p class="Normal tm5 tm6"strong span class="tm7"Year of the Lawgiver 734/span /strong/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana silently closed the door to Zaius' study behind her and took a deep breath. It was what she did every time she came here since she had been a little girl: inhaling the comforting mixture of leather, books, and tobacco that gave this silent, shaded abode its calming atmosphere. Sunlight filtered through the ferns and jungle plants on the window sills, transforming the office into a green-tinted clearing in the woods. Zana felt the serenity of the place coating her wariness like a thin sheet of dew; her apprehension was still there underneath, but it didn't show as much anymore./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Or so she hoped./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Come in, girl, why are you standing in the door like a student facing detention?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana laughed and quickly crossed the floor to the big desk where Council Eldest Zaius was stuffing his pipe. "I was just thinking how your study looks more and more like your holiday lodge. How do you find your desk under all those plants?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The old ape chuckled and lit his pipe. "I leave a trail of nutshells from here to the door."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I hope I haven't disturbed it now." She sat down as he waved at her to take the seat across from him./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I met your father a few days ago."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana sighed inwardly, but prepared herself to engage in the preliminary chitchat as gracefully as possible. You couldn't hurry an Orangutan, and although it went against the quick and direct way of Chimpanzee communication, she had learned long ago that humoring this quirk got her faster results than trying to bully her way to the actual point of the conversation./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""He didn't mention that to me. Perhaps he forgot."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The Elder flicked her a shrewd look through the smoke of his pipe. "Getting older does not mean getting senile, young Zana. Not all at once, at least."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana laughed again, a bit forced. "You know I didn't mean it that way. Father doesn't usually mention his conversations with colleagues to me. He thinks they'd bore me."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius raised his brows. "And would they?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""It depends on the discussion partner," Zana said with a sweet smile. The other ape chuckled./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Well, I was glad to see that he is in better health again. We had a delightful little chat, and he mentioned that you are slated for a promotion. Well done, Zana!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Thank you, Uncle Zaius." The familial address seemed not to be out of place, even though she was in his office and had received an official summons to meet him as Council Eldest. No doubt the real point of this meeting would be revealed soon enough, but she was sure that her promotion (whenever it would in fact materialize) wasn't it./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""It's amazing how much we still have to learn about humans," Zaius mused, smacking his pipe. Zana leaned back in her chair and watched him. Uncle Zaius wasn't known for his interest in humans. "And thanks to your work, we have already learned much," he continued. "A quite impressive work. But we always knew that you had much potential. Your mother would be very proud of you. Very proud."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I like to think so," Zana said softly. Her mother had died during her year of Community Service. Zana wished she had lived at least long enough to see her graduate. She sighed and decided that she had humored the old man long enough. "I got an official summons, Uncle Zaius. I'm still trying to determine on whose toes I've stepped in the institute."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Ha! That scheming, inbred bunch!" Zaius' glance told her that he knew exactly that she was trying to steer the conversation. But apparently she had satisfied Orangutan etiquette enough that he allowed her that faux pas. "No, it's nothing of the kind. I have a job for you."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""That's... very sweet, but I already have a job." Zana played up the confusion in her voice to hide her annoyance. Had that been the topic of her father's 'delightful little chat'? She hoped not./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius smiled thinly. "Of course. I meant to say I have an assignment for you. In your capacity as a human behavioral scientist. You have made several applications for working with adult humans, or so I've been told. They have so far been rejected wholesale."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana inhaled sharply and sat straighter. "The institute thinks adults are too difficult to handle under the given conditions." She snorted, not trying to hide her irritation. "They make it sound as if I wanted to work with sharks or poisonous snakes. You wouldn't think we use them every day for work!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Well, I'm pleased to tell you that I have procured some adults for you to work with." Zaius smiled at her as if he had just presented her the pony that she had wanted when she was little. Zana sat there for a moment, her finger tapping rapidly against the armrest of her chair. Then she stood abruptly. Zaius stared up at her, taken aback by her reaction./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I really appreciate your and father's concern for me and my career," she said in a low, controlled voice. Well, it was mostly controlled, though she could hear her fury wavering in it like heat over a noonday road. "But I neither want nor need any backroom favours. I'm perfectly capable of succeeding on my own merits!" She turned to go./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"She was already at the door when Zaius found his voice again. "Zana."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"He could be commanding, if he wanted to. She found herself looking over her shoulder, her hand still grabbing the handle. The Orangutan wasn't meeting her eyes, seemingly engrossed in tapping out his pipe. "I'm not doing you a favour. I'm asking you for one."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"She let go of the handle and turned back to lean against the door. "What do you mean?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius rocked back in his chair and smacked his lips, as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. "I mean these humans aren't your normal beasts of burden. They are... unusual."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana slowly came back to her seat, intrigued despite herself. "Unusual in what way?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius sighed and began ruffling papers. "They are... not from here."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""...so?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"With a huff, Zaius set down the pile of paper he had collected. "As in, 'not from our world'!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana stared at him. "I don't understand."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""They are not from our world," Zaius repeated patiently, as if she was a bit slow. "They came in a... machine, and that machine crashed down near the Toram reservation."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Crashed down?" Well, yes, right now she emspan class="tm8"did/span/em sound as if she was a bit slow, but... emspan class="tm8"not from our world?!/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Like a bird crashing into a window pane, yes." Zaius made a sweeping motion as if batting away a mosquito./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"A glowing sensation spread in Zana's chest, a bubbling giddiness that wanted to catapult her out of her seat and make her jump on Zaius' desk with excitement. "You're saying that there are... other worlds where humans build machines that can cross the distance between there and here?" She shook her head, grinning with glee. "They must be incredibly intelligent!" And she was going to meet them!/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius' stare was anything but gleeful. "I need you to find out everything you can about these humans - we must know of their plans. If they pose a danger to our society... if there are more of them on the way... we must be prepared." He absently smoothed down the paper he just had crumpled./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana nodded enthusiastically./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Your findings will go directly to me," Zaius continued. "I don't have to tell you that this is highly classified. No word to anyone!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Of course, Eldest," Zana vowed. "When can I begin?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""They'll arrive shortly." Zaius began to dig around in his paper pile. "Here is your authorisation and the preliminary reports from the crash site. Remember -" he drew away the file just as she was about to take it, "classified. All of this is for your and my eyes only." He handed her the folder./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Understood." She pressed the folder against her chest./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius waved at it. "They'll be kept in the back kennels of your institute."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana frowned. In the abandoned wing? It was logical, if Zaius wanted to keep them a secret, but the basement was dank and dark, and detrimental to the humans' health if they were to be kept there for extended periods of time... she would have to find a different solution for that./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Why me?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"But she knew the answer - because no serious scientist bothered with studying humans. By that logic, she wasn't a serious scientist, but a girl who had never outgrown her pony phase - only that for her, it hadn't been ponies. At least she had been adult enough not to dream of an emergency that would force everyone to turn to her and her exotic field of expertise./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Well, not often, anyway. And now she'd make him say it out loud./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""You're the only one who has any professional expertise in how to... how shall I say... emspan class="tm8"persuade/span/em humans to do your bidding voluntarily. General Urko has suggested more... robust methods, but I didn't want to start with the big guns."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana stared at him, aghast at the implication that uncle Zaius was not averse to using "the big guns" emspan class="tm8"later./span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"emspan class="tm8""/span/emI'm sure we won't need the general's emspan class="tm8"expertise, /span/emEldest," she stressed. "I just need sufficient time to work with them - I need to build a rapport and earn their trust before they'll tell me anything, so don't expect a report on your desk in a few class="tm8""/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"emspan class="tm8""/span/emI will hold them off your back as long as I can, Zana." Zaius sighed, and for the first time, he looked old and frail to her. She wondered who the "they" were that he was trying to shield her from. Probably Urko and his ilk./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Well, they wouldn't get their paws on her humans - she hadn't been advocating against abuse and mistreatment of humans for years, just to allow it to happen under her nose./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius rose from his desk, a clear sign that she was dismissed, and so she rose with him and bowed her farewell./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"At the door, a last minute thought made her turn around again./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""How many humans are we talking about?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Two, fortunately, only two. You'll still have your hands more than full with them."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Well, I have two hands, so I guess I'll be alright, Uncle Zaius."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"She left as silently as she had entered./p
hr /
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon couldn't decide if their conditions had improved or were just differently bad./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The first days of their journey had been pure agony - their mobile prison had no roof, and as the sun climbed higher, there was not a scrap of shadow left in the cage save for the thin lines of the bars; and while Burke's skin began to redden incrementally, Virdon's was already blistering. None of the soldiers so much as glanced at them, unless they had to relieve themselves through the bottom of the cart, which earned them the sneers and jeers of the riders following it. Nobody gave a damn that they were burning up./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"On the third day, Virdon had woken with a pounding headache and a "no offense, Al, but you look like shit" from Burke, who gave him all of their water./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The water didn't help. The headache got worse until he felt ready to throw up. Inexplicably, he was shivering with cold, despite the sticky sweat covering his whole body. Burke's worried face hovered above him for a moment, then vanished. Virdon squeezed his eyes shut against the blinding sun that had taken Burke's place./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Move your hairy ass here, monkey! My friend is sick!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon groaned silently. Had he or hadn't he warned Burke against provoking an ape? He couldn't remember./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Something hit the bars of their cage with a thud and he heard Burke curse./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I swear to god, if this man here dies from a sunstroke, I'll hold you personally responsible for it with whoever gave you your orders to deliver us emspan class="tm8"both. Alive!/span/em I'll have you shoveling horse shit for the rest of your career!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The cart came to a sudden halt and Virdon could hear the clapping of a single hoofbeat. He lay perfectly still as he felt the horse come to a halt beside the cage./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"After a moment of tense silence, he heard the gravelly voice of the... the gorilla say something under his breath, and the horse being turned around. The hoofbeats were moving back to the front of the line./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Someone opened and closed the door. It suddenly got darker - and smellier - as something heavy was thrown over the cart. Virdon slowly opened his eyes as Burke crouched down beside him./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I thought a picnic would be nice," Burke said. "We have water, dried fruit, and a picnic rug." He pointed to the ceiling that was now covered by a woolen blanket that had, by the smell of it, covered a horse not too long ago./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"From then on, they finally had protection from the sun, and his sunburn and the headache were slowly fading over the following days, but the heavy rug allowed no ventilation and they lay perfectly still for most of the day, panting and sweating, too exhausted to even talk to each other. Virdon couldn't even distract himself by watching this strange world outside his cage anymore, as the rug completely obstructed his view./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"It was night when the sounds outside suddenly changed; the clapping of their horses' hooves was louder and a bit distorted, as if the sound was thrown back from nearby walls; their cart made a lot of turns, following a winding road./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"They were in a city. That would also explain why they hadn't stopped to set up camp at sunset, as they usually did. Their leader - Virdon had heard his men addressing him as "Urko" (and a rank, but that word was unknown to him; the tribe didn't have military ranks) - probably wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible and not delay for another overnight stay./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Both men were sitting up now, ears strained for sounds outside their cage that could give them a clue about what was happening. The cart stopped, they heard Urko exchange words with someone, and the cart started moving, but very slowly, and soon stopped again. The cloth was yanked away and blessedly fresh, cool night air hit their skin./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The cart stood in the middle of a courtyard, surrounded by the looming shadows of two-storied buildings. High above them, the thin sickle of the waning moon shed some weak light./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Welcome to Alcatraz," Burke murmured./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Torchlight surrounded them, putting them in the spotlight and distorting the people in the courtyard into blurred shadows. Blinded by the torches, Virdon could barely make out something long stabbing at him; then a thin, stringing pressure over his throat turned into a choke as the sling of a lasso pole tightened around his neck. He had no choice but to follow the pull outside, stumbling and falling to his knees while he tried to dig his fingers under the sharp twine biting into his skin./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Careful - those are wildlings! Keep your distance before they rip your throat out."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"His hands were yanked behind his back and bound tightly, and someone put a leather contraption over his head. His jaws were pressed together as his assailant tightened the straps./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"A... a muzzle. They had put a muzzle on him, as if he was some mad dog./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"A sharp tug at the sling, still pulled tight around his neck, brought him to his feet. He and Burke were dragged into one of the buildings, through a dark and silent hallway, and down into the basement. Their handlers lit some lanterns installed in the walls, and a row of cages emerged from the shadows./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"They were pushed and dragged to the far wall before Virdon could determine if any of the cages were actually inhabited. His hands were untied, then quickly retied in front of him, and yanked up over his head to be fixed over a hook in the wall. He glanced over to Burke who was balancing on the balls of his feet in the same awkward and painful position./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon cursed himself for having let them overwhelm him so thoroughly - but there had been too many of them to try a fight or an escape... and he hadn't been prepared for the sudden assault... His heart was beating rapidly now; the tendons in his shoulder were already beginning to ache./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Clean them up, Tavis. They reek," one of the apes ordered, while two others were already rolling out a hose. Virdon tensed at the sight; judging by the size of it, the water pressure would be the equivalent of a good drubbing. He exchanged a look with Burke; the other's eyes were dark with anticipation. He jerked involuntarily when a third ape set down a bucket at his feet with a heavy thud./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Their loincloths were ripped off unceremoniously and the ape began to scrub them down with soap and a brush. Virdon bit back a groan when the hard bristles scraped off his barely healed skin; the foam turned pink from fresh blood./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"He was just catching his breath when the hosing began. It was as bad as he had expected it./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"No, it was worse. The muzzle forced his jaws together so that he couldn't even gasp for air, and the pounding water yanked his feet out from under him. He hung at the hook, feeling like drowning as the icy water beat against his ribs, his legs, his back. When they finally unhooked him and took off the muzzle, he fell to his knees, gurgling and coughing, too dazed to put up any resistance when they grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. Somewhere to his left, he heard Burke struggling, and a gruff voice telling him to hold still. "You don't want me to accidentally cut your throat, you stupid beast, do you?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Then he felt a blade at his own throat./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"He held perfectly still as they shaved off his beard, trying to neither swallow nor cough as long as they were working on his throat. They also shaved his head, close enough to the skin to nick it from time to time - whether accidentally or not, he couldn't say, but he didn't even flinch. No need to give them that satisfaction./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Finally they dragged him to his cage and dumped him on the floor./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"At least they took off the ropes./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Burke was coughing and wheezing in the neighbouring cell. "Well," Virdon heard him gasp, "lemme correct myself. This ain't Alcatraz. It's a goddamn emspan class="tm8"zoo."/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon slowly climbed to his hands and knees, shivering from the cold. In a corner of his cell, he found a heap of old blankets; he pulled one of them around himself and huddled down in the rest of the pile. For a while there was silence except for their coughs and sniffles./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Next time I get a wash," Burke announced with clattering teeth, "I want it from beautiful, scantily-clad girls using a emspan class="tm8"sponge/span/em. Not a brush." After a moment of silence, he added, "Y'know, I'm still expecting to wake up any moment. It's... it's just too bizarre to be true. I mean... you emspan class="tm8"are/span/em sure this is Earth, right?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon had spent their time with the tribe obsessively identifying plants and animals; yes, many of them were completely unknown to him. But the rest... "I'm sure. Unfortunately. And not just because of the moon."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Then what the hell emspan class="tm8"happened/span/em to it?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"That was the million dollar question. "I think..." Virdon hesitated. "We jumped through a wormhole. Jones had just intended for us to skip the spatial dimensions. But what if he had made an error in his calculations? What if we hadn't traveled through space, but through emspan class="tm8"time?"/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Eh, no. How would apes take over the world? Not even in a million years from now!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Perhaps a parallel dimension? An alternative version of Earth, where apes are the ruling species?" Virdon offered. He couldn't think of any better theory right now. This world was a terrifying mixture of the familiar, the strange, and the outright bizarre. He couldn't imagine this to be a future development of their own Earth any more than Burke./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""If this is a parallel universe, we're fucked. Nobody will find us here," Burke muttered./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""We have the flight data." Well, he didn't emspan class="tm8"have/span/em it, strictly speaking. Not at the moment. But it was still there; he just hoped the apes wouldn't destroy it during the course of their examination. "If we could read out that information, we might get an idea how to get back."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Burke snorted. "Well, good luck with that. These people don't look like they've moved beyond the abacus."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Yes, but... that may not be true for the whole planet. Just like, say, Eritrea isn't on the same level as Silicon Valley, or the tribe is nowhere near the technological level of these people..."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I really don't want to rain on your parade, Al," Burke interrupted, "but if this world had a civilisation on par to ours, this one here would've been erased or conquered a long time ago. Yeah, we'll ignore some stone age tribes in the rainforests, as long as they don't happen to sit on resources we want. But we wouldn't ignore a culture that was sophisticated enough to move beyond the stone age. Or do you know of any 19th century cultures at home?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"He had a point, and Virdon could feel dread spreading in his chest like dark water. "We just don't know anything about this world and its cultures. We haven't exactly had a conversation with them about it yet," he objected, more to himself than to Burke./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Besides," a memory lit up in him and he grasped for it like a man grasping for a torch in the silent darkness of a cave, "there may be other barriers to travel and communication." He quickly recounted Iro's story of the cursed stones. "It sounded like radiation sickness to me, including the burns. There must be high radiation areas - and those can't have developed naturally. A civilisation with nuclear power could be able to help us."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""There are areas where the rock has a high uranium content and is radioactive," Burke objected. "You're not putting your hopes on a emspan class="tm8"children's story, /span/emrightemspan class="tm8"?"/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"emspan class="tm8""/span/emI need to put my hopes on emspan class="tm8"something," /span/emVirdon exploded, desperate. "Otherwise there's no point in class="tm8""/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"There was a long silence./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Alright then." Burke's voice was flat. "What's your plan?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"emspan class="tm8"My plan. I don't have a plan. Look where my last plan took us./span/em Aloud, he said, "Get more facts about those areas. Negotiate our release - perhaps we can trade information for information..."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""You want to give them emspan class="tm8"information?" /span/emBurke sounded genuinely shocked./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Not military information! I was thinking more along the lines of technological advances, like... I don't know... a better abacus?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Wouldn't that violate the prime directive?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"For the first time that day, Virdon had to grin. "We don't have a prime directive, Pete."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Oh. Right." Virdon thought he heard a muttered "damn."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Well, I still say fuck those monkeys, let's get the hell outta here," Burke continued in a normal voice. "Break out, get our stuff back... and some clothes... and go West, like in the good old days. I don't have much faith in these people's willingness to cooperate. I mean they locked us up! They're treating us as the enemy! Why would I want to give them anything, even a damn abacus?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""That gorilla wasn't a leader. He didn't like his orders, which means whoever gave those orders doesn't share his attitude. Perhaps they can be reasoned with." God, he hoped so. It would be so much easier than trying to escape this place. He had no idea where they would turn to. They had no knowledge about this world, no point of reference./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""We should still have contingency plans." Burke wouldn't let go of that bone./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon gave in. "Fine. You just found yourself a job, Pete. Congratulations."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I'm perfectly okay with a prison break job, Alan," Burke took up his tone. "These locks are ridiculous."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""How do you..."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Uh, misspent youth in Jersey City."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon raised his brows. "There's certainly a lot I don't know about you... Major Burke."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Yeah, well, let's hope we're not stuck in here long enough for me to tell you all about it..."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana silently closed the door to Zaius' study behind her and took a deep breath. It was what she did every time she came here since she had been a little girl: inhaling the comforting mixture of leather, books, and tobacco that gave this silent, shaded abode its calming atmosphere. Sunlight filtered through the ferns and jungle plants on the window sills, transforming the office into a green-tinted clearing in the woods. Zana felt the serenity of the place coating her wariness like a thin sheet of dew; her apprehension was still there underneath, but it didn't show as much anymore./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Or so she hoped./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Come in, girl, why are you standing in the door like a student facing detention?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana laughed and quickly crossed the floor to the big desk where Council Eldest Zaius was stuffing his pipe. "I was just thinking how your study looks more and more like your holiday lodge. How do you find your desk under all those plants?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The old ape chuckled and lit his pipe. "I leave a trail of nutshells from here to the door."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I hope I haven't disturbed it now." She sat down as he waved at her to take the seat across from him./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I met your father a few days ago."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana sighed inwardly, but prepared herself to engage in the preliminary chitchat as gracefully as possible. You couldn't hurry an Orangutan, and although it went against the quick and direct way of Chimpanzee communication, she had learned long ago that humoring this quirk got her faster results than trying to bully her way to the actual point of the conversation./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""He didn't mention that to me. Perhaps he forgot."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The Elder flicked her a shrewd look through the smoke of his pipe. "Getting older does not mean getting senile, young Zana. Not all at once, at least."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana laughed again, a bit forced. "You know I didn't mean it that way. Father doesn't usually mention his conversations with colleagues to me. He thinks they'd bore me."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius raised his brows. "And would they?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""It depends on the discussion partner," Zana said with a sweet smile. The other ape chuckled./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Well, I was glad to see that he is in better health again. We had a delightful little chat, and he mentioned that you are slated for a promotion. Well done, Zana!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Thank you, Uncle Zaius." The familial address seemed not to be out of place, even though she was in his office and had received an official summons to meet him as Council Eldest. No doubt the real point of this meeting would be revealed soon enough, but she was sure that her promotion (whenever it would in fact materialize) wasn't it./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""It's amazing how much we still have to learn about humans," Zaius mused, smacking his pipe. Zana leaned back in her chair and watched him. Uncle Zaius wasn't known for his interest in humans. "And thanks to your work, we have already learned much," he continued. "A quite impressive work. But we always knew that you had much potential. Your mother would be very proud of you. Very proud."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I like to think so," Zana said softly. Her mother had died during her year of Community Service. Zana wished she had lived at least long enough to see her graduate. She sighed and decided that she had humored the old man long enough. "I got an official summons, Uncle Zaius. I'm still trying to determine on whose toes I've stepped in the institute."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Ha! That scheming, inbred bunch!" Zaius' glance told her that he knew exactly that she was trying to steer the conversation. But apparently she had satisfied Orangutan etiquette enough that he allowed her that faux pas. "No, it's nothing of the kind. I have a job for you."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""That's... very sweet, but I already have a job." Zana played up the confusion in her voice to hide her annoyance. Had that been the topic of her father's 'delightful little chat'? She hoped not./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius smiled thinly. "Of course. I meant to say I have an assignment for you. In your capacity as a human behavioral scientist. You have made several applications for working with adult humans, or so I've been told. They have so far been rejected wholesale."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana inhaled sharply and sat straighter. "The institute thinks adults are too difficult to handle under the given conditions." She snorted, not trying to hide her irritation. "They make it sound as if I wanted to work with sharks or poisonous snakes. You wouldn't think we use them every day for work!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Well, I'm pleased to tell you that I have procured some adults for you to work with." Zaius smiled at her as if he had just presented her the pony that she had wanted when she was little. Zana sat there for a moment, her finger tapping rapidly against the armrest of her chair. Then she stood abruptly. Zaius stared up at her, taken aback by her reaction./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I really appreciate your and father's concern for me and my career," she said in a low, controlled voice. Well, it was mostly controlled, though she could hear her fury wavering in it like heat over a noonday road. "But I neither want nor need any backroom favours. I'm perfectly capable of succeeding on my own merits!" She turned to go./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"She was already at the door when Zaius found his voice again. "Zana."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"He could be commanding, if he wanted to. She found herself looking over her shoulder, her hand still grabbing the handle. The Orangutan wasn't meeting her eyes, seemingly engrossed in tapping out his pipe. "I'm not doing you a favour. I'm asking you for one."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"She let go of the handle and turned back to lean against the door. "What do you mean?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius rocked back in his chair and smacked his lips, as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. "I mean these humans aren't your normal beasts of burden. They are... unusual."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana slowly came back to her seat, intrigued despite herself. "Unusual in what way?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius sighed and began ruffling papers. "They are... not from here."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""...so?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"With a huff, Zaius set down the pile of paper he had collected. "As in, 'not from our world'!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana stared at him. "I don't understand."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""They are not from our world," Zaius repeated patiently, as if she was a bit slow. "They came in a... machine, and that machine crashed down near the Toram reservation."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Crashed down?" Well, yes, right now she emspan class="tm8"did/span/em sound as if she was a bit slow, but... emspan class="tm8"not from our world?!/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Like a bird crashing into a window pane, yes." Zaius made a sweeping motion as if batting away a mosquito./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"A glowing sensation spread in Zana's chest, a bubbling giddiness that wanted to catapult her out of her seat and make her jump on Zaius' desk with excitement. "You're saying that there are... other worlds where humans build machines that can cross the distance between there and here?" She shook her head, grinning with glee. "They must be incredibly intelligent!" And she was going to meet them!/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius' stare was anything but gleeful. "I need you to find out everything you can about these humans - we must know of their plans. If they pose a danger to our society... if there are more of them on the way... we must be prepared." He absently smoothed down the paper he just had crumpled./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana nodded enthusiastically./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Your findings will go directly to me," Zaius continued. "I don't have to tell you that this is highly classified. No word to anyone!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Of course, Eldest," Zana vowed. "When can I begin?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""They'll arrive shortly." Zaius began to dig around in his paper pile. "Here is your authorisation and the preliminary reports from the crash site. Remember -" he drew away the file just as she was about to take it, "classified. All of this is for your and my eyes only." He handed her the folder./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Understood." She pressed the folder against her chest./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius waved at it. "They'll be kept in the back kennels of your institute."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana frowned. In the abandoned wing? It was logical, if Zaius wanted to keep them a secret, but the basement was dank and dark, and detrimental to the humans' health if they were to be kept there for extended periods of time... she would have to find a different solution for that./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Why me?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"But she knew the answer - because no serious scientist bothered with studying humans. By that logic, she wasn't a serious scientist, but a girl who had never outgrown her pony phase - only that for her, it hadn't been ponies. At least she had been adult enough not to dream of an emergency that would force everyone to turn to her and her exotic field of expertise./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Well, not often, anyway. And now she'd make him say it out loud./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""You're the only one who has any professional expertise in how to... how shall I say... emspan class="tm8"persuade/span/em humans to do your bidding voluntarily. General Urko has suggested more... robust methods, but I didn't want to start with the big guns."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zana stared at him, aghast at the implication that uncle Zaius was not averse to using "the big guns" emspan class="tm8"later./span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"emspan class="tm8""/span/emI'm sure we won't need the general's emspan class="tm8"expertise, /span/emEldest," she stressed. "I just need sufficient time to work with them - I need to build a rapport and earn their trust before they'll tell me anything, so don't expect a report on your desk in a few class="tm8""/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"emspan class="tm8""/span/emI will hold them off your back as long as I can, Zana." Zaius sighed, and for the first time, he looked old and frail to her. She wondered who the "they" were that he was trying to shield her from. Probably Urko and his ilk./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Well, they wouldn't get their paws on her humans - she hadn't been advocating against abuse and mistreatment of humans for years, just to allow it to happen under her nose./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Zaius rose from his desk, a clear sign that she was dismissed, and so she rose with him and bowed her farewell./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"At the door, a last minute thought made her turn around again./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""How many humans are we talking about?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Two, fortunately, only two. You'll still have your hands more than full with them."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Well, I have two hands, so I guess I'll be alright, Uncle Zaius."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"She left as silently as she had entered./p
hr /
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon couldn't decide if their conditions had improved or were just differently bad./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The first days of their journey had been pure agony - their mobile prison had no roof, and as the sun climbed higher, there was not a scrap of shadow left in the cage save for the thin lines of the bars; and while Burke's skin began to redden incrementally, Virdon's was already blistering. None of the soldiers so much as glanced at them, unless they had to relieve themselves through the bottom of the cart, which earned them the sneers and jeers of the riders following it. Nobody gave a damn that they were burning up./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"On the third day, Virdon had woken with a pounding headache and a "no offense, Al, but you look like shit" from Burke, who gave him all of their water./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The water didn't help. The headache got worse until he felt ready to throw up. Inexplicably, he was shivering with cold, despite the sticky sweat covering his whole body. Burke's worried face hovered above him for a moment, then vanished. Virdon squeezed his eyes shut against the blinding sun that had taken Burke's place./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Move your hairy ass here, monkey! My friend is sick!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon groaned silently. Had he or hadn't he warned Burke against provoking an ape? He couldn't remember./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Something hit the bars of their cage with a thud and he heard Burke curse./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I swear to god, if this man here dies from a sunstroke, I'll hold you personally responsible for it with whoever gave you your orders to deliver us emspan class="tm8"both. Alive!/span/em I'll have you shoveling horse shit for the rest of your career!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The cart came to a sudden halt and Virdon could hear the clapping of a single hoofbeat. He lay perfectly still as he felt the horse come to a halt beside the cage./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"After a moment of tense silence, he heard the gravelly voice of the... the gorilla say something under his breath, and the horse being turned around. The hoofbeats were moving back to the front of the line./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Someone opened and closed the door. It suddenly got darker - and smellier - as something heavy was thrown over the cart. Virdon slowly opened his eyes as Burke crouched down beside him./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I thought a picnic would be nice," Burke said. "We have water, dried fruit, and a picnic rug." He pointed to the ceiling that was now covered by a woolen blanket that had, by the smell of it, covered a horse not too long ago./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"From then on, they finally had protection from the sun, and his sunburn and the headache were slowly fading over the following days, but the heavy rug allowed no ventilation and they lay perfectly still for most of the day, panting and sweating, too exhausted to even talk to each other. Virdon couldn't even distract himself by watching this strange world outside his cage anymore, as the rug completely obstructed his view./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"It was night when the sounds outside suddenly changed; the clapping of their horses' hooves was louder and a bit distorted, as if the sound was thrown back from nearby walls; their cart made a lot of turns, following a winding road./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"They were in a city. That would also explain why they hadn't stopped to set up camp at sunset, as they usually did. Their leader - Virdon had heard his men addressing him as "Urko" (and a rank, but that word was unknown to him; the tribe didn't have military ranks) - probably wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible and not delay for another overnight stay./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Both men were sitting up now, ears strained for sounds outside their cage that could give them a clue about what was happening. The cart stopped, they heard Urko exchange words with someone, and the cart started moving, but very slowly, and soon stopped again. The cloth was yanked away and blessedly fresh, cool night air hit their skin./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"The cart stood in the middle of a courtyard, surrounded by the looming shadows of two-storied buildings. High above them, the thin sickle of the waning moon shed some weak light./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Welcome to Alcatraz," Burke murmured./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Torchlight surrounded them, putting them in the spotlight and distorting the people in the courtyard into blurred shadows. Blinded by the torches, Virdon could barely make out something long stabbing at him; then a thin, stringing pressure over his throat turned into a choke as the sling of a lasso pole tightened around his neck. He had no choice but to follow the pull outside, stumbling and falling to his knees while he tried to dig his fingers under the sharp twine biting into his skin./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Careful - those are wildlings! Keep your distance before they rip your throat out."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"His hands were yanked behind his back and bound tightly, and someone put a leather contraption over his head. His jaws were pressed together as his assailant tightened the straps./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"A... a muzzle. They had put a muzzle on him, as if he was some mad dog./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"A sharp tug at the sling, still pulled tight around his neck, brought him to his feet. He and Burke were dragged into one of the buildings, through a dark and silent hallway, and down into the basement. Their handlers lit some lanterns installed in the walls, and a row of cages emerged from the shadows./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"They were pushed and dragged to the far wall before Virdon could determine if any of the cages were actually inhabited. His hands were untied, then quickly retied in front of him, and yanked up over his head to be fixed over a hook in the wall. He glanced over to Burke who was balancing on the balls of his feet in the same awkward and painful position./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon cursed himself for having let them overwhelm him so thoroughly - but there had been too many of them to try a fight or an escape... and he hadn't been prepared for the sudden assault... His heart was beating rapidly now; the tendons in his shoulder were already beginning to ache./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Clean them up, Tavis. They reek," one of the apes ordered, while two others were already rolling out a hose. Virdon tensed at the sight; judging by the size of it, the water pressure would be the equivalent of a good drubbing. He exchanged a look with Burke; the other's eyes were dark with anticipation. He jerked involuntarily when a third ape set down a bucket at his feet with a heavy thud./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Their loincloths were ripped off unceremoniously and the ape began to scrub them down with soap and a brush. Virdon bit back a groan when the hard bristles scraped off his barely healed skin; the foam turned pink from fresh blood./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"He was just catching his breath when the hosing began. It was as bad as he had expected it./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"No, it was worse. The muzzle forced his jaws together so that he couldn't even gasp for air, and the pounding water yanked his feet out from under him. He hung at the hook, feeling like drowning as the icy water beat against his ribs, his legs, his back. When they finally unhooked him and took off the muzzle, he fell to his knees, gurgling and coughing, too dazed to put up any resistance when they grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. Somewhere to his left, he heard Burke struggling, and a gruff voice telling him to hold still. "You don't want me to accidentally cut your throat, you stupid beast, do you?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Then he felt a blade at his own throat./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"He held perfectly still as they shaved off his beard, trying to neither swallow nor cough as long as they were working on his throat. They also shaved his head, close enough to the skin to nick it from time to time - whether accidentally or not, he couldn't say, but he didn't even flinch. No need to give them that satisfaction./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Finally they dragged him to his cage and dumped him on the floor./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"At least they took off the ropes./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Burke was coughing and wheezing in the neighbouring cell. "Well," Virdon heard him gasp, "lemme correct myself. This ain't Alcatraz. It's a goddamn emspan class="tm8"zoo."/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon slowly climbed to his hands and knees, shivering from the cold. In a corner of his cell, he found a heap of old blankets; he pulled one of them around himself and huddled down in the rest of the pile. For a while there was silence except for their coughs and sniffles./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Next time I get a wash," Burke announced with clattering teeth, "I want it from beautiful, scantily-clad girls using a emspan class="tm8"sponge/span/em. Not a brush." After a moment of silence, he added, "Y'know, I'm still expecting to wake up any moment. It's... it's just too bizarre to be true. I mean... you emspan class="tm8"are/span/em sure this is Earth, right?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon had spent their time with the tribe obsessively identifying plants and animals; yes, many of them were completely unknown to him. But the rest... "I'm sure. Unfortunately. And not just because of the moon."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Then what the hell emspan class="tm8"happened/span/em to it?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"That was the million dollar question. "I think..." Virdon hesitated. "We jumped through a wormhole. Jones had just intended for us to skip the spatial dimensions. But what if he had made an error in his calculations? What if we hadn't traveled through space, but through emspan class="tm8"time?"/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Eh, no. How would apes take over the world? Not even in a million years from now!"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Perhaps a parallel dimension? An alternative version of Earth, where apes are the ruling species?" Virdon offered. He couldn't think of any better theory right now. This world was a terrifying mixture of the familiar, the strange, and the outright bizarre. He couldn't imagine this to be a future development of their own Earth any more than Burke./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""If this is a parallel universe, we're fucked. Nobody will find us here," Burke muttered./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""We have the flight data." Well, he didn't emspan class="tm8"have/span/em it, strictly speaking. Not at the moment. But it was still there; he just hoped the apes wouldn't destroy it during the course of their examination. "If we could read out that information, we might get an idea how to get back."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Burke snorted. "Well, good luck with that. These people don't look like they've moved beyond the abacus."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Yes, but... that may not be true for the whole planet. Just like, say, Eritrea isn't on the same level as Silicon Valley, or the tribe is nowhere near the technological level of these people..."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I really don't want to rain on your parade, Al," Burke interrupted, "but if this world had a civilisation on par to ours, this one here would've been erased or conquered a long time ago. Yeah, we'll ignore some stone age tribes in the rainforests, as long as they don't happen to sit on resources we want. But we wouldn't ignore a culture that was sophisticated enough to move beyond the stone age. Or do you know of any 19th century cultures at home?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"He had a point, and Virdon could feel dread spreading in his chest like dark water. "We just don't know anything about this world and its cultures. We haven't exactly had a conversation with them about it yet," he objected, more to himself than to Burke./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Besides," a memory lit up in him and he grasped for it like a man grasping for a torch in the silent darkness of a cave, "there may be other barriers to travel and communication." He quickly recounted Iro's story of the cursed stones. "It sounded like radiation sickness to me, including the burns. There must be high radiation areas - and those can't have developed naturally. A civilisation with nuclear power could be able to help us."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""There are areas where the rock has a high uranium content and is radioactive," Burke objected. "You're not putting your hopes on a emspan class="tm8"children's story, /span/emrightemspan class="tm8"?"/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"emspan class="tm8""/span/emI need to put my hopes on emspan class="tm8"something," /span/emVirdon exploded, desperate. "Otherwise there's no point in class="tm8""/span/em/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"There was a long silence./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Alright then." Burke's voice was flat. "What's your plan?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"emspan class="tm8"My plan. I don't have a plan. Look where my last plan took us./span/em Aloud, he said, "Get more facts about those areas. Negotiate our release - perhaps we can trade information for information..."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""You want to give them emspan class="tm8"information?" /span/emBurke sounded genuinely shocked./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Not military information! I was thinking more along the lines of technological advances, like... I don't know... a better abacus?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Wouldn't that violate the prime directive?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"For the first time that day, Virdon had to grin. "We don't have a prime directive, Pete."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Oh. Right." Virdon thought he heard a muttered "damn."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Well, I still say fuck those monkeys, let's get the hell outta here," Burke continued in a normal voice. "Break out, get our stuff back... and some clothes... and go West, like in the good old days. I don't have much faith in these people's willingness to cooperate. I mean they locked us up! They're treating us as the enemy! Why would I want to give them anything, even a damn abacus?"/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""That gorilla wasn't a leader. He didn't like his orders, which means whoever gave those orders doesn't share his attitude. Perhaps they can be reasoned with." God, he hoped so. It would be so much easier than trying to escape this place. He had no idea where they would turn to. They had no knowledge about this world, no point of reference./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""We should still have contingency plans." Burke wouldn't let go of that bone./p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon gave in. "Fine. You just found yourself a job, Pete. Congratulations."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""I'm perfectly okay with a prison break job, Alan," Burke took up his tone. "These locks are ridiculous."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""How do you..."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Uh, misspent youth in Jersey City."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6"Virdon raised his brows. "There's certainly a lot I don't know about you... Major Burke."/p
p class="Normal tm5 tm6""Yeah, well, let's hope we're not stuck in here long enough for me to tell you all about it..."/p