Old Pennsylvania – Later that day

Raat-taaat-taaat-taaat – The automatic weapons fire ripped across the rock-strewn wall just above Hayes. Chipped sandstone and dust littered the area, falling on the man as he lay prone on the hot ground. He was being intentionally pinned down so the others could get to Grazot unobstructed.

Hayes peered, ever-so-slightly, around the rocks that were keeping him concealed. "There you are" he mumbled as he took note of the muzzle flashes off in the distance. Alright Captain, get it together, Hayes thought, assessing the situation. The enemy had taken advantage of the high ground. They were also well out of range of a grenade volley. There were at least two of them out there, he'd assumed. They were alternating their fire just enough to keep him from moving.

He squinted as he tried to locate any exposed body parts. If I can just take out that guy on the right, I can make it to that hillside and possibly work my way behind them, Hayes surmised quickly. Raat-taaat-taaat-taaat sounded off once again. This time it sprayed across the ground forcing the man back behind the rocks. Hayes cursed in frustration as dust sprayed his face and went into his eyes.

They'd walked blindly into the trap. It was obvious that their opponents wanted them alive or they'd be lying dead in the dirt. The aggressors had used their firepower to intentionally separate the two in hopes to make their capture easier. Whoever they were, they were well armed and obviously well trained. They'd realized that March wasn't alone and had baited Hayes and Grazot. The forward element led the two into the ambush spot where the other shooters were waiting.

Suddenly something clicked in the man's mind. He realized he didn't need a grenade glancing down at the futuristic M-16. He flipped the switch to HE and then kissed the advanced piece of equipment as he grinned. He hugged the ground as closely as possible and listened to the Raat-taaat-taaat-taaat, this time more directly. He shut his eyes as he tried to determine a specific pattern.

After about thirty seconds the pattern became clear. Hayes rolled out and fired a shot in the direction of the rightmost attacker. He quickly ducked back for cover as he anticipated the next volley of fire. Seconds later, a low pop followed the shot as Hayes sent a smoke round in the direction of the second shooter.

The HE projectile sailed through the air and pounded its way into the side of the sandy hill. Dust and dry earth flew in every direction as the bullet detonated. The smoke round hit a group of rocks at the base. It flashed, followed by a thick white cloud of smoke. The distraction was enough to allow Hayes to beat-feet to the area he'd eyed earlier. At least he was now out of sight of the second riflemen. However, all that planning and effort had proven fruitless. Hayes had run directly into the path of the third soldier who'd been sent to flank his position. The startled warrior fired hitting Hayes in the chest. The round smashed into the body armor. The force of the shot threw Hayes backwards and then to the ground. The man landed flat on his back as he impacted with a thud. The chimp didn't wait for Hayes to regroup. He drove the butt of the rifle towards his head. The man passed out cold.

Several yards away,General Grazot sat with his back against the large stump and the surrounding foliage. It was the first signs of plant life he'd seen in days. It was about 90% dead but it had to mean that a water source was somewhere close. The occasional discharge of rifle fire whipped past startling the Gorilla slightly. The ape looked up to see dirt and dust off in the distance. A minute later two chimps dressed in odd looking fatigues appeared on opposite sides.

"You there, don't move." One of them ordered.

The ape was still not very comfortable in battles where automatic fire was used, but these conditions were different. Grazot was a trained warrior and no stranger to close combat. With all the simian agility and grace he possessed, the gorilla flipped backwards onto the stump at his rear. Next, he bound into the air and landed behind one of the odd looking soldiers. It happened so quickly that the two apes almost shot each other in the confusion.

The General grabbed the chimp with one paw and flung him at the second. Without hesitation the other rolled aside before his colleague could connect with his body. The soldier shot up and pointed his rifle at the Grazot's head.

"You were all warned that consorting with humans meant death. I knew none of you could really be trusted. Voss was a fool to think rabble like you could be dependable. What'd you do, desert?" The chimp stated.

"Consorting with humans…Voss? Huh?" The General babbled in genuine confusion.

"Oh you have amnesia, eh? Save it. You're coming with us. Major Polk can decide your fate."

Grazot nodded as he wiped the dust and dirt from his chest. "Fine, I'm coming with you… and just who are you and where are we going?" Grazot asked

The ape Lieutenant ignored Grazot. He then tiled his head and yelled out, "Private Geer! Are you ok?"

"Just my pride, Sir, but that will heal. I didn't expect one so big to be that fast." Private Geer replied.

"Shackle him. We're almost due to link up with the others." The Lieutenant ordered.

The apes chained Grazot, stripped him of his gear, and threw him into a barred, horse drawn wagon. Inside were March and Hayes. Both were tied from head to toe. There were at least eight apes in the group. The majority were chimpanzees with a few were gorillas and orangutans. They were all militant in their speech, tasks, and motions, but had an odd way of saluting. They raised a paw to their brow and then sharply snap it downward.

They rode for at least an hour and stopped to give the men and ape a very small amount of food and water. Not out of kindness, more out of necessity. Major Polk wouldn't be happy if his prisoners died of heat exhaustion before they were questioned. It seemed like forever but they finally approached the ape campsite.

March made some mental notes as he struggled to evaluate the situation. It was a very basic arrangement. It looked intentionally set up that way so it could be torn down quickly, if necessary. Their defenses and security seemed a bit sloppy. They had gaps in their sectors of fire.

They were, in all probability, a scouting unit of some type, the Major concluded. There was something else that jumped out at the man. These apes hadn't gasped when he'd spoken. They weren't dumbfounded that he was armed or wore clothes. In fact, that was exactly what they'd expected. It was obvious that he wasn't the first talking man they'd ever encountered.

To their dismay, no one interrogated them. They were untied and left inside the cage all night with two armed guards outside. A bucket was tossed in and it was quite obvious what that was for. Early the next morning they were fed again and allowed to empty their bucket. Following that, the apes tore down the camp and headed off.

The farther they traveled, the more the desert faded revealing small signs of vegetation. The following day they reached a vast settlement enclosed by a massive wall. Part of it was built into the side of a very large landmass. It looked like it housed several thousand apes. It was basically a military post but there was commerce going on as well and a several ape children running about. It twisted and turned upwards reaching high into the heavens.

The city looked somewhat industrialized, if you could call it that. It was certainly much more 'modern' than the society they'd left back in old Canada. It was equivalent to an old-west American city of the late 1890s; and lightly sprinkled with a touch of the twentieth century. Even their clothing looked oddly contemporary.

There were no signs of automobiles or things like that but there was a well guarded factory and it did look industrialized. Smoke and pollution were pumping out of the stacks and disappearing into the mountain sky. Horses and buggies busily went up and down the brick paved roads. Soldiers carrying rifles were scattered around as they casually patrolled the streets.

"Alright we're here." One of the apes said to the other as they stopped at the foot of a stone building. The chimp riding passenger jumped down and disappeared into the structure. The first ape dismounted and pulled out a crude cigar. He struck a small flint and lit the tobacco as he puffed away. Moments later the ape that'd entered the structure emerged with two armed soldiers. They positioned themselves on opposite sides of the wagon. Their weapons were raised and pointed.

"Alright, everyone out; nice and easy!" the chimp stated as he unlocked the gate and swung it open.

Grazot jumped out first followed by the others.

"Come on. Move your butts…" One yelled as he shoved a paw into the back of Hayes pushing him so hard that the man fell over.

"Go get their gear and supplies and bring it to the Interrogation Center" one of the chimps shouted at a gorilla. "Yes Sir," the ape answered as he darted off.

*** Thirty minutes later - interrogation Room A-7 ***

Grazot sat and said as little as possible as Major Polk shot out threats and accusations about as fast at the repeaters the two men carried. For some reason they seemed to think he was someone who was from the region. The ape was doing his best to let the Major do as much of the talking as possible. Why would they think he was from around here? It was obvious he didn't fit in.

After Major Polk finished his rant he took a deep breath and got down to business "Let's start with your name"

"It's Grazot," the General replied directly.

"Ok Grazot…Do you carry a rank in your army? From the looks of your uniform you're an office of some type. Isn't that what the colors represent? Of course, you look like you haven't changed clothes in a year. And from all that blood you might have killed your superior and taken his rank and identity. Are you a deserter? Are you trying to strike an alliance with the Eastern Coalition? You were all warned…" Polk rattled off in rapid fire.

"M-My … my uniform …" Grazot mumbled as the lights went on inside his brain.

That's it! the ape said inside himself, my uniform. They don't recognize me; they recognize the uniform …Supreme General Narr; His Contingent; they must have somehow run into this tribe.

"And just where is the rest of my army?" Grazot asked back ignoring the Major's questions

"I'm getting very bored with this." Polk shot back getting very close to Grazot's face. "I could have you hung; Consorting with Coalition soldiers, scouting us from the Renovo desert, firing on Western Territorial soldiers, you take your pick."

The interrogation went on for another hour. Grazot was questioned about their unique weapons and equipment, about the men, about how they'd penetrated their boarders and made it all the way to the Renovo. He was beaten and actually came clean but Polk didn't believe a word of it.

Major Polk finally called for a guard. "Whoever he is, he's strong willed. He stuck to that rabble as if he actually believed it. Kill him." He stated coldly.

Gun fire and yelling immediately followed the order Polk had just given causing him to take pause.

"Now what?" the chimp Major mumbled, shaking his head.

"Throw, the General, in the cell with the others" he sarcastically went on, "…and then grab a medic and meet me in Area C. Some nut just discharged their firearm and it sounds like we might have wounded to deal with."

*** Minutes later *** Detention Cell E-11

"General, are you alright?" The voice echoed through Grazot's bleary skull.

"Get him some water" The gorilla ordered.

The other ape in the cell did as he was instructed. They gave Grazot the liquid and helped him regain some of his composure.

"Let's move him to that cot." The second gorilla stated. After several minutes the General's senses began to slowly return. Grazot opened his swollen eyes and gazed up.

"General Narr? Is that you Sir?" Grazot mumbled in surprise. He rubbed his face gently with his paws and pulled back as the pain in his face and ears cried out from his touch. He'd been beaten so badly that his eyes hardly opened. He wondered if he was hallucinating.

"It's me Grazot." Narr said in reply, "How'd you get here and have you been demoted to Group Captain, in my absence?"

"How ya doin', Sir?" the gorilla with the water said. "It's been a while"

"I've seen better days, Arris, but it's good to see some friendly faces. Even if they're blurred faces" Grazot replied to Colonel Arris

Grazot tilted his head towards Narr and said, "Don't let the uniform confuse you, Sir. It's a very long story. And one that doesn't have a blissful ending either. I wish I could tell you that I was here with the Western Ape Contingent but…"

The General went on to explain what had happened during Narr's absence. He spoke of the events that brought him in contact with the humans, of the death of General Zuglanus at the hands of Ndola, and the death of Tyus in the ruins, of the Prefect and his insane pursuits that had plunged their nation into anarchy and finally of the poison that now barred their return. Under normal circumstances Narr would have reacted differently but the last few months had drastically changed his way of thinking.

Narr had interacted with talking men; armed, reasoning, fighting, talking men. Obviously what he'd been told growing up was a complete lie or a tale born of ignorance. He'd also witnessed the advances that these apes had made; their weapons, structures, medicine, their manipulation of metals, their basic tools, all of it was years beyond anything he thought was possible. Even their clothing was oddly advanced. And from what his General was now saying, it was obvious he'd been intentionally lied to, all these years. Sullen had always looked at progress as a fragile flower, needing tilling, time and patience but these apes had used it to improve their quality of life and to secure it's safety. They'd laughed at the muskets when they'd first encountered his militia. Now, no one was laughing.

Narr had no love for humans but on the opposite paw he viewed these apes as the more serious threat. They were a warrior society; no Council, no Governors, no Prefect, just the military. It ran the government, the police, controlled commerce, the education, food…everything. But that wasn't the worst of it; they were also running short on resources. It was only a matter of time before they figured out a way across that desert and eventually into Argos. Now that they knew Argos existed. Supreme General Narr had told them just about everything when they'd first arrived.

These apes thought there was nothing on the others side of the desert, except more desert. They also possessed military weapons that could smash Argos to pieces. Artillery, they'd called it and it was highly impressive. If his Contingent could traverse the desert these apes could easily do it too.

"…and that's about it Sir. Prefect Sullen's obsessions with these men have made the ape insane." Grazot stated in conclusion.

Narr thought of his family, his career, his power and his wealth. He was getting old and would have been on The Council in a few years. That would have set him up for the rest of his life. He concluded in the back of his mind that he was going back home. Despite the poison that fell from above he was going to somehow return. He'd invested his whole life to the nation he loved; a nation he believed in. He'd be damned if he was going to let it fall into dust because of some insane orangutan or invasion by these ape lunatics. Of course, he'd first have to escape from this cell.

Interrogation Room C-16

The ape back-pawed Hayes so hard that both he and the chair he was tied to soared off the ground. Hayes landed on his side as the wooden piece of furniture splintered into several pieces. The gorilla jumped over the table and grabbed the man by the cuff of his chest. He lifted Hayes off the ground and slammed him back first onto the table. Hayes landed with a distinct oooffff.

This went on for several minutes without a single question being asked. He wasn't being tortured…yet. The ape was softening him up; attempting to get him mentally off balance. And what better way to do that, than with pain. The ape grabbed Hayes by the throat and reached for the M-16. He held the weapon to the man's head and finally asked the first question.

"How did you make this? Why are you here?" the gorilla spat out. The brute scooped up a cupful of water and threw into the man's face. He pulled Hayes up and asked the same questions again.

Hayes slumped somberly on the edge of the hard wooden table and coughed out the water. A stunned expression hung on his face. His mouth hung slightly open on one side. The swollen, bleeding lip kept it from closing it completely. His eyes locked on the small displayed panel of the rifle that was glowing with a soft green radiance. They'd removed the magazine but the Cobalt Disruptor was still powered. A spark of hope rose in the man's mind as an idea formed. Hayes weakly pointed at the weapon and whispered.

"What?" the gorilla said impatiently. "Speak up!"

Hayes intentionally mumbled again, hoping it would draw the massive beast closer. The adrenalin in his system caused his heart to begin to pound; which was working directly against the ruse that he was overly fatigued. His plan but it was a long shot. He looked at the size of the ape and for a spilt second his mind cried out, don't do it. But what was the alternative? He was probably going to die anyway. So why not go down fighting? If this plan failed he would most assuredly a goner. Hayes took in a deep breath and pointed at the firearm a third time. He deliberately stumbled into the side of the ape keeping his eyes fixed on the rifle.

What happened next seemed like a blur. The gorilla strong armed Hayes, in a reflex action, to stop his fall. Hayes twisted slightly allowing the loose ropes to interweave with both him and the gorilla. It wasn't an attempt to tie the gorilla, it more of a trick to divert attention to his tangled arm. As the ape brought his other arm forward to swipe at the line, Hayes grabbed for the rifle. The gorilla felt the tug. He lifted the tangled arm, raising the man far above the ground. Hayes had taken the ape's strength and agility for granted but the ape had taken the ancient weapon for granted. What was a weak human going to do with an empty rifle?

"I've had enough of this" The ape said as he slammed Hayes downward.

With all the strength he could muster Hayes held tightly on the weapon. The force jolted it free just enough for him to squeeze the trigger. The disruptor burst connected with the apes extended chin. The primate's weight shifted as his body went limp. He fell towards Hayes, sending the man into the side of the table. Both he and the ape crashed to the ground with a thump.

As quickly as he could Hayes worked his way out from under his interrogator. The man detached himself from the obvious duty ahead. It was a little easier since he was basically slaughtering an animal. And animals they were, Hayes mused. He wondered what kind of moron would not only be stupid enough to bring a bag full of weapons into an interrogation room but also allow his captor to come within arms reach of them. The man took the ropes and choked the life out the gorilla before he ever regained bodily control.

Detention Cell E-11

"So what happened here, Sir" Grazot asked as he struggled to sit up. He took note of the cell. It was definitely a cell but there appeared to be certain comforts; for VIP prisoners possibly. The more things changed the more they stayed the same, Grazot thought.

"Just about everyone is dead, General. We lost a few in the old city but not many. We were attacked by the same savages you spoke of but quickly fought them off. About another third died in the desert. We ran out of water and supplies. We sent scouts in every direction only one unit returned and they were accompanied by soldiers from this nation." Arris stated as he answered for Narr.

"At first we were welcomed, accepted, given respect and even a modest tour of their city." Narr added. "They believed we had a common cause, a common enemy…man. They hate men about as much as Ndola does…or did, anyway. Yet the more I spoke of home the more they wanted to know about it. At first I thought it was simply out of curiosity but I became suspicious when they keyed in on our food supplies, water sources, and finally our defenses."

"They armed our soldiers and provided us with maps and a route to what they refer to as; The Capital…"

"The Capital… I've often heard the men I arrived with use that term, Sir" Grazot stated.

"Evidently that's a city containing some kind of great weapon or power. I'm certain it's the place the Prefect ordered me to destroy, as well." Narr replied. "Anyway, we headed out into this Human Coalition territory and towards their Capital. Their leader, a Lieutenant General Voss, knew of a route that was inconspicuous. By the time I understood their real intentions, it was too late."

"Our soldiers were all but slaughtered, Sir" Colonel Arris interjected.

"That's an understatement" Narr replied "Colonel Sark unwittingly led the bulk of our forces into an ambush. Humans by the droves came out of nowhere but that's not the unsettling part of the story. I know it's unbelievable but the city itself reached out in defense…almost as if it had a mind of its own. I signaled retreat but it was too late."

Narr paused as he felt his anger rising. He grit his teeth and continued. "We were used as bait, Grazot. While the city attacked us Voss somehow managed to slip through the …whatever … that was protecting this capital. He hasn't been seen or heard from in weeks."

"Their rank structure is a little different" Arris claimed "but it's also very similar many ways. Their ranking soldier is a Major who is as brutal a taskmaster as Voss."

The conversation became less and less involved as the sounds of gun fire became more and more distinguishable. It sounded like a riot. Without warning the door to their cell swung open. It was the last survivor of Narr's Contingent; Troop Sergeant Ogden.

He tossed some fatigues into the room and shouted "Strip out of those rags and put these on …Move your butts". He added "…Sirs" to the end of the sentence as well as a half smile and salute.