The group of apes, plus one human, returned to their tour around the zoo, taking roundabout paths just as before. If Spike wanted to know why he didn't ask, choosing just to follow the group in silence. Monkey Yellow had been ordered by Specter to take a different path to meet at a rendezvous point, due to his size making him likelier to get them spotted by a stray Night Guard before reaching Blue. As for Specter, he silently enjoyed the walk lost in his thoughts.
When in the security room he had remotely repositioned the cameras so the path they were on, though long, only required to be on alert for the night guards, who at this time should be preoccupied with a family of armadillos that seemingly and mysteriously found their way out of their exhibits. Making the walk arguably peaceful aside from Spike's scowling face the whole time. Specter found himself breaking the silence.
"Your face is going to get stuck like that." He told the redhead who just replied with scowling harder. Specter answered the scowl with a sneer and a shrug. "Enjoy the wrinkles then!" Ending the short one-sided conversation, allowing the ape to fall back into his own thoughts while Arnie and ThreeDee conversed with themselves from their spots in the formation.
The albino's mind wandered to the human, standing in front of him in the group this time. Specifically on the scene he had watched from the security room. He replayed it in his mind's eye over and over again, the human running from Yellow, jumping over and climbing up things to avoid the huge Beast pursuing him. It awakened a memory in him. A fond one, though only god knows why.
Traveling through time was integral to his plan for total ape dominance of the Earth his first time out. Specific tasks had to be done at specific points of time to prepare for each step of the process. An "Origin Point" if you would. Infrastructure had to be put in place to make sure that by the present day time he had bases and factories and all other sorts of resources set up and prepared. It definitely made it easier to just pick up where he left off in case of failure. Hell at this point in time you couldn't keep a Pipo helmet from Specter even if you had tried!
It was hard work to run and organize all of this operation on one's own.. but even Specter had to admit his little Taskmaster made it all that much easier to accomplish. Jake was a perfect little minion to torture the professor and his granddaughter with. 'Oh no! Jake! Snap out of it!' He would mock them after his introductory transmission, it was increasingly satisfying and even Jake hummed a few laughs at Specters and impression of Natalie's worried pleas.
"You've been a great asset to this operation, maybe I should reward you?" Specter would one day say to his human... companion? "I will not be called an ungrateful leader who doesn't acknowledge his underlings' accomplishments."
Jake simply acknowledged him humbly with a blank Crimson stare.
"Your generosity is appreciated, Lord Specter. But unnecessary. I am content so long as the mission runs smoothly." The human explained. Specter... didn't like that answer. He loved the unending obedience the teen exhumed but it could be irritating to be agreed with too much when seeking a new perspective, or being in the mood to offer a reward.
"Oh come on now, you must want something for yourself! Think! What does Jake want!?" The Ape teased, though wasn't prepared for the initial answer.
"I want to go home." Jake's voice cracked as he said it, quiet yet still audible. Specter was floored.
"What…? WHAT!?" The ape screamed. Jake only turned to him and his outburst with slight confusion.
"Lord Specter?"
"Repeat yourself!" The ape fumed.
"... I am content so long as your mission runs smoothly?"
"After that!"
"... was there anything after that? Lord Specter, have I said something wrong?"
And for a moment Specter had wondered if he was hearing things, or had commanding the human like that to think about himself caused a disruption in his control over the boy? He wasn't sure, but his companion kept his eyes locked with his own, almost concerned. Almost a hint of any emotion. So the ape answered for him.
"I think... you want... to see your little human friend?" The bluenette's eyes widened for a moment. A genuine emotion. "Aren't you looking forward to showing him what you can do now?" And then the boys eyes grew dark again, a slight smile gracing the corners of his mouth. It was infectious, Specter found his mouth mirroring the expression. "I think I do have a gift you'd like! I call it a gladiator attack!"
Specter had manipulated areas of Dimension X into an obstacle course for the boy to burn energy in like a hamster in a wheel. It was the perfect place to intercept his red-headed friend to have a little play time with Jake, especially with his own human having the advantage of familiarity with the venue! The ape found he liked watching the blue haired boy run his course. He liked it even more watching the real deal; red versus blue, human versus human.. and yet Jake lost. Every time. The ape saw no threat in this, in spite of the only real emotion he had ever seen on the human's face since employing him; shame. Shame at the loss to his friend in Specter's name, under Specter's Banner. In the arena Specter had made just for him.
"Don't worry," The Monkey King would say. "We'll make a new Arena. You'll get him next time." The other human was no issue and the Gladiator attacks were never intended to stop him, just give Jake something to look forward to. To focus on. To preoccupy himself with. Specter found himself genuinely enjoying watching his companion run his obstacle courses. He enjoyed watching His companion compete against the other human, even throwing in a few Specter coins To the victor, Specter didn't notice it until now, but he enjoyed watching the boy that would be his future pet compete against His companion.
He knew the minute that the redhead had made it past the threshold of Specterland that he would have him join both himself and Jake as the exceptions to his total ape domination of the planet. And yet the boy refused. Denied him even! Reclaimed Jake! And then he thwarted his plans.
Specter's memories return to the present, raking his eyes up and down the redheads back hidden by the loose red and white coat that he wore and grinning to himself in satisfaction. It's not how he wanted it. But he finally had the red-headed human. He wasn't his obedient companion like Jake was, but there was something arguably delicious about the fact that Spike was completely cognitively aware of every chore, mission, and reward was being handed to him personally by Specter. Not his Lord, but his Master. A smile grew wide enough to reach his eyes; he almost considered keeping Spike as he was, not drowning him in the dark Lake that was Specter's Will. After all, if he wanted a loyal obedient companion his old friend Jake was always merely cowering on a lifeboat; surrounded by water, full of sharks and other beasts from the fathoms, all of them white with Crimson eyes ready to drag him back into the depths.
The Apes grin left him though. Satisfaction melting from his face. 'No…' he thought. 'Spike cannot be left to tread water. He had to be drowned before he even caught sight of land again.' Because if he ever made it back to dry land, the ape King may never be able to get his hands on him again.
Sorry I had been sick the last honey bunches and oats of weeks and it left my throat so raw my phone's talk to text (That I use to transcribe my hand written writing to digital) couldn't even understand me!
For those who don't follow me on the social medias I actually have a lot of Spike/Specter art on both my Tumblr, Deviantart, and Furaffinity (All the same name as here because I have been KichiMiangra online since 2005)
