Ape Territorial Capital

Ulysses strolled down the city streets with his superior, Major Polk. The mass escape and raid on the factory had severely stalled production. Though it had not compromised their ability to wage war, it had caused a serious backlash on any attempts at sustaining one. What was even more destructive than the physical damage was the psychological effect it had on Troop morale. That had slipped considerably in the wake of the heaping devastation. The once proud Territorial Capital was now the blemish of the nation. The civilian workforce was losing confidence and some had been, so bold, as to personally charge Polk. There were threats of strikes and secret talks of a military coup.

The initial blame had fallen squarely on Major Ulysses. He was Polk's second in command and directly responsible for internal security. When the finger-pointing and the excuse making began, Ulysses name was dragged through the mud like an old rag. Twenty-six civilians were wounded, seventeen died and three more weren't likely to survive much longer. Nine soldiers died and five lie hospitalized in critical condition. What made things worse was the small ape child who'd been killed in the chaos. The adolescent's father was the foreman at the munitions factory. He'd moved his family to the opposite side of town, in an attempt to keep them safe. There was s series of temporary dwellings just north of his building. He'd unwittingly brought them within range of the attack on the industrial plant. The explosion had taken out the factory and everything surrounding it.

It had been a quirk of fate that the events had taken place while Ulysses was absent. The Major was miles away surveying territory. By the time he'd returned ninety-five percent of the damage had already occurred. Under normal circumstances he'd be rotting away somewhere with a bullet in his head. But these were different times. Polk needed Ulysses. Despite the setback the ape was still a brilliant tactician. The Territorial Commander couldn't afford that kind of loss; especially with Captain Lant gone. The population was screaming for their sacrificial lamb, and as far as Polk was concerned, Sullen would fit that role well when the time was needed.

The two apes were bantering as they left the reconstruction that was underway "…Voss isn't here" Polk stated "I am. He'd hang his own grandmother for serving him the wrong kind of soup."

Ulysses, who was experiencing a great deal of defenselessness, waved his arm at the construction going on and said. "We've all heard that joke. It doesn't change the fact that I should have prevented this. Humans haven't possessed the strength to attack our capital, in decades. This …embarrassment …is exclusively mine to wear." Deep inside the ape was heated and about to boil. He'd felt blindsided by all of it. After all, he was only out following Polk's orders.

"Get your head on straight, my friend. Voss did things his way and I do things my way. Buildings can be rebuilt and soldiers die in battle. …And unfortunately, so do civilians. The fact that it took place in our capital doesn't change those truths. Though you arrived late you still managed to gain control. Every prisoner was killed or recaptured. The humans who raided the factory got caught in their own doings. No one survived and no one escaped. I made that all plainly clear in this morning's briefings. No retaliation is to be taken out on any soldier. This was a result of the Visitor's actions and I'll deal with it myself. In the mean time, we're going to publically hang a few of the human survivors. That should appease the populous and buy us a little time"

Ulysses exhaled as he over analyzed the phrase; Though you arrived late. He'd been out there doing his job, not sightseeing. He was doing exactly what Polk ordered; Finding an alternate rout into the human territories. However, instead of dwelling on misgivings that would go nowhere, if aired, he addressed the issue with Sullen. "And what of this Prelord or Premier or whatever he calls himself? How is it possible that he'd have knowledge of how a relic operates?"

"His title is, Prefect." Polk replied "You'll have a chance to ask the ape yourself. We're meeting with him as soon as we get back to the Command Center. So tell me, how do things look? Can we get soldiers and equipment through the eastern wastelands?"

"If we pull elements of the sixty-ninth from Devoir and engineer units of the three-seventy-second from Tepoc we should have enough apes to accomplish the operation. Those two cities are well beyond the reach of the humans. That will give us a three to one advantage on the ground and still allow for a strong line of logistical support. Here's the trade off though, we forfeit artillery support and about a third of the trip is through the outer portion of the desert. I've personally surveyed most of the area. We'll be able to push our infantry through but that's it. The region beyond the sands is too mountainous to haul large equipment. It will involve a lot climbing. We'll be lucky if we can get mortar equipment through it"

"I want you to give me the full details as soon as we're done with that fool of a Visitor." Polk stated. The two apes walked up the large steps and went into the Capital building.

*** Minutes later

Sullen cursed inside when he entered the room. He felt like a helpless child as he limped across the floor. He'd traded the crutches for a cane but his strength hadn't fully returned to his recently healed arm. He was off balance and almost fell several times. He noted the smirk on Polk's face as he passed the ape. Your day's coming. You can count on it, my friend he thought forcing back his contempt.

Polk gave a quick introduction and offered the Prefect some wine. Sullen thanked him but declined, due to the large meal he'd just eaten. For all I know it's poison, he thought.

On a separate table lie the weapons and computing device. There were also several of the items that once belonged to the astronauts. Polk looked at Sullen and exhaled. He picked up the computer and said "We're going to start with this. I want to know everything about it."

Sullen nodded and spoke the authentication code he'd memorized long ago. The object, in return, asked for clarification on which of its various capabilities it should invoke. The ape pushed one of the preset icons in the machine's display.

"This is one of three devices that exist. The other two are secured back in my home." Sullen stated. "It has many functions but I can only speak of a specific few. There was a book …a manual that accompanied it. Do you have that?"

"Unfortunately, no" Polk replied. "That device was captured, with several others, when we took your General Grazot into custody. That blasted Ogden used gold and silver to steal back what he could."

Sullen grinned within. Good work Troop Sergeant he thought to himself.

"The book doesn't matter. I have four of the codes in my memory. I learned them as a child. This gadget is like a one-ape Contingent. It contains maps, admittance codes, known supply points and more. Here …look. Let me just show you. It's easier that way"

Sullen pushed a few more buttons as the piece of equipment beeped. The display began to glow. Next, the Prefect rotated left and right in an attempt to gain a signal. He settled on the general direction of the desert. The small shiny object sounded off with several louder beeps in rapid succession. When it stopped, it simply asked; Authentication?

"I authenticate; Tango Lima three Seven Zero X-Ray Charlie Two" Sullen replied.

Authentication accepted. Searching… Primary target identified … Due West ... Latitude 43.3504 … Longitude: -84.5603

"What did you do?" Polk asked as he jumped to his feet.

"Its fine Major," Sullen replied. "I just located where my grandfather hid one hundred and fifty of those rifles …along with a few other items of interest. Here, I think you'll find this most impressive."

Sullen set the object on the table and said "Visual Display". The instrument flashed. The ruined city of Detroit, Michigan exhibited in colorful 3-D imagery. Red crosshairs blinked on with the word, Objective, directly below.

Now it was Ulysses who sprang up "Is that water? Look at the size of it. It's enough to last for five hundred lifetimes"

"I think I need to tell you both of the history behind all of this." Sullen concluded.

For half the day the Prefect answered questions, spoke of his nation's past, explained ideas, and demonstrated what he could. When it was finally over Polk had the items secured and Sullen escorted out. A guard brought in some food as the Major turned to Ulysses and asked "Well, Major, what do you think?"

Ulysses scratched his chin and said. "I don't think he's lying. What would he have to gain from it? Besides it makes sense. We're all aware of the bomb that went off way back when. The desert wasn't always a desert. It almost wiped us out too. How those fools managed to survive and build that upside-down society he spoke of, amazes me."

"It would explain their level of knowhow." Polk added "They had no apes with crafting skills, a limited knowledge of metallurgy and chemistry … all they had were a few books. From that they built the only weapons they could, muskets."

"They're fools Polk." Ulysses broke in "Ignorant fools. They had weapons…a cart full of them. They buried and hid them away. And why? …Because of a misguided perception of man; Weak pathetic man." He mockingly huffed as he said it.

Ulysses pointed in the direction of the desert and continued. "Those rifles and devices make us look like the tree-dwellers. That brainless simian mistakes progress for poison. That's what happens when you have civilians leading a nation. If that craft had landed here, we would have been inside it in minutes and those humans would have been killed without effort. Do you know what we could do with just one flying ship? We could drop our soldiers in anywhere. Do you realize the tactical advantage we'd have if our armies were equipped with those rifles? They actually fire an artillery round. We didn't need him to explain that. We were all present at the demonstration Lant put on."

"Ok, Ulysses, I get the point. I was going to have the Prefect killed." Polk stated as he slapped his companion on the shoulder. "I gave him two rifles that were rigged to misfire … But I think we need to reassess things. Forget flanking the humans. We'll pull the units from Devoir and Tepoc to reinforce Ceasera. This is the last time our capital will be attacked. But I think it's time we sent the Prefect home. I want those rifles and with Sullen's help you're going to get them for me."

Old Washington, DC

Hayes darted between whatever he could find for cover and disappeared into the darkness. He flinched as the far-off sound of gun fire echoed through the ruins. Something went wrong rushed though his mind. The man stopped to catch his breath behind the small wall of an old crumbled structure. He pulled out the field-pad and oriented it to his current position. More gun fire and shouting sounded off in the distance. It was followed by a few explosions. He tapped his pad and smiled as he realized he'd successfully triangulated the location he was hunting for.

Hayes looked out into the remoteness before him. Sporadic glimmers of light flashed in various locations. The curious little boy inside wanted to explore the mysteries that lie beyond, but the level headed adult knew he had to reach that pod. If White tripped those fail-safe devices it was his only shot at staying alive. More distant explosions ignited, sending up huge balls of fire.

It took the man some time but he worked his way to the base of the Lincoln Memorial. He instinctively looked around. The area was dimly lit from illumination rods that ran through the debris. The ruptured slabs of concrete and metal obscured some of his view as he attempted to navigate through the wreckage. He secured the field-pad and climbed on to one of the slabs to get a better look. That was when he spotted the decayed human remains just shy of a large mechanical object.

"That's it" Hayes exclaimed as he jumped to the ground.

The Air Force Captain made his way to the crusty skeleton. A majority of the corpse was gone. Part of the head, chest and right arm were all that remained recognizable. Whatever had killed the man …or woman …evidently eradicated most of its body. It was similar to what he'd seen in the open area near the tunnel.

Hayes rolled the frame over with a boot. The brittle bones crumbled into small pieces. That's a uniform it's wearing, the man noted. He reached down, grabbed at the rotted fabric, and lifted it up to his face. Captain Hayes shook some of the dust as he read the words; US Air Force onone side and Davidson on the other.

"Well Captain Davidson." Hayes said as he noted the worn rank on the tattered uniform. "I hope you don't mind if I borrow your ride. Did you remember to fill the tank before you left?"

As Hayes dropped the old rag on the ground his eyes picked up the small shape of a hand gun. He dug away at the dirt and pulled out the odd looking gadget. It was akin to something he'd seen in comic books, as a child.

The astronaut stood and took a step towards the small craft. A sudden unfamiliar voice almost frightened the man right out of his boots. All the gorilla said was; "You …human".

Hayes instinctively swung around and squeezed the pistol he was holding. The small, bright green, energy burst ripped through the air and sparked as it burned into the concrete slab. The gorilla threw up his arms said "Wait, you fool, you don't understand"

Hayes did not wait. The first shot was discharged randomly but now he could see the gorilla. And though they all looked alike, he knew it wasn't one of the three he'd been traveling with. Better safe than sorry he thought to himself. He shifted his position to fire at the primate but the gorilla was already in the air. The beast flipped himself backwards, landing behind a stack of thick metal beams. "I'm not here to attack, human. Stop firing." He shouted.

"Ok, state your business then" Hayes replied. Still suspicious, the man worked his way back to the cylinder that the late Captain Davidson had crawled out of. I have to get inside this thing before it's too late, he reasoned. It appeared to be on its side and nudged into the ground. Hayes felt around for some kind of opening or latch but paused as the gorilla began to speak.

"You crashed in Arum early in the morning." He said "We beat at the contraption until our muskets broke. Your iron vessel was damaged in the fall. Many apes were killed as they attempted to reach you and the other two men. You fired your repeaters and created fog. We managed to loosen a round door and pull one of you out…"

The ape described the situation in great detail. Their arrival was common knowledge but the report was too accurate, too precise. He portrayed the circumstances as if he'd been there himself. He ended his speech with "…ok, I'm coming forward now."

Tom March was lying unconscious on the ground. His head was bleeding from a hit he'd taken from one of the orangutans. Next to him was the body of the dead General Voss. All around chaos had broken out. A small firefight ensued and the gorillas were brawling with what remained of Voss's soldiers.

March's actions initially shocked the apes. No one ever fired during a truce. It was one understanding that both ape and man seemed to agree on. March, however, was not part of that culture. In fact, in his world things were straight forward. You didn't negotiate with the enemy, you killed them. Or at least you beat them down so much that they no longer remained a threat. He'd blasted Voss right in the head and at point blank range too. The man managed to fire at a second ape before the third struck with blinding force. He'd be dead if Grazot hadn't intervened. Saving human lives was becoming a second job for the apes.

In the rear of the skirmish Colonel Rence was trying to gain control of the apes Voss had left behind. He was out numbered and pinned down. He peered to his left and sighted the human soldier who was scurrying for cover. Bam-bam – The man went down without a cry.

"You," he shouted to a gorilla off in the distance. The ape looked lethargic. He hadn't even raised his rifle. "Get that blasted weapon engaged and bring it down on the enemy. One of them just ran off. He may be going for reinforcements or trying to flank us."

Troop Sergeant Kutos wasn't lethargic; he wasn't sacred and he wasn't hesitating in the heat of battle. He simply wasn't going to fire on his Contingent commanders. Instead he took advantage of the situation and gave a wave of acknowledgment. Kutos bound over some debris and headed off for the human. It was time to defect.

Rence turned to the chimp and gorilla next to him and ordered the apes to fire the mortars they taken from the human camp. The soldiers nodded and went on their way. "We may be out numbered but we're not out gunned." He muttered. "We can still get out of this and I'm going to kill those traitorous gorillas with my own paws."

In the caverns below Lieutenant Berger paused as his ears picked up the loud noises on the surface. "I can't do this." He said "I'm not going to run down here and hide while good men die right above me."

Captain White stopped and turned to the young soldier. "The Major was right Berger. We can't let Voss have access to this power. Every last human on this planet would be at his mercy."

"Yes ma'am" Berger agreed. "But you don't need my help to do your thing. I was ordered to get you down here and you're here. I'm a soldier, not a tech. I can't sit by in safety while my Platoon is fighting for their lives. You give me five minutes. If you don't hear anything you cut the power and bring the fail-safe back up. If by some miracle we make out of this, I'll beat on the hand rails three times. If you hear that you know we've won and you can stop."

Berger didn't wait for a reply. The young man turned towards the stairs and headed up. His eyes took a second to adjust as he cautiously exited the passageway and stepped out into the wreckage. He looked around. There was March. The man looked dead. The Lieutenant hesitated as he recognized the uniform of General Voss. The apes had managed to take out the human leadership but hadn't accounted for the gorillas. Narr, Grazot and Ogden had organized the human survivors.

"You three come with me. We're going to try and scale that rubble and see if we can get a look at what we're dealing with. The height will give us an advantage" Ogden said to the scared human soldiers. "Don't shoot at what you can't see." The Supreme Troop Sergeant turned to the last soldier alive. "You flank left. Go around those half standing structures, right there. Climb into that tall one and stay out of sight. If we do this right we'll cover all sectors of fire. If they make a move, we'll cut 'em in two."

The whistling of mortar rounds buzzed through the air. Without thinking Berger took cover in the passage entrance. That's when an idea popped into his head. The shells hit and exploded. As the apes reloaded Berger shot out the door. He shouted over in Ogden's direction. "Get everyone over here now. We're going inside" The confused soldiers didn't know how to react but moved towards the entrance when Ogden said "Change in plans, move!"

Ogden whistled in Grazot's direction. The ape General was nursing a knife gouge he'd taken from the ape that had attacked March. "Come on Sir, we need to get Supreme General …" BOOOOM BOOOM BOOOOM the rounds hit sending dirt, debris, and shrapnel everywhere. The dead body of a human soldier flew into Ogden. The force was so strong it knocked the hulking beast to the deck. The impact took the wind right out of him. The next thing Ogden knew he was waking up in the room with all of the mechanized equipment.

"Take it easy Troop Sergeant." Grazot said. "You took it pretty bad. Ironic, how you seem to cheat death. Those humans took the brunt of it. They absorbed just enough to keep you from being splattered all over."

"What's going on Sir? Where is General Narr?" Ogden asked.

Grazot shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know. I grabbed you and the human Major and headed down here. Those massive bombs fell everywhere. The human female has triggered those shafts of heat. Anyone above is dead. She's in the process of setting things back."

Berger walked over Grazot and handed a rifle. "I never thought I'd be arming a gorilla." He joking stated. "Think you can fire it with wounded paw?"

"I'll manage." Grazot said.

"How you doin' fuzz-ball?" Berger said with a grin

"I'm fine. Just a few bruises" Ogden replied.

"Good, because you've just been drafted" The Lieutenant replied. "We're short on manpower and you're going to have help us link up the defenses."

"Look," Berger added "I know my men didn't make it but I appreciate you stepping up and getting them organized. Yes they died, but you managed to keep the apes busy long enough for us to get the fail-safes going. We're all alive because of you."