In the gray light of the morning, Cornelia woke up to find Tinker curled against her and Cornelius. The others not too far from them with, Oak sitting guard nearby. Smiling warmly, Cornelia reached an arm out and held onto the other female, causing her to lightly stir towards wakefulness. The moment Tinker's bright forest green eyes opened and met Cornelia's, she smiled gently in return, laying her head back down onto the soft earth beside her.
"Sleep well?" Cornelia gestured, moving slowly as to not wake little Cornelius in her arms as she faced Tinker.
Tinker nodded slowly.
I dreamt of Rocket. My little Ash, and your Blue Eyes," Tinker sighed as she gestured back.
"You did? What did you see?" Cornelia asked.
Cornelia and the other females had long discussed the nature of dreams, and whether they meant anything or not. She herself knew that they were not real but once she had asked Caesar about this and he in turn had informed her that the dreams, to humans, meant many a things that were still a mystery to them. He had said that even if they were not real like the rocks and trees around them, that these dreams were very much still considered important as they could allude to many a things, and thus what Cornelia had confined in with the other females.
"I do not remember all the details," Tinker gestured. "But I was afraid for them. That was what I felt," she explained.
"I am afraid for them while awake and asleep," Cornelia replied. "But I would fear more for them if they were here. With us. Right now."
Tinker nodded.
"If Rocket and Ash were here, they would most likely be with Caesar and Blue Eyes, fighting," Tinker signed.
"Yes, I know," Cornelia gestured back. "That is why I am glad that those three are not here," she continued.
Cornelia paused and stared deeply into Tinker's green orbs, letting the silence of the morning stretch among them as they both laid there.
"Blue Eyes, being the son of Caesar-is not easy for him. So much is expected from him-by Caesar and the rest of the apes, but by himself most of all," Cornelia continued with a sad frown.
"I know," Tinker empathized, knowing well of what her good friend was telling her. "It is because he is prince. Both yours and Caesar son. Next one to rule."
"He may be next to rule but I just want him to be happy. For him to be himself and be free. He does not need to lead the apes if he does not want to," Cornelia explained.
"Apes do not see it like that," Tinker explained. "They see him like how they see Caesar. An ape to look up to when times are difficult. They look for an ape to guide them."
"It is a burden I wish he not have," Cornelia huffed to which Tinker frowned as well.
"But I am glad that he is with Rocket," Cornelia signed instead. "So that Blue Eyes can learn from him. Caesar… Caesar can be challenging, sometimes. With Rocket he is-easier. Caesar knows more about the world of humans and apes. He is smarter like that-but Rocket..."
Cornelia couldn't help but smile fondly at the thought of the bulky chimpanzee whom she grew up knowing, causing Tinker to blink curiously at her.
"Rocket understands more. Feels more. Sometimes, he is a better teacher than Caesar," Cornelia chuckled lightly.
At this, Tinker couldn't help but smile warmly as she laid her head upon Cornelia's chest and cuddled closer with her.
"Do you. Remember. When Caesar. First came. To us?" Tinker whispered, turning her head to look up at Cornelia. "At. The sanctuary?"
"I do," Cornelia gestured with a smile. "He was wearing a red shirt. A human shirt."
"He knew very little about being an ape," Tinker signed back with a fond smile of her own. "He was so puzzling to us all, that much I remember. So different and Rocket had treated him..."
Tinker then paused, a slight frown upon her features.
"As any Alpha would have treated an intruding male," Cornelia finished for her good friend. "I remember that as well."
At this Tinker nodded slowly.
"But Caesar had learned so fast during his stay," Tinker continued. "The way he did things, were not our ways. He used Buck, a gorilla, to dominate Rocket when he couldn't. What other chimpanzee would have ever thought of that?"
"Back then, only Caesar," Cornelia replied with a gentle smile.
"Yes, only Caesar. And Rocket was humbled. And so, I assumed…" Tinker broke off in mid sign, obviously embarrassed.
"What is it?" Cornelia asked, curious by her friend's sudden change in demeanor.
"I assumed that I would be Caesar's, back then," Tinker signed before she paused momentarily to reach up and play with her hair, shying away from Cornelia.
"You wanted him?" Cornelia asked, amused.
"Not just me, other females thought the same, too. I knew I was supposed to. It was how the way things were done, back then," Tinker explained herself embarrassingly. "He was so smart, strong and so different. He was like a light, outshining all of the others."
Seeing her friend's explanation, Cornelia hummed knowingly, understanding.
"That I remember as well," Cornelia gestured. "I was so young, we all were. But I knew, even then that he and… But never knew you-"
"But, I didn't," Tinker frowned, answering back and surprising Cornelia. "I knew that I was supposed to want him, but I did not. That is what was so strange," Tinker continued. "After he was no longer Alpha, Rocket was… Less. And I felt… Sorry for him. Even though I knew that I was suppose to go to Caesar instead. Even though that was how it was, back then. It was still Rocket whom I wanted, not Caesar. Caesar was blinding, like the sun is. So much that I could not bear it. Rocket was like the earth, the ground beneath, supporting me and the other apes before. My mate. I didn't want to give him up. And then-thankfully-Caesar didn't ask me to and I was glad for that."
"Caesar probably did not even know he had the right to," Cornelia signed with a soft chuckle.
"Maybe not-but he would not have anyways. Caesar was always thinking about us, instead of himself. Always thought, what was best for us. He made an alliance with Rocket, even though Caesar could have continued to shame him, keep him in submission, like how it was always done. But, he took our old ways and made something new out of them, something wonderful. I love Caesar for that. But never the way I love my dear Rocket," Tinker finished.
Cornelia was a little startled at Tinker's use of the sign for love. She had seen Caesar used that sign only when both of them were alone, and sparingly. Cornelia herself didn't know any of the other apes even knew the sign.
Apparently, she didn't know everything and was overjoyed that Tinker knew of a sign that was very intimate as well.
"I am glad that Blue Eyes is with both Rocket and Ash, too," Tinker continued after a brief quiet. "Ash and Rocket is all Blue Eyes has left that he is close to, on their journey. If he had stayed, I don't want to imagine what would have happened to him as well. I was already so close to losing Ash once, I don't think both of our hearts could take losing either of our children. Especially after Koba almost..." Tinker trailed on.
"I am sorry. We all did not know he would do that," Cornelia soothed her friend.
"I just don't understand why he and Pope would do such things," Tinker gestured, a sad frown set upon her lips. "I had thought that we were their family. Why would they do this to us?"
"Nobody knows," Cornelia replied. "There are things that just cannot be answered no matter what we do and we must accept that."
Tinker's frown deepened as she drew her limbs closer to her body.
"I had often thought. That like my Rocket and your Caesar. Both Koba and Pope were like many things around us too," Tinker started, causing Cornelia to curiously look at her friend.
"How so?" Cornelia asked.
"Pope was… He was like the black sky of the night, without the stars. Always bearing down upon the apes when they sleep under it. Always thinking and looking, as if he wanted something but could not get to it," Tinker gestured with a frown. "As for Koba, he is like the dark clouds that comes once in a while. Anger and hatred builds within him. And like the storm, he roars with the thunder, lightning and rain, hurting all who are close to him," Tinker finished with slow sorrowful movements from her hands.
Cornelia then frowned sadly as well, as she stared at Tinker.
"Do you forgive him?" Cornelia asked.
Tinker silently blinked but turned her eyes up to meet Cornelia's and they both simply stared at one another.
"I do not know. He tried to hurt my child. Can you ever forgive an ape like that?" Tinker replied.
Instead of answering, Cornelia silently embraced her friend, and for a while, neither of them signed. Eventually the true light of day began spilling through the burned village, causing the others around them to stir. Cornelia sighed deeply to herself, knowing that it was time for her to go.
"I leave Cornelius with you, Tinker," Cornelia signed to her good friend. "I cannot take him with me. If I do not return, please find Caesar. Take to him his son. Can you do that?"
"Yes, I promise." Tinker answered with a sad frown.
Cornelia slowly pushed her still sleeping child into Tinker's awaiting arms and nuzzled her face against him-softly, so as not to wake him. Cornelia met Tinker's eyes and then rose, gathered her things, and silently knuckle-walked away.
As she was nearing the gates, Cornelia found the others waiting for her. Curiously, she approached them.
"We know that you said that you were only to go back to the troops alone, but we wish to go with you, queen," Oak gestured.
"You may go with me," Cornelia answered. "But if you do, you will leave that weapon here."
Without the slightest hesitation, Oak immediately dropped the rifle onto the ground.
"As you say, Cornelia," Oak quickly gestured. "I have come to hate those things," he finished.
Satisfied at this, Cornelia slowly turned her her sights to the three younger ones.
"We go too," Shell gestured, both Flint and Maple nodding.
"It is dangerous," Cornelia warned.
"Everywhere is danger," Flint signed back to Cornelia.
Cornelia then met Maple's gaze and held them.
"If you are going. To confront mother and father. Then I must go with you. To make things right," Maple gestured to Cornelia.
Cornelia smiled warmly at the brown haired female and slowly reached out to take her hands.
"Fault. Not yours. But, thank you," Cornelia spoke to the younger female.
She then turned to both Shell and Flint, meeting their determined gazes.
"I need one of you to stay and protect Tinker," Cornelia gestured to the two.
Both Flint and Shell turned to look at each other and after a brief discussion, both nodded their heads.
"I will stay. Keep Tinker and young prince safe," Flint spoke up.
Cornelia smiled warmly at the young male and reached out to touch his arm. "Thank you, Flint," she said softly to the young male.
Cornelia then turned to look at Shell and then eyed his weapon before meeting his gaze. It took Shell only a brief moment to understand before he quickly unstrapped his gun and tossed it a few paces away. With that said and done, Cornelia turned around and met Maple, Oak and Shell's faces.
"Let us go," she said to them.
…
The next morning, Blue Eyes opened his eyes in small slits as the sound of the running engine filled the air along with the cold of the rushing winds. Shuddering to himself, Blue Eyes lifted his head and squinted as he blinked away the sleep from his eyes, turning his head about to see where they were all at. From the looks of it, they still seem to be out at sea with a clear sense of thick fog all around them. Shuffling to his two feet, Blue Eyes looked over and could see Rocket still sleeping with Malcolm sleeping in a sitting position on the ground next to the older chimp. He then glanced up and could see Alexander sitting by the driver's seat, piloting the boat that they were all in. Wrapping the blanket tighter around his body, Blue Eyes then made his way on over to where Alex was and stood next to him.
"Where are we?" Blue Eyes asked in a tired voice.
"I don't know. Still going north," Alexander answered.
Blue Eyes blinked as he gazed out in front of them, only to see the thick fog still.
"You awake long?" Blue Eyes asked.
"Maybe a few hours ago?" Alexander replied before he spared Blue Eyes a quick glance. "Something wrong?"
Blue Eyes shook his head.
"Worried," he said simply. "Have not seen, other boat. Just. Worried," Blue Eyes explained.
Blue Eyes and Alexander were quiet as they speared through the ocean's waves. They could see nothing, no light of any kind. And again, Blue Eyes harbored a deep sense of fear and dread within his chest once more. A fear that was not for him but for his friends that were captured, the human, Armand, too. What if they were too late?
"Hey, Blue Eyes?" Alexander suddenly piped up, gaining Blue Eyes' attention. "Do you see what I see?"
Blue Eyes stared at Alex and then followed the human teen's gaze out towards the sea. He looked on and saw nothing but the dense fog before them. However, as he narrowed his eyes, Blue Eyes could now make out just the faintest of a large dark shape ahead of them.
"The ship," Blue Eyes breathed.
"We caught up with them!" Alexander said excitedly.
...
"Ready?" Ellie asked as she finished packing the last of her things into her pack.
The woman then looked up from what she was doing and saw the scarred bonobo shifting from one leg to the other, before the ape met her gaze. Koba huffed and nodded at her, eager to stretch out his legs and get back into action with his fellow ape brothers. Ellie smiled at Koba but then her face fell, replaced with that of a frown.
"What is wrong?" Koba asked.
"I-I…" Elie started but she couldn't say what she wanted to say.
Instead the woman got up and walked on over towards Koba, throwing her arms around him, embracing him tightly.
"I don't want you to fight," Ellie finally said aloud, burying her face into Koba's shoulder.
Koba was quite taken aback by this but then he relaxed, reaching up and giving Ellie a few firm pats on the back.
"I must fight," Koba spoke out. "Must help Caesar and other apes survive. We will always fight with humans. Humans who hate apes," Koba said quietly.
"Then run away. Find a new home. Somewhere. Anywhere. Where there is no humans to fight with," Ellie begged.
Koba pulled back and met Ellie's olive colored eyes with his golden-green and milky white one, a smile appearing on his face.
"That is why Blue Eyes is gone. As stupid human mate say. Caesar sent his son to find new home. So now, I help Caesar fight. Here and now," Koba answered.
At this Ellie silently nodded her head at the bonobo. Ellie was then surprised when she saw Koba's hand come close towards her face and then wiped away at her teary eyes. Koba drew his hand back and he offered Ellie another warm smile.
"There is no time. We must go now," Koba said quietly.
"Alright," Ellie responded as she stood up and went to grab her pack.
In just a few more moments, both Ellie and Koba had packed the vehicle up with as much supplies they needed to carry, with the two finally sitting within the driver and passenger seats.
Ellie started up the vehicle and was about to shift the gear into place to go but stopped briefly, letting her eyes gaze up one last time at the Rodman's house. Her eyes darted to where Koba sat and she could see him too, looking up at the house, his face set within a neutral state. A few breaths later, Koba finally turned his heavy heat towards her and blinked. Ellie took in a deep breath and nodded at him, before finally shifting the gear into place and driving off down the road towards the Golden Gate Bridge.
...
Malcolm and Rocket were woken up from their sleep as Blue Eyes shook them awake. The adults were going to ask the prince what was going on before the cobalt eyed chimp pointed in the direction where Alex had gestured to earlier. Both Malcolm and Rocket squinted their eyes at the shadowy form in the distance before realization hit the both of them. Immediately, Malcolm had taken the control from Alexander, checking everything once over.
"Oh, just in time. We're running so low on fuel now. I don't think we'll make it another few miles," Malcolm spoke up as he indicated to one of the dials, with the needle already on the red line of the giant E.
"Plan?" Rocket asked as he stood next to the two humans, along with Blue Eyes.
Malcolm was silent for a moment as he eyed the boat ahead of them before slowly turning around to look at the two chimps.
"I've got one, but you guys might not like it," Malcolm informed them.
They took their boat near to the other one as they could, before getting themselves all ready.
Blue Eyes thought he had been cold before, but fully submerged in the ocean, what was left of the heat within him seemed to dissipate instantly. If it weren't for the strange orange floats that both he and Rocket had put on, he knew that they both would have sunken beneath the waves before swimming three strokes. Glancing about, Blue Eyes was quite awed and surprised to see both Malcolm and Alexander wading through the water, without sinking to the bottom of the ocean. That was also something for him to add to his list of differences between man and ape.
The two humans helped dragged the two apes through the sea and soon enough they found a chain that hung off to the side of the boat. Blue Eyes and Rocket were quick to ascend the cold chains but the two apes could see their human partners having trouble pulling themselves up from the cold water. Rocket had ushered Blue Eyes up onto the deck of the vessel first before the older chimp quickly climbed back down and hauled the two humans up, one at a time. Once they had all made it onto the deck the four of them quickly hid themselves behind some crates.
The four of them then saw one human that was on watch, near the back of the boat, armed with a rifle. Before they could decide on what to do, Rocket had already gone ahead to deal with the human. Just as the man had turned around, Rocket had danced around him with surprising speed, despite still recovering from the cold of the sea. The three watched as Rocket then clubbed the man on the head with both fists. The man fell heavily to the deck with a loud thump, and nearly hairless chimpanzee taking his weapon.
"Good job," Malcolm congratulated Rocket, his breath oozing fog into the air.
"W-where go?" Blue Eyes asked, his teeth and body shaking so hard, just to keep his body warm.
"Guys!"
At the sound of the loud whisper, Blue Eyes, Rocket and Malcolm turned to see Alexander standing by one of the doors in the middle of the boat. They all converged to where Alexander stood and went through it. They all walked around until they found a stairwell that led down into the deeper parts of the boat.
"Down there," Rocket gestured. "I smell them."
The group had just started down when they all heard a dull thud that carried off in the distance. They all turned to look, and saw a yellow glow appear in the fog, and then another. The mist was starting to lift, and through it they all now saw the outline of the great bridge-and towards the north end of it, the big ship.
"We're back in San Francisco," Alex breathed.
"Yeah..." Malcolm answered quietly as they notice another explosion erupting at the end of the bridge.
Suddenly, the boat's engine began to growl, causing the four of them to brace themselves, as it slowly started to move, picking up speed, headed towards the other ship that was headed toward the other ship.
"Let's hurry guys," Malcolm spoke up.
Blue Eyes took lead and with a single jump, landed right at the bottom of the steps. Rising back up from his crouched position, Blue Eyes came face-to-face with one of the humans on the boat.
Before Blue Eyes could react, the man pulled a sidearm; in the enclosed space, and fired. The report from the gun was deafening and Blue Eyes blinked. He looked down at himself and realized that he hadn't been hit. Before the man could take a second shot, Blue Eyes slammed right into the man, smashing him onto the deck. Just as the man was going to recover, Malcolm had quickly rushed in and slammed the butt end of his weapon onto the man's face, effectively knocking him out.
"Blue Eyes?" Rocket huffed as he immediately came to the young ape's side, looking him over.
"I am fine," Blue Eyes reassured the bigger chimp. "Gun missed."
The prince was then suddenly pulled into a strong hug by his uncle, surprising him.
"Never. Do again! Understand?" Rocket said in a firm voice as he pulled back and held onto Blue Eyes' shoulders.
Blue Eyes merely blinked up at the older chimpanzee and was confused as to why Rocket was acting so. But then he met Rocket's eyes and could see the concerned set within them. And for some reason, it made him feel small again.
Blue Eyes cast his eyes down to the side and nodded slowly but then felt Rocket hugging him once more, more softly and firmly this time.
Malcolm then stepped in and quickly checked Blue Eyes over, seeing that the young ape did not have any injury, nodding at Rocket.
"Humans hear gun. Must hurry," Rocket spoke to the others.
"Right. Come on," Malcolm agreed, reaching down to pry whatever weapons the second man had and gave it to Rocket. "Let's find our boys."
…
As Winter was doing his patrol around the area he was quite surprised when he saw Oak and Shell approaching with both Cornelia and Maple. Suspecting that maybe Oak and Shell had succeeded in capturing Cornelia and brought Maple back, then maybe things will be alright again. That maybe Grey could finally get the apes to safety now. But that left Cornelia in question, and he also did not see Tinker nor Flint with them. However, as the apes got closer, Winter started to notice something.
Both Oak and Shell didn't have their guns with them.
Blinking in surprise, Winter lifted his own weapon up, not sure who to point it at. As he looked between all of them, he finally settled on Cornelia, since he was ordered to shoot her on sight.
"Winter," Cornelia gestured. "What are you doing?"
"P-protecting. A-apes," Winter grunted out. "You betrayed us. So I must be the wall and protect our apes."
"And who told you this?" Cornelia asked.
"Red did," Winter answered but then swallowed, as he thought to himself that maybe he shouldn't have said so.
"Winter," Oak grunted out, gaining the albino gorilla's attention. "The queen is not your betrayer. Red is. Grey is. I am."
"As am I," Shell stepped in as well, causing Winter to take an uneasy step backward.
"W-what do you both mean?" Winter asked with a huff.
"Winter," Cornelia spoke out softly, drawing the white haired gorilla's attention. "Lower your gun."
Winter uneasily look back and forth between all of the apes that were standing before him. He had imagined this moment ever since he and Red had discussed the possibility. But he had not imagined it like this, with the queen coming unarmed, being so calm. He had envisioned a fight, Cornelia and her followers trying to kill him, at least.
This right now though, didn't make much sense.
"I," Winter huffed, not noticing his hands slightly shaking. "I was. Supposed to. Shoot you. Supposed to. Keep you. Out."
"If you shoot her. Then you shoot me too then!" Maple grunted as she signed at Winter, causing him to gawk at her.
"Maple? Why are you with the queen? Your father and mother is worried for you," Winter gestured hesitantly, to which the brown haired female merely snorted.
"I'm sure they are," Maple shot back.
Oak and Shell took a step forward, placing their bodies between Cornelia, Maple and Winter's gun. That was even more confusing to Winter. Oak and Shell were supposed to be on his side. Red had told him so. Why are they siding with the former queen now?
"You will not shoot the queen, Winter," Oak gestured with his teeth bared.
At this, Winter backed up another pace and shook the gun at the other gorilla.
"No. She isn't the queen, any longer," Winter gestured desperately. "Stay back, Oak. Shell. You both are not going to confuse me."
"Winter, think about what you are doing," Shell gestured at the albino gorilla. "We are not the traitors."
"Oak. Shell," Cornelia's voice could be heard as she stepped around the two other males, placing her hand upon each of their shoulders. "It is okay," she gestured to them.
Cornelia then turned her sights upon the timid gorilla and met Winter's vivid green eyes with her own.
"Winter. I am not. Enemy," Cornelia spoke softly. "But. if you think. I am. Then shoot. Me."
"Queen-" Both Oak and Shell grunted at the same time.
"You both. Stay there," Cornelia responded, not breaking eye contact with Winter.
Winter met his queen's gaze and he faltered, trying to understand what was going on. Slowly his posture dropped and his shoulders fell a little.
"Where. Is Luca? Where. Is Glade?" Winter asked in a almost desperate voice.
"With Caesar," Cornelia responded in kind. "With our. Warriors."
"Are they. Dead?" Winter asked next.
"I do not know," Cornelia gestured this time. "They may be. They may not be. But Red has lied to you, Winter."
Cornelia then took a step towards Winter and the gorilla backed up once more, swinging his gun up, pointing it at her.
"Stop!" Winter said aloud.
Cornelia didn't even falter when Winter pointed his gun at her and she kept on walking towards him. Winter watched with wide eyes as Cornelia approached him with her hands open to her sides. Huffing, Winter closed his eyes tightly and tried to squeeze the trigger on his gun.
But he couldn't.
Cornelia touched his arm, pressing on it lightly to lower the weapon within his hand and soon Winter felt the queen reaching up to cup his face, flinching at the touch.
"Winter," Cornelia spoke up in a quiet voice. "Winter. Look at me."
After a few breaths, Winter finally opened his eyes and he could see Cornelia looking at him fondly, a gentle and warm smile upon her lips. He then felt Cornelia bring his head down and she slowly placed her forehead upon his.
"Thank you," Cornelia whispered to Winter, with her eyes closed.
Hearing those words from Cornelia, Winter had finally let go of his gun, letting it land softly onto the forest floor beneath him as his shoulders shook.
"Sorry. I-I. Sorry," Winter sobbed, tears falling from his eyes as he reached out and wrapped his arms around Cornelia, hugging her desperately.
Cornelia cooed gently at Winter and stroke the white crest of his head, like any mother would comfort her child.
After a few moments, Winter finally released Cornelia and he quickly wiped away at his eyes with the back of his arms.
"Winter?" Cornelia spoke up, causing the albino gorilla to look down at his queen. "Where are the apes?" she asked.
"Apes are a little ways behind me. That way," Winter pointed towards east. "Red told me to go a little further today on patrol, but apes are there," Winter informed.
Oak huffed as he stood up on his hind legs and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the forest before meeting Winter's eyes once more.
"Troop have not moved much at all. Should have been further away. What is going on?" Oak asked.
"I do not know. We heard Grey told us to make camp to rest but he would not tell us why. Red was not happy about it and tried to talk to Grey. But Grey's decision was final," Winter replied.
"Why did my father tell the apes to slow down?" Maple asked curiously.
"I do not know," Winter gestured back to the brown haired female but then something seemed to crossed his mind, as if he remembered something. "But I did see other apes speaking in private. They said that maybe Grey was waiting for you," Winter signed said to Maple.
"Waiting for me?" Maple gestured curiously, seeing Winter nodding.
...
When the door had first opened, both Ash and Ray thought that they might have been dreaming again. But even in their dreams, they were pretty sure that Blue Eyes and Alexander could not have been more bedraggled, soaking wet, and miserable looking, each with a set of heavy eyes.
Fox sat up in his own cage with an audible gasp at the sight of both Blue Eyes and Alexander.
Blue Eyes quickly made the sign for quiet and silently approached the cages, where the others were at. The sky eyed chimp tugged at the bars and then turn to the others. Both Ash and Ray indicated to the locks, and the need for a key to unlock them. Blue Eyes understood with a silent head nod and turned to look about himself.
"Where is the key?" Blue Eyes asked.
"Blue Eyes!" Alex whispered loudly, gaining the said ape's attention.
Turning to where the humans were at, Blue Eyes could see that the teen had already woken up both Armand and another human female, whom were handcuffed to some pipes in the wall.
"There's a man in the hold," the woman spoke quickly.
"He should have the key," Armand finished.
Alex gestured for Blue Eyes to stay as he raced back to the other room and returned a moment later, with a chain of jingling keys. Alex quickly walked on over to where Armand was and with the right key, unlocked the elder man's cuffs. They then did the same to the raven haired woman. They then freed the others, starting with Ash, Ray and finally Fox.
As they opened Fox's cage, Blue Eyes regarded the older chimp warily.
"Do not worry, Fox will help," Ray gestured.
"Will he?" Blue Eyes signed back, not believing Ray from what he's seen of the older chimp.
"He will," Ash vouched as well, causing a look of surprise to form on Blue Eyes' features. "Will you?" Ash asked, turning to look at Fox.
"I will," Fox finally gestured back. "Ray and I had already agreed."
Blue Eyes studied Fox a little longer but felt no hostility from the other chimp. Maybe he was telling them the truth.
"Come then," Blue Eyes spoke up before turning around and leading the way.
In the hold, everyone was quite surprised to see both Malcolm and Rocket standing guard. There was a few thumping sounds and everyone watched as Ash ran towards Rocket and threw his arms around him, letting out small whimpers. The bigger chimp immediately hugged his son back, cooing softly among the whimpering back though, Rocket noticed a bald spot on Ash's head, causing him to lean in and look over his child before he turned his burning eyes upon the two new humans, growling all the while.
"Wait, wait! Not them!" Malcolm quickly defended, sliding right in between Armand the other woman and Rocket, whom was baring his teeth at them.
Rocket rumbled lowly before he felt Ash touching his shoulder, causing him to turn his giant head back to his son. Ash's bright green eyed darted from his father and humans quickly before he explained what had happened to him. Once Ash was finish with his hasty explanation Rocket turned back to look at the other two humans, understanding now that they were not the ones who had hurt his son. Huffing out tiredly, Rocket finally turned his sights back to Malcolm and the others, nodding once to let them know that he now knows that the two new humans were friendlies.
"Armand," Malcolm spoke up, turning to face the older man, once everything had settled.
The older man quickly shook his head and then turned to everyone.
"The gas!" Armand said aloud. "I heard them talking, before they chained both Linda and I. They're taking the gas to the other ship, where they have the means to launch it!" he warned.
"Launch?" Blue Eyes voiced.
"Where Armand? Where are they launching it?" Malcolm asked, taking a step towards the older man.
"The bridge," the woman suddenly spoke up, causing all heads to turn towards her. "They're launching it onto the bridge. Where the fight was supposed to be."
Everyone turned their sights to the Golden Gate and could see the occasional sparks of muzzle flashes in the distance.
"That's the ship right?" Armand gestured to the object on the water. "They're going to use that thing to launch that gas up there, onto the bridge, spreading it around. It could kill all of them."
"Where is it?" Malcolm asked quickly.
"It's in the aft compartment," Armand explained. "But there isn't any easy way to offload it without being noticed. What we really need to do is take control of this ship."
"Then let's take this ship." Alexander said aloud with everyone agreeing.
As Blue Eyes, Ash, Fox, Ray, Rocket and Armand reached the upper deck, however, they found themselves staring down the barrels of several guns, wielded by Commander Messenger and two other soldiers. The ones that took the the liking of beating them back into their cages.
"Two more apes, hrm?" Messenger mused as she turned to look at both Blue Eyes and Rocket. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Drop your guns," she said so, eyeing the two new chimps.
Blue Eyes and Rocket nervously dropped their weapons, but unbeknownst to Abigail and her two guards, Malcolm, Alex, and Linda, whom they come to known had taken up the rear and were hiding.
"Where is the nurse?" Abigail asked, turning to glare at Armand.
Ray had glanced towards Blue Eyes for guidance, and realized that the prince was already tensing up his body to leap at the humans.
Fox had beat Blue Eyes to it. He sprang low and hard, colliding with the soldier's knees, lifting him up and smashing him back down onto the deck. Ray watched the other soldier take aim at Fox. He started forward, but knew that he would never make it in time.
But then Armand was suddenly there, lurching between Fox and the soldier with the gun. The gun went off with a loud bang, and Armand stumbled, wide-eyed as he grabbed at his stomach, red slowly oozing through his clothing.
Blue Eyes, Ash, and Rocket had not been idle, as well as Malcolm, Alexander who jumped out from behind. In a flurry of blows, they all sprung and took down both Messenger and the second soldier, surprised at the emergence of additional people. Malcolm and Rocket then charged into the cabin, to where the man driving the boat was and quickly knocked the man out as well.
Linda quickly knelt down besides Armand and looked him over. The older man was still alive, but he didn't look very good. His face was drained of color, and blood was still soaking through his shirt. The two then looked to the side as Fox approached and crouched down next to them.
"Why?" Fox signed to the elder human, who merely smiled sadly back at him.
"Live," Armand wheezed. "I want you to live. Forgive," he said as he turned to look at Blue Eyes and the others.
Fox blinked curiously and followed the elder human's gaze. He then slowly turned back to the human, shame written all over his face.
"Be good, please," Armand said quietly to the troubled chimp.
Malcolm and the others soon came back, all huffing and puffing after the ordeal and slowly converged to where Armand was at who glanced weakly up at them.
"He doesn't have long at this rate," Linda spoke up, turning around to look at Malcolm and the others. "There's three inflatable rafts on this thing. Follow the instructions on them."
"Put," Armand spoke up, gaining all of their attention. "Please put Messenger and the soldier in one of them. You all take the other ones."
"What about you?" Alexander asked.
"I have something to do," Armand answered weakly. He then pulled himself up, with the assistance of Linda, before making his way towards the pilot's cabin.
"Are you sure about this?" Malcolm asked, walking up towards Armand and helping him by shouldering his weight.
"This is what I should do. My last act," Armand weakly said aloud, allowing Malcolm to aid him towards the pilot's cabin.
The others watched Malcolm assist Armand behind the wheel of the boat before they all quickly set off to find the life rafts. When they inflated, all of the apes jumped back slightly at the whooshing noise, watching in aw as the yellow object took shape.
By the time the rafts were ready, the other human soldiers were beginning to come around. Malcolm and Alexander took the time to disarm them properly and forced them all onto one of the inflatable rafts at gunpoint.
"You're all making a big mistake," Messenger warned. "You have doomed the human race."
"That's not what I believe," Linda spoke up, meeting Messenger in the eyes. "What you see is doom for us humans. But what I see is the beginning of what could be peace. And I am saddened that you cannot see that."
With that final say, they pushed Messenger and the other humans' boat away from the ship, watching them as they floated away.
"Should we really had let them go?" Alexander asked curiously.
"Equal violence solves nothing," Linda spoke up as she watched Messenger, seeing the other woman reach up to wipe away at a bloody nose.
Once Messenger and her soldiers were far enough the others began to occupy the other two rafts. Blue Eyes, Ash, Alexander and Rocket occupied one of the rafts while Malcolm, Fox and Ray occupied the other; the apes, all given a life vest each. As they were getting ready to leave, they all looked upwards and noticed that Linda had stayed back, watching them.
"What are you doing? Jump in," Malcolm said to the woman, confusion etched upon his face.
Linda quickly shook her head as she turned to look up at the pilot's cabin momentarily before facing them all again.
"He's dying," he cannot do this alone," Linda spoke up. "He is going to need my help. We cannot risk the chance that he might fail."
"No. Stay-" Ash started but Linda had quickly gone in and pushed at their rafts, causing them all to drift away from the ship.
"I'm sorry for what we did to you. Please forgive us. Armand and I… We'll make things right!" the woman called out.
"No!" Ash called back but his voice fell upon deaf ears as he watched the human woman making eye contact with him and smiled.
"Goodbye," Linda whispered to the calling chimp and the others.
Before long, Linda had turned around and quickly disappeared from sight. Making her way into the pilot's cabin, Linda could see Armand, now hunched over the steering wheel of the ship and looking paler than ever.
"What are you doing? You should not be here," Armand wheezed out as Linda came into his line of sight.
"I should be here," Linda responded softly as she walked on over to where Armand was and placed a hand over his bloodied ones.
"Young lady. You will die if you stay," Armand pleaded.
Linda however, simply smiled at the older man and shook her head at him.
"The rafts are already gone," Linda answered. "I'm here to stay."
Armand then noticed a small glint within Linda's eyes and knew that whatever he was going to tell her, she was already set on her decision and would not be deterred. He breathed out a haggard breath and faltered for a moment but was caught by Linda who settled him down off to the side. Linda then stood back up and approached the steering wheel.
"The apes…" Armand said slowly, gaining Linda's attention. "They deserve... T-they deserve a chance. They deserve to live. Their time. Their ways. With and or without us."
Armand then looked up and could see Linda silently regarding him.
"You know, as a young man-a very young man-I took an oath. I pledged myself to God. I lived in poverty and contemplation, and I thought I had it all figured out. But none of this is simple. Creation isn't simple. But there is more to all of this than we see, and it is worth paying attention to others. I am so very honored to have your company Miss Linda," Armand wheezed.
"Li Hua."
"Pardon?" Armand wheezed.
"My name. My real given name. It's Li Hua. Back then, people still had trouble saying it, so, I stuck with Linda instead," Linda said softly. "I have never pledged myself to God, but I do believe that good things happen to souls who genuinely do the right things in life. Just as long as they are good and decent. Then that is all that matters."
Linda then huffed out a smile.
"You're right. Nothing, anything like this is simple. Existence is never simple. There is always conflict and those who oppose the unnatural or different. But I believe that if there is at least a sliver of a chance to make matters right. To find a common goal for peace and coexistence. For everyone to be good. Then, that is all I could hope for," Linda said quietly before turning to face Armand. "They really do deserve a chance, and I, too, am very honored to have your company Mr. Armand."
Armand couldn't help but offer the woman a warm smile from his lips.
"Li Hua. Such a beautiful name," Armand said softly.
"Thank yo-" Linda turned to thanked Armand but paused, seeing that the life had left from the older man's eyes."Farewell, Armand. And goodbye," Linda said softly, reaching up to wipe away at the blood that was now dripping from her nose.