The ruins of Buffalo, New York

Group Captain Frehber stepped out from behind the rubble with a pistol aimed at the trio. He'd ordered them to dismount and huddle against a large slab, where they could be easily managed. In his opposite paw he held a blood soaked dagger. "Don't let this concern you. It's not for you." He said holding up the blade. "Well, unless you force my paw, that is. These …things just needed an education. First, was that I'm not the main course…or any course, for that matter".

"Nice looking outfit, Group General." Grazot mockingly said, making a snide reference to his old uniform. "Just what do you want, Frehber?"

"What do you think I want, General Grazot; Power, revenge, truth? Maybe I'm getting used to this uniform and just want to rule. Maybe I want to shackle you up and leave you to rot, just as you did to me." He shot back. Frehber tucked the pistol and dagger in his belt and picked up an M-103.

"Magnificent piece of work" Frehber noted as he pointed it directly at Grazot. "Ok General, here is what's going to happen. You and your furless monkeys are coming with me. They're going to tie you and then one will tie the other and I will bind the last. You'll all be gagged and if you resist, I'll use this thing here to kill you on the spot. Am I clear? There is a Contingent just west of here. You'll be turned over to them and who knows, I might just get to keep this uniform. General Frehber, hmmm, now I could definitely get used to that" Frehber stated in bitter sarcasm.

The gorilla Group Captain threw some rope their way and began to issue orders. However, the sight of falling dust and gravel caused him to suddenly take pause. The next thing he noticed was that his captives were no longer looking at him but were peering upward. No sooner had the ape turned to look when a large stone struck him in the head. He buckled slightly and unintentionally squeezed the trigger. The weapon fired a round that slammed off a wall just missing Grazot's head.

Several of the savage apes dropped on top of Frehber while some of the primitive looking humans rushed to their aid. They had rocks, sticks, and clubs and were viciously battering the Group Captain. If he'd been human he would have died where he stood. His massive bulk and strength absorbed much of the attack but there were simply too many coming at him, too quickly.

A small number of the attackers broke off and headed towards March, Hayes, and Grazot. The General didn't wait for the crowd to arrive and leapt directly into the center with his arms and fists flying. He landed on what appeared to be the ring-leader and pummeled the beast with all his might. That caused some of the mob to scatter, while others stood back and threw debris.

March and Hayes were forced to fend for themselves and grabbed whatever was close, swinging violently at the aggressors. Hayes felt grateful that part of his training had included close physical combat. The man had youth and stamina on his side. For a human he was pretty stout, but before joining the Air Force he'd been just an average 'Joe' who'd never fought with anyone. He'd had the occasional scarp, as a teen, but he'd never had to fight like this. March, however, had a history of brawling since his childhood. He'd also boxed in college and in the Air Force. That worked out well for him with the human assailants but the simians were too agile, too fast and too strong. One swipe from a random chimp sent him toppling aside.

I need a gun, shot through March's mind as he rolled several feet forward. However the mob stood between him and his desire. And that was the least of Tom's worries. The hostile chimp jumped at the dazed Air Force Major and slammed into him as it bit into the man's shoulder. The force threw March to the ground while the thrust carried the chimp farther.

The ape slammed into the side of what was once a small building. The wall, and what remained of a roof, crumbled and fell. The wounded chimp cried out like a scared child as the falling rubble pinned its body in a dusty concrete grave. Though he was preoccupied March had already concluded that these people weren't firing on all cylinders, so to speak. They showed intelligence, if you could call it that. Some even spoke, again if you could call it that, but they were more animalistic than rational; almost adolescent.

March heard Hayes cry out as he was pummeled by multiple assailants. But, Tom had problems of his own. Human attackers were throwing rocks and various forms of wreckage and had the Major pinned down. There was no way he was going to reach his friend.

Grazot was holding his own, but Frehber was struggling and beginning to buckle. The General was tossing bodies around like he'd been doing it his whole life; and in his case he probably had. Fortunately for Hayes the gorilla General heard the man's cry as well. He grabbed the closest attacker by the throat and swung him like a club. Grazot thrust the body so violently that the man's neck broke instantly. Bodies flew while others simply fell or scattered.

Hayes suddenly found himself going from the roll of victim to that of spectator. He picked up an old weathered piece of iron and worked his way towards the rife lying several feet ahead. He swung at a man to his side and watched him fall promptly to the ground as he introduced the metal rod to his face. He rolled the thick piece of iron back and struck another in the shoulder. He actually felt some regret when he noticed it was just a boy; probably no older than thirteen. The child whimpered and cradled it's wound in fear.

The rifle was close but there was just too much confusion. The more foes they killed or neutralized the more that seemed to appear. He attempted to push on but suddenly felt an immense pain and then nothing. The astronaut fell quickly to the ground.

The ape beat its chest and grunted as it stood over the body of Captain Hayes. It raised its claws and howled at a few of its fellow assailants who wanted a share of the bounty. The ape's victory rant didn't last long as it too felt the sting of pain from Grazot's dagger traveling through its heart.

Grazot raised the beast high and flung him into the group attacking March. "The weapons, General…get the weapons." March yelled as he came out of hiding and drove a sharp piece of metal through an attacker's chest.

Grazot slashed at a few more thugs and finally reached a rifle as a human male struck him with a crude looking club. Grazot back-pawed the man, sending him flying off to one side. The General picked up the rifle and slid a finger over the trigger. He was well aware of how the weapon worked and a big part of him was eager to see it in action. He quickly looked for any targets of opportunity and fired away.

The loud sounds of repeating gunfire, once again, caused the attackers to scatter in panic. March didn't hesitate to make a dash for the other rifle. He contemplated tossing a grenade but they were too close in proximity and why waste ammunition that wasn't replaceable.

"Help him." Grazot ordered, pointing to the few remaining aggressors pulling Frehber's body away. March hesitated slightly but finally concluded that Grazot had his reasons. The soldier slammed the butt of his rifle into the back of a man's head. Without hesitation March pivoted and clubbed a second assailant across his face. The remaining chimp was rewarded with a bullet in the chest. It wailed like an infant as it drew back.

"You're going to have to lift him General. He's too heavy for me." March said as he turned towards Hayes who was regaining conscientiousness.

Hayes put his hand to the back of his head and felt a wet dirty mess. He brought the hand to his face and looked at the blood. His uniform was ripped and strewn with blood and dirt, as well. He noticed the pain in his left forearm as he tried to leverage himself up. "First my ribs now this crap", Captain Hayes muttered quietly. "By the time we reach Washington I'll be so broken down, you won't be able to tell the difference between me and the relics."

Grazot grabbed Captain Frehber and laid his body over one of the horses. Next he rounded up the supplies as he noticed the attackers scurrying about. He picked up a huge chunk of concrete that weighed close to six hundred pounds. Grazot growled like an animal and threw it into the ruins. Dust and fragments flew everywhere as half standing walls and decaying structures collapsed to the ground. Without hesitation, Grazot picked up a second slab and repeated his actions.

"Hopefully they just got the message," he said. "Help Hayes and let's get moving. If Frehber was right about that Contingent being out there I want to get as much distance between us and them as we can."

"I agree but I need a minute to catch my breath. However, we're too far into the city to turn back and even if we did where are we going to go? It's too large to bypass. We'll have to go through at some point and according to the GPS…" March hesitated to clarify. "…According to our map, this is the most direct route."

It was still light out but the sun was beginning to set. A faint flash followed by a dull echo of thunder caught the attention of the small group. It only took a second but it silhouetted northern parts of ruins. It was there for a millisecond and then gone.

"What's that? There's light coming from spot in the distance." Grazot said as he peered through a set of binoculars. "Its too far away, even with these" he said "There's a lot of dust too but the smoke resembles that of black-powder" The ape concluded as he handed March the goggles.

March gazed through the field glasses and squinted as he tried to focus on the tiny images. "It's an explosion alright…wait I see someone …apes …I think. It's too hard to tell. But you'd better take a look General. I think they're soldiers." He said as he handed the binoculars back to Grazot.

"It's hard to tell. My eyes are not what they were when I was a young ape. Maybe it's just more of the scavengers looking for food" Grazot replied.

"I don't think we could recon successfully. The General is right; who knows how many more of those mutated apes and humans there are between here and there?" Hayes stated, jumping into the conversation.

"I – I might kn-now of a way." The wounded Captain Frehber mumbled out.

Ancient ruins NW of old Buffalo, New York

Prefect Sullen was a disciplined ape but the events of the past few months were slowly strangling his self-control. And the news he'd just received from the ape messenger was just about to push him over the edge. Two humans were turning his whole civilization upside-down and the more he tried to manage it, the more it spun out of control. His trusted colleague and long time friend, Ndola was dead, so he had no one with whom he could vent. His father and grandfather had spent a lifetime building a society that was now disintegrating at blinding speed.

Their arrival was unraveling his entire universe. He paced in his command center as he did his best to deal with the rage and anger he was experiencing. Sullen poured himself some wine but as soon as he took a sip he found he wasn't thirsty. He sat for a minute and then rose and paced some more. Finally, the Lord Prefect downed the alcohol, in one gulp, hoping it would steady his nerves. This was not a time to sit or pace about like an anxious child. It was time to lead and time to end this madness once and for all. A minute and a second swallow of wine later the Prefect stepped out of his tent and beckoned for Mikos.

"How bad did the report state things were?" Sullen asked.

"Kawaka, Arum, Titus, Abila, parts of Oreus and the surrounding settlements have been in full rebellion for several weeks. Governor Caeleon and Prefect Vertis were hung, in Abila. Several of the local Magistrates and civil officials have been shot or hung as well. Major Stellos has had mild effect bring order to Oreus but most of the city is burning. The armories and food stores were raided in all of the cities and anarchy is in effect, just about everywhere. The garrison was attacked at Titus and the city is reported to be smoldering ash. The Council has fled the Capital. Their whereabouts are unknown." General Mikos reported.

He paused to exhale and went on, "Kuo, Argos, Rizinia, and the settlements west of Isca-Coria are stable due do a moderate military presence but they're spread thin. They can't move east for fear that the rest of the nation will become unstable in their absence. The good news, if you can call it good, is that the rebels are unable to move west as well. They probed Rizinia and were slaughtered. That's served as a lesson to others with similar notions of conquest. Unfortunately this information is at least ten days old. I have scouts heading north but it will be a good day or two until the first groups return" General Mikos reported.

Mikos finished the high-level report but Sullen said nothing, so the General continued. "There's more, Sir and it pains me that I have to bring you the news but the dispatch also reports that the mobs were rounding up the families of The Council. Priscilla is dead, Sir; hung in Kawaka. I am truly sorry. She gave her life so that your sons and daughter could escape."

"My w-wife… was he certain?" Sullen asked in a quiet voice.

"He claims to have witnessed it, Sir. I am sorry. I have family in Kawaka too and I'm worried that they've suffered a similar fate. …My son's are young and strong but my wife is old and has not been well… We should turn back. Let Grazot die in this forsaken waste of a space. We need to address this civil war promptly" Mikos said.

"And what of my children? Where are they now?" Sullen inquired with strong emotion.

"They're in route to Isca-Coria and are probably there by now." Mikos answered. He had no way to verify the statement but was attempting to comfort the grieving Prefect.

"I've handled this wrong." Sullen confessed in bitterness. "When I should have been leading I was delegating. I sent an entire Contingent blindly into the Banned Territories with Supreme General Narr and they're gone. I've allowed soldier after soldier, military leader after military leader to be slaughtered. Our militia is forty percent of what it was just a month ago. And that's not to mention the losses in our civil sectors."

"Come with me" Sullen continued as he motioned for Mikos to step into his command post. His mind was struggling to lead while his emotions were telling him to lash out in rage over the loss of his dear wife. He pushed the thought away as he stepped inside.

"You're right General, we need to deal with this rebellion and we need to deal with it now. Or by the time we catch Grazot there won't be a nation left to save. However, those humans have to be dealt with and though you may not agree, they are just as big a threat as this uprising is. I want you to get with your leadership and come up with a plan. You are going to leave a skeleton force at Argos. It's 100% military and will still be able to perform its mission with half its militia. The soldiers you take forward will allow you to stabilize things as you move north. However, I want Colonel Tyus, a scout, a demolitionist, and two reliable, seasoned footapes to remain behind with me. Finally, and I want this to sink in deep; you will deal harshly with any and all rebels. No mercy. No compromises. I want it public and I want it bloody" Sullen ordered.

That night plans were prepared and orders were issued. The next morning, Mikos headed north with the all but five of his Contingent. Sullen once again was faced with the decision to boldly lie or to simply state the truth and let the chips fall where they may. At this point he no longer cared who knew what. If he had to burn civilization to the ground and rebuild it with just a pawful of apes, he was going to do just that.

"So what are your orders, Lord Prefect?" Colonel Tyus asked.

"We're going to follow this." Sullen said as he held up the small device he was removing from a pocket.

Sullen pushed a button as the device beeped and began to glow. Next he pivoted left and right in an attempt to gain a signal. Finally, the small shiny object sounded off with several beeps in rapid succession followed by a dull flash of green light and then it spoke; Authentication

"I authenticate; Whiskey Mike Seven Echo Five Zulu Zulu" Sullen read off a paper as the apes in the room looked at each other in confusion. One began to speak but stopped abruptly when the Prefect sharply raised a paw in protest.

Authentication accepted. Primary target identified … South by Southeast ... Four two four one degrees Latitude …Seven eight three nine degrees Longitude

The gorillas stepped back in apprehension as the glow softened and the object hummed faintly. Sullen placed the device on a table and pressed a button. A dull green, 3D image of the city appeared above the object with a red crosshair blinking on one of buildings.

"Prefect!" Lieutenant Gaius exclaimed in fear. "What kind of witchcraft…" The ape instinctively drew his pistol but it was more out of fear than anything else.

"Gaius!" Colonel Tyus said sharply. Although something deep within was telling him that the Lieutenant had made the right choice.

"It's alright, Colonel. Don't be alarmed gentleapes and you can holster that weapon, Lieutenant." Sullen answered. "There was a reason I brought us to this spot. When our civilization fought off its threats during our migration north, as well as, the Purging we hid weapons and supplies in case those threats returned, one day. There are several of these locations in remote parts of our nation. This mechanism is designed to locate those places. My hope was to secure enough to arm large portions of the militia but as you know we have more immediate needs that required a change in plans. Thus, we will secure what we can carry and pursue the General on our own"

"But Sir, who…I mean where…" Gaius tried to ask calmly. His head was spinning off questions faster than his tongue could get them out.

"Ancient knowledge, Lieutenant, knowledge from long ago and knowledge lost long before any of us where ever born. This tool was preserved along with this…" Sullen replied holding up a small booklet. "I don't fully understand it myself but I do know that it will give us more than a fighting chance to save our society and way of life, as we know it."

The Lord Prefect ordered the group to tear down camp and prepare to move out as quickly as possible. Within the hour they were moving south. They reached the outskirts of the ancient city just before nightfall. As they moved in closer there was distinct humming that seemed odd but quite calming. They moved in approximately a half mile until they came to what was once an opening that led downward. There were rocks and rubble sealing the entrance.

"Ok this is it." Sullen said. "Clear as much of it as you can. Once we reach the door I want charges set."

The apes did as they were instructed. Huge chunks were piled high at the direction of the demolitionist. This would serve as a buffer when the charges went off. Under the rubble was a solid stone stairwell leading to a door that looked like glass but felt as strong as iron.

Lieutenant Gaius carefully put the munitions in place. He arranged the objects in their particular order and linked the kegs together. Next, he ran a fuze that led up the stairs and behind the barricade. He took his time double-checking distances and the tolerances. Once he was satisfied he shouted; "Charge away!" and lit the fuze. As the smoke rose the demolitionist quickly joined the others behind the crude wall they'd built.

Ka-boom …

The heavy door gave way to the blast, spraying its shattered remains into the corridor beyond. Whining followed as air rushed into the vacuum of the once sealed space. Thick layers of smoke mixed with dust swirled and rose in black puffy clouds. A bright light emanated from the opening but there was no fire.

"Access opened, Sir!" Lieutenant Gaius said.

"Good Work Lieutenant. Colonel get your gear together, we're moving forward immediately" The Lord Prefect ordered.