"... and we need to keep the pressure on..." Gres looked up with a frown as Zana marched into his office. He straightened up from the map he and his lieutenants had bent over; Zana recognized Katlin, but not the other human. Gres sure knew how to keep up appearances.
"We need to talk."
Gres huffed a little laugh. "Those words are the reason I never married..."
"Mano here just told me an interesting little story about how your people spend their free time," Zana said. She kept her voice calm.
Gres' eyes widened in confusion. "And that's why you come crashing through the door? The operative word of 'free time' is 'free' - this," he gestured towards the map, "is work. So if you'd be so kind and let me get back to it..."
Instead, Zana strode over and leaned on the table. "The operative word seems to apply only to the simian part of your movement. Did you know that some of your apes are forcing sexual favors from the humans?"
Behind Gres, Zana saw Katlin and the other human exchange a look; Gres, on the other hand, just looked irritated. "That's complete nonsense. And an outrageous accusation for which neither you nor Mano have proof, I'd wager."
Zana had an involuntary flashback to what she had just witnessed in a dark, abandoned corridor. "You're the leader of this organisation, and you're trying to tell me that you're not aware of what's going on under your very nose?"
Now Gres also leaned on the table, bringing his face close to hers. "I've been working with these people for years, and I'd trust any of them with my life. You're not going to undermine the trust that binds us together with these filthy, unfounded accusations..."
"You're sure invested in that organisation of yours," Zana hissed, "but despite all the high and noble talk about equality, I've found nothing but the old hierarchy here, apes at the top, humans at the bottom, but back in the capital, they were at least safe from this kind of exploitation! As long as you're turning a blind eye to that, don't talk to me about trust!"
"Either present proof or get the blast out of here!" Gres growled.
"I saw him!"
"Saw him do what, exactly? Did he touch a human inappropriately? Force himself on any of them?"
He knows exactly what's going on, Zana realized; Gres had just outlined his rules for this depravity, and Kuma knew how to toe the line.
... because Kuma liked to watch; he kept a safe distance, and he followed all of Gres' rules, but that didn't mean he wasn't in complete control - Zana shoved back the memory of Kuma's low voice, telling the human couple exactly what to do, and when, and how... and of the other noises he made.
Gres pulled back from the table; he looked irritated, Zana thought, not outraged or mortified. "Very well, I'll look into the matter," his gaze had already dropped to the map again. "If there's something to it, people will face disciplinary measures." He glanced up at her. "Now if you'd excuse us..."
The door flew open again.
"When did people stop respecting my closed door?" Gres roared, but the human didn't even flinch. He was pale, Zana noticed, and looked as if in shock.
"They killed him, Gres," he said hoarsely. "They killed Boone. On the main square. The prefect had ordered it." He handed the Chimp a crumpled slip of paper. Zana noted its size - they had to be using carrier pigeons. No matter how much she loathed the man, she had to admire his ingenuity.
Gres quickly scanned the message, and cursed. Zana glanced at the humans: Katlin was ashen - even her fingertips were gray. The other human had tears in his eyes.
"Damn that lice-ridden son of a monkey!" Gres said flatly. He crumpled up the paper and threw it onto the table with disgust. "He really wants to know, doesn't he?"
"You should back off before this escalates even further," Zana said.
Gres laughed, incredulous. "Back off? What do you think will happen if I retreat? He'll advance. That's not what we've been fighting for. That's not what Boone has died for, on that block."
Zana shook her head. "What else can you do?"
Gres glanced to the humans who stood silently, their faces impenetrable. "Aken thinks we're bluffing. I'm going to set him right about that. Find Kuma..."
With a start, Zana realized what he was going to do.
"... and get Lora."
Burke was still fighting with the pipe wrench when Zana rushed into the dark kitchen and ducked behind the sink.
"You couldn't have found another job for me?" he grumbled, carefully keeping his voice down. The furtive glances Zana shot over the kitchen counter made it clear enough that this was a conspiratorial meeting. Well, that and the late hour; everyone else was already asleep or engaged in activities Burke preferred not to think about.
The wrench slid off the pipe again. "Fuck this shit..."
"The prefect had Gres' human executed," Zana hissed. "And now Gres has decided to pay him back by killing Lora!"
Oh, shit. Burke sat up and threw the wrench aside. And here I'm fighting with the damn kitchen sink.
"Time to say goodbye to Gres and his Merry Men, then," he whispered. "I hadn't really pegged him as a diplomat, anyway. Do you know where they're holding her?"
"In a storage room. But it's locked, and I think Kuma has the key."
Burke grinned at her. "Ah, the lock is the least of our worries. What we need is a plan for how to get away from here as fast as possible without them following us." Or putting a bullet in their heads. Burke remembered the little stone-faced guy who had escorted him here. Well, he'd worry about that later.
"I was hoping you'd have thought of something," Zana whispered.
"Why me? You've been here longer than me! You should have at least an idea of the layout by now - all I've seen from their lair was that room full of junk and that damn drain!" He jerked his thumb towards the pipe behind him.
"I know how to get to the exit," Zana assured him, "but it's guarded, too..."
"I'll take care of that."
Zana glanced at him like she always did at any hint of violence from him - a wary expression as if he'd go down on all fours and howl at the moon any moment. He never knew if he was amused or annoyed by it. "Do you know where they have their horses?"
But Zana shook her head at that. Burke leaned back against the kitchen cabinet and thought hard. The women wouldn't be able to keep up with him if they were forced to run - the rebels would catch up to them in no time on horseback, and even if they didn't, they wouldn't make it back to the town in time to save Al...
"Did you repair that weapon?" Zana whispered.
"Half of the circuitry was fused, and I kinda lost my enthusiasm when Katlin didn't return with the soldering iron I had asked her for." He smirked. "If Gres fired it now, the feedback would probably blow his hand off."
"Good. I mean, good that it's not functional," Zana amended hastily.
Burke's grin widened. "Hell, Zana, I knew you had a bit of human in you!"
"It seems to rub off," she murmured. "Katlin probably forgot about your tool when she heard the news of her comrade's death."
"She was there?" Burke remembered Katlin's face when she had told him about her husband.
"I thought she'd faint." Zana sat down opposite of him on the floor and leaned against the wall. Burke suddenly wished for a beer. It was almost cozy here, despite their conversation topic.
"How did she react to Gres' plan?" He didn't want to believe that she'd be okay with it.
Zana slowly shook her head. "It was hard to tell - she seemed too shocked to react to Gres' announcement."
"I could talk to her... perhaps she'll help us," Burke ventured.
Zana stared at the counter above his head, probably calculating the odds that Katlin would call the guards instead.
"You know her better than I - if you trust her, so will I," she finally said.
He didn't know her better, and he didn't want to calculate their odds that Katlin wouldn't call the guards; but for some reason, Burke couldn't imagine that she would be fanatical enough to sacrifice Lora's life... and his, maybe... for Gres' vision.
Katlin wasn't like that. She had a sense of honor. He just hoped it was stronger than her sense of duty.
Burke nodded. "Fine - I'll find Katlin, you'll get Lora..."
"I told you, the door is locked," Zana reminded him.
Burke smiled his best car-dealer smile and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"No worries, dahling - I'll show you how to pick a lock."