that survived can't even do that.

"We can't do blood testing because of the lab being damaged." Riley reminded them. Actually, the lab was working during the virus pandemic, but due to contaminated blood mixing with the healthy samples, the entire room was closed off. Now, unable to really clean it, the lab was deemed too risky for use.

If the virus was still in there, Ellie doubted it would effect any of the apes. But the other diseases that had to be living in there, festering in the dried blood and the old needles, certainly would be dangerous for anyone. "What about the vomit?" She piped in. "If Koba was drugged, there may be traces of it in there."

Tori sat in a chair next to Koba's bed, staring at his unconscious face. Wondering if he'd ever wake up again. When she first heard that something had happened to him, Tori never thought Koba would be involved in some kind of murder. Now, she found herself trying to make sense of it all.

Maurice was sitting next to Dolly's bed with the same sad, confused look on his face.

Foster and Kempt appeared then, with them was Caesar, Stone and Rocket. "Ok, what the heck is going on?" Asked Kempt. "Almost everyone is freaking out."

"We're not sure yet." Said Dreyfus, attempting to explain. "Koba and Dolly were found with a dead man in their room."

"What?" Gasped Kempt.

"They didn't do it, did they?" Asked Foster, eyes wide.

"We don't know, that's what we're trying to figure out." Answered Dreyfus.

For a minute, Caesar's blood boiled. Another human dead…At, possibly, Koba's hands. Had the scarred bonobo been manipulating him and the others this whole time? Was all that sorrow and redemption talk just another lie? If so, then how could Caesar, of all of them, have been so stupid to fall for it?!

Rocket didn't know what Caesar was thinking, but he knew the Ape King was suddenly getting angry so he quickly tapped him on the shoulder. "Dolly not involved before." He signed. "Why she in it now?"

Caesar's anger dissipated as he realized Rocket was right. Koba had never involved his sister in his crimes before. In fact, Caesar had never known the female to fight anyone…Not even Ishmael, when he…

No. Koba would never manipulate his sister. Even if he tried, Dolly would likely see right through his lies. Then he remembered one other detail.

"Where. Carlos?" He asked the humans.

Carlos. Everyone froze, realizing that they had forgotten all about the elderly ape. Even Malcolm and Ellie, who were still talking with Riley, paused. That's right, Koba and Dolly share that room with their father. But when the body was found, Carlos was nowhere in sight.

"Shit…!" Dreyfus cursed as he realized Carlos was missing.

Malcolm walked over to them. "Kempt, you and Stone go look for Carlos."

"Right. See ya guys later, then." Said Kempt as he and Stone left. As the door closed behind them, Dreyfus looked at Malcolm.

"How the heck are they gonna find one ape in a half destroyed city?" He asked with a frown.

"They'll find him." Malcolm had to believe that.

"An elderly ape? Who had been on drugs for years? I don't think he could have gotten that far." Interrupted Foster before coming up with a thought himself. "Do you guys think maybe he had anything to do with this?"

"I don't think he could have left anything more than a scratch on that guy." Ellie interjected. "Let alone actually kill him." But that doesn't mean he wasn't the mastermind. She considered before quickly pushing the thought away. Even if Carlos had been the one to want this man dead, wouldn't Koba and Dolly have refused? It seemed more likely that Carlos had simply ran off when the chaos happened…Or possibly went to get help…But that still doesn't explain why this happened.

"While they look for Carlos, we could search that room." Said Malcolm. "See if there's something in there that was missed."

Ellie looked back at Riley. "If you find anything in the vomit, tell me."

"You know I will." Said Riley with a nod.

"Tori-" Dreyfus didn't even get to ask the question when the pink haired girl answered.

"I'm staying here." She barely looked up from the sleeping bonobo's face. "I don't want to leave him."

"I. Stay too." Said Maurice, surprising everyone with his voice. "With Dolly."

Ellie glanced at Riley who nodded, signaling that it was alright. "Might be a good idea if they stayed." She said as she looked at the others. "After whatever happened in that room, it would be nice if they woke up and found a familiar face with them."

Ellie was right. Besides, Tori was probably the only human Koba would open up to. And even though Maurice had never expressed it, Caesar and Rocket knew the orangutan liked Dolly.

"Luca, keep watch." Said Caesar, turning to the gorilla who nodded in response.

No one noticed him standing outside the hallway as he listened in, but Aaron heard everything. He quickly slipped away into the shadows as the group began to leave. If any of them were to look into the hallway he was previously standing in, they would be too late to see him. He had already left.

"What do you think all the drama this morning was about?" Signed Bon as he and Grey stood on top of a building.

"I don't know, some fight gone wrong maybe? They didn't really say much." Grey gave the best answer he could give.

The patrol had been woken up earlier than usual that morning by the Gorilla Guards. Caesar and the humans weren't very clear of what had happened, but told them to search the entire area. Now, the city was crawling with humans on the ground and apes jumping from building to building, all of them searching for what the Ape King called an intruder-or, anything that didn't belong. Grey wondered if Caesar even knew what they were looking for.

"Did you hear the screaming?" Bon kicked an old bag with a picture of a yellow bear on it out of his way. Whatever was inside was gooey and rotten, and he didn't want to know what was in there.

"How could I have not? Cedar and I woke up to it. Scared her half to death." That was only a half truth. Grey himself had practically jumped out of his skin when he heard the screaming. "It was humans screaming, right?"

"It had to be. They're the only ones I've ever heard make that sound." Bon thought for a minute before saying anything else. "...Grey? Do you feel safe here? In the city?"

Grey paused at the question. Safe? Well, safe isn't the right word to describe this place. They weren't in any danger here, but the city was too close to the past-back in the years of cages and zoos and labs, to feel like a safe place. "I don't know, does it matter? It's not like there's any other place."

"But what if there were a better place?" Bon pressed. "Would you want to go there?"

Grey looked Bon in the eyes. He knew a scheming ape when he saw one and Bon suddenly had the same kind of look in his eyes that Grey was used to seeing in Koba. Grey had never been friends with Bon before. He and Stone were friend with Koba and with his sister but the twin bonobos were also friends with Pope, and Bon and Rex were the ones that seemed to always follow the fishnet scarred chimpanzee around. Funny, Grey always thought Pope was the leader of the trio.

"What are you talking about?" He asked with a frown.

Bon glanced around before coming in closer so that only Grey could see his signs. "Rex and I are thinking about leaving."

Grey froze, taken aback. "Leave? Why?"

"We don't trust the humans." Bon saw the anger in Grey's eyes. "We think there might be another way-"

"What about the colonies uniting?!" Grey signed furiously. "What about all the good things humans and apes could do together?! Did Hazell's death not mean anything to you?!"

"You and I didn't even know her!" Bon signed with a frown of his own. "And besides, she mated with a human! That means she betrayed apes!"

"That doesn't mean she and her daughter deserved to die!"

"I didn't say that!" Bon didn't realize Grey would be this difficult. Pope was better at convincing than he was. "And considering her children are half human, do you really think they'd be accepted by the apes? By the humans? What do you think is going to happen to Hopely when he's older? He is cared for by Cornelia and the females now, but what happens after that? Do you want a hybrid around?"

Grey huffed at him, flustered and disgusted with the other chimp. Now he brings this up? After the two colonies united? After everyone agreed to work together? Unity was what Hazell had believed in, it had to mean something if she was so willing to risk her life for it.

But Bon was right about one thing. It didn't matter what his mother had fought for, Hopely would still be an outcast. Too ape to belong with humans, and too human to belong with apes. His very existence could easily be seen as taboo, a disgrace to both colonies. The only person who would accept him would be Preacher, his father. But if he dies, what would that mean for Hopely?

"I. Wouldn't mind. At all." Growled Grey. He didn't care what Bon said, it wasn't Hopely's fault he was half human and he didn't deserve to be treated as such.

Bon scowled. "Forget about Hopely." He signed, changing the subject. "What about your wife? Isn't she pregnant?"

Grey's face fell as he stared at him. "What?"

Bon knew he had him then. "I know you want to keep her and the baby safe, Grey. What kind of husband and father would let his family live in fear? Or in a place where they could be attacked at any moment?"

"Bon!" Yelled Spear from another building. When Bon looked at him, he signed: "Do you see anything?"

While Bon and Spear signed to each other, Grey thought about what was just said to him. Cedar and the baby were the reason why he stopped working with the council…The reason why he joined the patrol. He wanted nothing more than to protect them…But what if Bon was right? Maybe not about the humans, but what if the soldiers were too dangerous to fight? What if just by staying in the city, he could be putting his family in danger?

Grey frowned and shook his head at himself. No. That couldn't be right! Wouldn't Caesar and the others know if this place was too dangerous?

How would they? His mind asked. Unless the soldiers attack, how would we really know if we're in danger?

Pope's Dream

Pope is again trapped in the fog. It doesn't look any different than usual, but he is afraid. He feels like an elk or a rabbit, knowing that he is prey and the predator is coming for him. The scarred chimpanzee keeps turning his head around, too scared to move. The whiteness around him was thick enough to hide whatever is after him from view and he feels like something is going to jump out and attack him at any minute. He tries not to panic, but his fear is building on itself. He was so afraid, that Pope began to wish it was Rowena that glared at him. Her gaze, as intense and unsettling as it was, wasn't dangerous.

Suddenly, Pope heard the screeching of apes and then horses ran past him-or rather, through him. He heard gunshots, and humans screaming. It was at that moment that Pope realized he was standing in the middle of a battle. Humans and apes were at war! Fighting and killing each other off, one by one!

Was this it? He wondered. Are all the humans going to die? Will apes win?

This is what Koba had wanted. It was how Pope wanted the human to die so that he could take over.

But something was wrong. It wasn't battle cries he was hearing, but something more. Howls of pain, of creatures knowing that death was upon them and unable to escape it. A kind of terror that only doom could bring. More apes and humans were killing each other faster than Pope could blink. Most of them weren't even using weapons, but instead fighting each other with their bare hands. Slashing and biting each other as if their very lives depended on it. It was a savagery that Pope never seen an ape do and never thought a human could be capable of.

An ape suddenly dropped dead right at Pope's feet. Much to his horror, he realized it was Rocket. The balding chimp lay on his back, with a large knife protruding from his chest as blood spilled underneath him.

Then another fell, it was Spear. And then Grey appeared dead, and then Jeanpierre, and then Luca, and Bon, and Stone, and Maurice, and-!…They just kept coming! Ape after ape, all from the colony. Apes that Pope knew. In seconds, their bodies piled up in a grotesque wall. Threatening to fall over on top of the fishnet scarred chimp.

It was at that moment that Pope realized not all of the dead were apes. There was an equal amount of human bodies too…And he recognized them as well, Malcolm, Ellie, Dreyfus, Foster, Kempt, Tori, Alex, and many other humans from the city were all among the dead. Their lifeless eyes staring right up at the sky, never to focus on anything else again.

The entire colony was dead, he was sure of it. He had to be the only one left. But there were still apes fighting the soldiers…Some of them, he realized with a shriek, were skeletons. Long dead apes who were nothing more than bones. Still fighting, still screeching at their enemies as they battled on.

"It. Last longer. Than. You. Think." Came an all too familiar voice. Pope turned around and saw Hazell standing behind him. She looked more dead than usual. Her face white, her fur caked with dirt and maggots sticking to her. It was as if she had crawled out of her grave. "Continue. If not stop."

"Ha-Hazell?"

"Decide, Pope." Hazell's decaying body was suddenly disappearing. Becoming transparent. In a voice, so cold it made him feel as if ice were poking into his skin, she asked. "What. Are you. Fighting for?"

End of Dream

Pope woke up with his heart pounding. He looked around, expecting to see more dead and dying people, but only found the old walls of the room. It didn't make him feel any better, the room felt as if it were getting smaller and smaller! And soon, he'll suffocate in it!

Calm down! The voice shouted in Pope's mind. Only a nightmare. You're just overreacting! The fishnet scarred ape forced air into his lungs as he inhaled. In moments, he was breathing normally again.

He decided right then and there that he was done with this room. Pope didn't care where he'd sleep from now on, as long as it didn't contain four walls and a door.

"Dot?" He asked, thinking maybe the silvery eyed female would like to go outside today. He certainly could use the fresh air.

No answer. Dot must be still asleep, but wouldn't he have waken her up with his nightmare?

"Dot…?" He tried again. Still no answer.

That's when Pope realized he was all alone. The bed was empty-in fact, he had thrashed around so much that all the bedding was on the floor. But no Dot. Where could she have gone off to?

Then, he saw it. Pope's ears immediately became hot as he stared at the syringe on the floor.

Koba's heart pounded as he felt the stinging of a needle in his arm. His body felt paralyzed, as if something held him down. In his silent panic, he felt as if he were laying on a table and was back at Gen-Sys. Any minute, he'll hear the voices of humans who'll do things to his body without the mercy of being put to sleep and he'll see light. He'll go away again. He'll be back in his cage, unable to feel and unable to care about anything. The pain will start soon. He will be his pain and he doesn't want to, but if he just fights-!

Tori, who had fallen asleep with her hand holding Koba's, woke up when she heard his breathing become faster. She lifted her head up, just in time to see the scarred bonobo's eyes snap open and his right arm reach over to the IV in his other arm.

He was trying to yank it out!

"Koba-! No!" Tori immediately took both of his hands in hers. She didn't dare pull his hand away from the IV, fearing she may pull it out if he already had a grip on it. "No, no, stop. Just look at me."

Koba looked up, expecting to see Jacobs, but the face he saw instead made everything stop. Tori. Her pink hair, her brown eyes, the faint smell of salt and ocean water on her skin. He wasn't at Gen-Sys at all. His breathing returning to normal, he released the IV from his grasp and instead held her hands.

"Tori…"

Tori allowed a small, relieved smile to form on her face. That was all she needed. Just to hear his voice.

For a minute, Koba allowed himself to get lost in her eyes. Tori's brown eyes, which promised him peace and sanctuary. He knows he will not be hurt here, and he doesn't want that feeling to go away.

But something was wrong. This isn't the bedroom he remembered going to sleep in last night. From the corner of his one good eye, he saw orange fur. When he turned his head, he found Maurice looking at them. In the bed he was sitting next to, was Dolly.

"What. Happened?" Koba was now wide awake. Why did he and Dolly both had IV's in their arms?! Why were they here?! And where was Carlos?!

Tori and Maurice exchanged glances. The orangutan shrugged his shoulders and Tori sighed. "Koba." She looked back to him. "...Do you remember anything from last night?"

Last night? Koba realized he didn't remember much at all. He vaguely remembered telling Dolly and Carlos about what happened after Tori dropped him off at the room, and then later that night, he and his sister and father had fallen asleep...But then, he heard Carlos' voice and some banging around and then...Nothing.

Koba's hand traveled to his head as he tried to recover any images from last night, but that only made his pounding headache worse. It felt like what he was looking for was right just behind his eyelids. He closed his eyes. Now he could almost see it, but it was too fuzzy to fully make out. What little of it he could see, just confused him more.

"Blood…" The image was just clear enough for him to recognize the dark red liquid. It came down on him like a waterfall. "…Blood…F-Falling…"

Blood falling? Maurice and Tori could only assume he was talking about the bloody puddle on the floor. But Koba's words confused both of them. How could blood fall on him?…On anyone? Blood doesn't…!

The two glanced at each other again, silently asking if the other was thinking the same thing.

…Unless…

Maurice got up and went over to Luca as Tori watched on. Unlike her, the two lager gorillas had seen Koba and Dolly when they were still covered in the blood. They were the ones who carried them downstairs. Tori hadn't given the blood much thought, but only now was she rethinking it's value. Was the blood itself a clue of some kind?

"…Tori…?"

Tori looked back at Koba. His now open eyes had a look in them that worried her.

Koba hesitated before asking. "I…Did something…Bad…Did I?"

What little Koba remembered of last night and the vague memory of Malcolm talking to him and the alarmed yells of the other humans was enough to tell him that something bad had happened…And even though he didn't want to think he had done it, what he remembered indicated otherwise.

Tori considered telling him about the dead guy in his bedroom, but thought against it. Maybe she simply didn't want to say it out loud. Maybe she didn't want to be the one to tell him. Or maybe she just didn't want to believe that Koba…her Koba…Could have killed that man. She sighed sadly. "…I don't know…"

Despite Tori's answer, Koba's imagination ran wild. Did he have another blackout? Did he attack someone without meaning to?…Did he kill someone?! Who?! Tori, Luca, Maurice and Malcolm were fine, but what about Caesar and the others?! Or worse, what if he had attacked his own sister and father?! Was that why they were-?!

Koba forced his mind's voice to shut up. No. As bad as his demons were, they couldn't have driven him to hurt or kill his own family.

"Do you…F-Fear…Koba now?" Koba was actually relieved that Tori was with him. He wasn't sure he could handle it if he had scared her away. But still, regardless of whatever he had done, how could she sit next to him if she knew he was potentially dangerous?

That struck a cord with Tori. With the hand that used to hold his left hand, she gently stroked his right arm. Avoiding the IV as she did. "I wouldn't be here if I did."

Koba exhaled through his nose in a sigh. Tori wasn't afraid of him. She was still his friend. He still dreaded whatever would come now, and he still didn't know what had happened, but his headache and nausea were getting to him and he felt chills all over. Sleep sounded good.

"Stay…?" It was more of a pleading request than a question.

"I'll stay." Tori promised. Even if Koba hadn't asked, she would have stayed with him.

With that, Koba closed his eyes and let Tori's strokes send him to sleep. The song she had sang to him in the jail cell repeated itself in his mind. He remembered every word. It played itself like a lullaby as it took Koba to a place where he knew he would be safe.

Tori watched him sleep for a minute, hoping that if he dreams about anything, it wouldn't be about blood or his past.

No one noticed Dolly's fingers twitch. In a sigh, so small it minus well be nothing, she whispered: "…Maurice…"

Dolly's Flashback

They were everywhere. Some big, some small. Some were adults, and others were children. They were a blur of long limbs, black fur and grey skin. Like a swarm of bees. It was only then, right as the twins stood there, that Dolly realized that the only other bonobo she and Koba had ever known was Mother, and she never acted like this.

Most of the bonobos were sitting in groups and were laughing at, seemingly, nothing (or possibly, each other) and many were either play fighting, mimicking each other or clumsily playing games.

Koba and Dolly looked at each other with confused faces. Mirroring each other's own pitifulness. They'd never seen so many bonobos in one place and they all seemed intimidating. Even the young ones who played innocently looked frightening. The way they all acted was so strange. It made the twins feel awkward and out of place. The only reason they were here was because of Ishmael, who had invited Dolly to come meet the other bonobos. Dolly of course, didn't want to go alone so she dragged her younger twin to go with her…But maybe coming at all wasn't a good idea.

"Maybe we should just go." Suggested Koba, signing closely so only his sister could see.

"They're our kind. They won't hurt us." Reasoned Dolly. But even as she signed, she wished she were back in their quarters. Where it was nice and quiet and the only other bonobo besides herself was Koba. It felt safer than being out here.

The twins were startled by the sudden shriek of one of the other males. He and another one appeared to be playing a game that involved jumping over each other and running around at a fast pace and screaming all the while. It looked like a rowdier version of leap frog.

"They LOOK like they could." Signed Koba.

"They only look dangerous because we don't know their games." Dolly wondered where these games even came from. She and Koba never played anything like that before. Not even with Milo.

Dolly was sure the games were harmless and she didn't think the other bonobo's were bad, but it just didn't feel safe here with them.

Koba glanced from her to the bonobos, and then to the tall trees. The longing in his eyes reflected her own. Dolly knew her twin brother wanted to disappear and be high above the loud noises and crowd of apes. It was the same feeling Dolly felt. Neither of them felt like they belonged here with their species.

Dolly was just about to take his hand and go home when, suddenly, one of the males came up from behind and tackled Koba to the ground, causing her brother to squeak loudly. Dolly jumped back, ready to pounce but she was shaking so badly that she couldn't make her body move.

"Tag, you're it!" The male bonobo signed in Koba's face as he jumped off of the other male.

Koba, wide eyed with startlation, only stared at him. "…Tag?" He signed hesitantly.

The male hoot-laughed at him. "That means you have to chase me!"

"…I don't know you…"

"That is why you're it!"

Slowly, Dolly's heart starts beating in it's normal rhythm. As she watched the two sign to each other, she realizes the male is younger than them. Possibly only nine or ten.

Another bonobo appeared then, this one was slightly older than the first one but not by much. "I don't think they understand, Jojo." He signed.

"How could they not understand? It's tag!" Jojo signed back.

Two other bonobos appeared, both females this time. Dolly didn't bother to look at them, she suddenly felt like the entire horde were looking at her and Koba.

"If they understood they'd be playing right now." Signed the other male.

Koba took the chance to return to his sister. Instinctively, he hid behind her. Old habits die hard. He could only hope they won't notice.

But they did. "What's the matter with him?" Signed Jojo.

The other male nudged him. "Stop it, Jojo!"

One of the females stepped forward as she looked at Dolly and Koba. Her eyes were as green as emeralds. The other female was much older than the twins while this one was about the same age as them. "It's ok, you don't have to be shy." She signed to them.

The image of her cage flashed into her mind, and Dolly suddenly wished she were back inside it. She shook the thought out of her head immediately. No, she didn't want to go back to the humans. What she really wanted was to be away from all these overwhelming strangers.

"Must be the new friends Ishmael was talking about." Signed the other male.

"Are they stupid or something?" Jojo gestured without care if the twins saw.

Stupid? Was that what they think they are? Humans called them 'stupid animals', but never another ape. Koba sank deeper behind her, and Dolly felt her lip quiver. Wordlessly, she took her brother's hand and ran off.

Shortly after the trees of the forest hide them, they passed a river. Dolly would have kept on going, but she realized that Koba had stopped running. She turned around and found her twin staring at something near the water.

What is he looking at? Following his gaze, Dolly glanced at the river.

It wasn't hard to see what her brother was looking at. Dipping his hand in the water and bringing it up to his mouth to drink, was an orangutan. He sat on a tree that had fallen over the river and now hung over it like a bridge. Though neither twin made a sound, the orangutan turned his head in their direction and stared right back at them.

The orangutan, was Maurice.

Ellie couldn't help but feel as if she were watching a CSI episode with her and the others in it. The bedroom was empty-except for the beds with their sheets and pillows on the floor and nightstands…And the blood on the floor. The entrance was closed off with faded yellow tape, which must have been recycled from a previous area.

"You guys sure that man was ripped up in here?" Asked Foster as he eyed the room. "Cause it kinda looks like a Halloween set up to me."

"Hallo…Ween?" Asked Rocket, not familiar with the word.

"Human celebration. Pretend to be monsters." Explained Caesar. "Not. Important right now."

"The body was found in here." Dreyfus was both there and not there. His brow furrowed in a focused frown and his eyes had a near far away look to them. "There's blood, so chances are he was dismembered in here-"

"Yes but why is there only blood on that one spot on the floor and not on the walls? Or on the ceiling?" Forster interrupted. He glanced at the bloody floor and frowned at it. "In fact, why is it a puddle at all? Shouldn't it be spattered or something?"

Blue Eyes gulped and shivered. Caesar didn't want him to get involved and now, the young prince understood why. He was almost glad the blood wasn't all over the room. That, and if coupled with the thought of Koba and Dolly taring and ripping a human's limbs from their body, would have been enough to make Blue Eyes sick.

The four humans went silent, thinking. Caesar, Blue Eyes and Rocket waited. No one spoke until Ellie broke the silence.

"You know…Even if Koba and Dolly did do this without a cutting tool, there would still be some spatter on the walls. Smeared even." She said with a frown.

"Then, why wasn't it?" Asked Dreyfus, snapping out of his trance briefly.

Before anyone could say anything, Luca suddenly appeared. His eyes were widened. "Koba. Woke up." He said, not used to his voice.

That was welcomed news. After all this craziness, it was was nice to know that their friend was ok.

"Is he alright?" Asked Malcolm. The image of the scarred bonobo vomiting was still fresh in his mind.

"Not sure." Luca answered with a shrug. "He say. Blood fell on him."

"Blood…Fell…?" Caesar didn't know if he had heard the gorilla right. Blood doesn't fall on people.

A chill ran down Ellie's spine. It felt as if a piece of this complicated puzzle had just been put into place. The image it created left more questions than answers, but it made one thing clear to her. "That's it…!" She looked at the others. "The blood was dumped on them!"

Everyone looked confused, not understanding what Ellie was getting at. Dreyfus side glanced at the puddle before glancing back at her. "Dumped?"

"Wherever that blood came from, it didn't belong to that man." That would explain why the blood only covered the bonobo twins and left a big puddle in the middle of the floor. If the man was torn apart in that room, there wouldn't be that kind of blood pattern.

There was no blood splatter…Because the dead man didn't bleed that blood!

Blue Eyes had zoned out. Staring blankly into the bedroom as he blocked everyone else out. He feeling that feeling again. That feeling of wishing he weren't prince. That he didn't have to deal with all this…And most of all, wishing he could go back to when he was little. Back when honorary uncles didn't try to kill his father or start a war with humans, no soldiers existed and back when he and Ash and all the other young apes had to do was play without a care in the world.

That feeling always made Blue Eyes want to cry, but he would never shed a tear in front of the council. Not if he could help it.

He was neck-deep in his trance, when something in the room caught his eye. Blue Eyes blinked, unsure if he was imagining it or not. He squinted at the thing but couldn't really see it from where he was. It was under one of the beds, the one with the plush kitten next to it.

Blue Eyes glanced at the others to see if any of them noticed the thing, but they were still talking about the blood. He was the only one who had seen it.

He didn't want to go in that room, but the thing beckoned him to come closer. Taking a breath, he hopped over the yellow tape and walked around the puddle as he approached the bed.

"Blue Eyes?" Caesar noticed his son suddenly going into the room. His voice caused the others to look at him and then to the prince.

Blue Eyes didn't answer, he just bent down and looked under the bed. The thing was small and shiny when the light touched it. Curious, he reached underneath and pulled it out. Once it was out from under the bed and in his hand, Blue Eyes recognized the thing, and it made the fur on his neck stand up. He immideitaly went back to the others and handed the thing to Ellie.

The thing was a needle…Filled with a liquid.

"Ok, if you were Carlos' age and your kids killed someone, what would you do?" Asked Kempt, as he and Stone searched for Carlos.

"Stop. Them." Said Stone.

Kempt realized that question was a little too obvious. "Ok, what if your kids are stronger than you?"

Stone shrugged. "Get. Help."

Considering how skinny and bony Carlos was compared to his children, it wouldn't take much at all for either of them to overpower him. Koba was strong, obviously much stronger and heavier than Carlos and even if Dolly was lighter than her brother, she certainly wouldn't be any easier for him to fight. The only choice he had to have had was to get help...Or, save himself and run for his life.

Just then, something crashed into a trashcan, causing it to tumble over. Kempt gasped and Stone hooted as old trash spilled out into the sidewalk and landed right at their feet.

"What the hell?" Kempt peaked into the alleyway where the trashcan came from. Something was in there, trying to hide possibly.

The human and chimp exchanged a glance at each other before entering. "Hello?" Kempt called as he took a hesitant step forward.

Silence.

Stone followed, sniffing the air. "Carlos? That you?"

More silence.

Kempt and Stone gasped as something suddenly grabbed them and pulled them closer to the wall. It's boney hands covering each of their mouths. "Soldiers…!" Hissed a voice.

Kempt breathed to slow his heartbeat as he and Stone wiggled out of the elderly bonobo's grasp. Clearly they had underestimated how strong he actually was. "Carlos, it's us. Kempt and Stone, remember?"

Carlos didn't seem to hear Kempt. The pupils in his wide-open eyes were dilated and he constantly turned his head. His body was shaking, though it wasn't that cold out. "…Soldiers…Sss-Soldiers…"

The two shared another glance. What were they suppose to do now? They had found Carlos, but something was clearly wrong with him. Kempt wondered how they could explain this to the others. Good news Koba and Dolly! We found your dad! The bad news is, he might be high on something.

Stone stepped closer. "Carlos, what. Wrong?" He asked, signing the same question.

It was at that moment that they noticed there was blood on the bonobo's fingers and under his nails. Was he in a fight or something?

"Soldiers…" This time, Carlos was looking right at the human and other ape as he spoke. "…Here…"

Red was barely aware of the cold floor when he was thrown at it. He was already in too much pain from the torture to care.

"Keep him in here for now." Said the hating voice of the colonel. "We'll continue with him later."

Then, the door closed and the room became so dark that Red could barely see anything at all. His neck, stomach, wrists and ankles still burned from the shocks and though he could not properly see them, Red could feel missing fur and flaky skin when he dared himself to touch the wounds. He was injured bad, but he was too exhausted from screaming to really care.

As he drifted into unconsciousness, Red felt the gentle touch of fingers as they stroked the side of his head. He could not tell if it was human or ape, but it didn't matter. It was the first, and only, calming touch Red had felt since being brought here. If not, then when his mother died.

However, as the hand stroked him, Red could distinctively hear a voice say: "…It's ok…Just go to sleep…You need it..."

The voice had to be human, but Red had fallen asleep shortly after hearing it and he forgot all about it.

A's/N: Shorter than the last one, but ya know-it's not about how long the chapter is, just what happens in it, right? X3

Looks like Koba is in trouble again (like I said before, I still got plans for our favorite scarred ape) but did he really kill that guy? Or is something much darker going on? It's up to the team to find out!

Needles! Needles everywhere! ~ See why I gave the chapter that name? XD

I've been meaning to do another Dolly flashback for a while now but didn't know where or when to place it. X'D Hope no one minds that, just some OC devolpemt there (there's lots of that in this story, with both my OC's and the canon characters)-and a picture of how Koba and his sister first interacted with their species!

Speaking of Koba, he and Tori get another moment together! This time, a lot of that interation was inspired by this:

"They do things to his eyes. They cut him open and sew him back together again. They stick long needles into the middle of his stomach without putting him to sleep first. But Koba-Koba is going away. He doesn't feel anything anymore. His body isn't his own, and he doesn't care. He is hardly even present. He is his cage. He is his pain." ~ Firestorm.

I read Firestorm last year, around August and October I think, and now I'm basically getting ideas for how Koba changes and heals from his flashbacks in the book (this also applies to Dolly too, but even more so for Koba).

And Dot is missing...This would be how Pope get's involved! Keep an eye on him! ;D

And finally, Red!...Can anyone guess who that is that's with him? XD

Welp, it's offical everybody...My story is a year old! :P I missed it, but Before The Storm's 'birthday' was last month (September) on the 28th...And I've only submitted 17 chapters!...No worries, this story is far from over! XD

Which reminds me, I have a question for you guys (cause I'm curiou!): Of the chapters I submited so far, which one is your favorite?

Thanks for reading and please review!