The next chapter is posted! Enjoy :)
It was another few hours before the guard came in with food.
He went to the astronauts' cell first. He unlocked it and brought in a single plate with hardly any food on it for them to share. Placing it between them on the mat.
"Well, it's about time." Pete quipped.
The guard didn't say anything.
He just quietly left. He went to close the door but paused and closed it slowly, but not all the way. And he didn't lock it. Afterwards, he walked a little further with the second plate and unlocked the door to the female's cell.
Kristin was laying on the mat, but quickly sat up when the door opened.
She thought it might be Galen but was disappointed to see it was a guard. He was walking over with what appeared to be a plate of food in his hand.
He didn't say anything as he placed it down on the floor next to her.
Then he turned around and left. She was too busy eying some of the strange food on her plate to notice he didn't close her door all the way and lock it.
The guard who was actually the Lieutenant made his way back down the hall. The first part of the plan was set in motion. Now, all he had to do was go out and wait.
Feeling very hungry, Kristin ended up polishing off her plate. Even if there was not much on it to begin with.
It wasn't long after she finished, she heard a familiar voice outside of her cell.
"I said, I'm still hungry!" Pete shouted in agitation.
After that, she didn't here much.
But was surprised when not even a minute later, she saw her door quietly swing open and was surprised to see Pete and Alan poking their heads in.
"Hey! How did you guys get out? And how did you get ahold of the keys?" She asked.
"We didn't, our door was left unlocked and open. And so was yours." Pete told her.
Kristin found it odd, but if both their door was left unlocked and open and so was hers, she didn't like it.
"I don't like this." She said.
"We know it's most likely a trap. But we need to try and get out of here." Alan informed her.
As fishy as this whole thing was, she wanted nothing more than to leave this bleak place.
So, she followed them out and the three of them silently crept down the hall.
"Stay behind us." Alan quietly told her.
The two men stayed out in front of her as they made their way down the hall towards the exit.
Meanwhile outside, Galen was making his way back to the jail house in the dark. He had the old book with him wanting to discuss it more with Alan, Pete, and Kristin.
But once the building was in sight, he saw something.
He stopped and looked and saw what looked like one of the guards ducking behind a nearby bush and was staring ahead at the building. It appeared he was waiting for something or someone.
The young chimp could only wonder what he was up to.
He didn't have to ponder on it long. Because the front entrance door quietly opened, and he saw the familiar faces of the astronauts followed by Kristin.
Galen watched in barely concealed horror as the guard quietly unholstered his pistol and pointed it at them.
"WATCH OUT!" Galen yelled, alerting the trio of humans.
Alan, Pete, and Kristin quickly looked to the source of the yell. Only to see the gorilla point his gun at them and start shooting.
The three of them quickly dashed for cover in the nearby woods. While at the same time, Galen jumped out of the bushes and tackled the Lieutenant to the ground.
They wrestled around for a few moments. Then the gun went off again and the gorilla went limp beneath Galen.
He quickly pulled back in alarm eying the gun. The young chimp picked it up with a shaky hand, looking at it. And if the timing couldn't have been worse, Urko and the rest of his men came out when the heard the commotion.
They saw Galen standing over the dead Lieutenant holding a gun in his hand.
Galen looked up with a gasp, his wide eyes darting back and forth between the gorilla troop. They seemed just as surprised as he did.
They ended up arresting the young chimp and put him in a cell. Then they informed Zaius of what happened and that he needed to get down here.
The councilman hurried down to the jailhouse. He met Urko in the cell that now housed Galen.
"What are the charges?" Zaius asked.
"Murder of my Lieutenant, aiding the escape of the prisoners." Urko stated.
Zaius looked at Galen in disbelief.
"Is this true?" He asked.
The young chimp had a forlorn look on his face.
"I didn't mean to kill the Lieutenant. But they planned for the escape of the humans and planned to kill them." Galen said, gesturing to Urko.
Zaius quickly turned to Urko.
"Is this true!?" He demanded of the Chief.
"Absolutely not! He's nothing but a liar and a hieratic! We found this among his possessions." Urko stated, lying through his teeth.
Galen glared at him, knowing his was nothing but a liar.
The Chief took out the book and gave it to Zaius. The old orangutan took it and opened it. He started flipping through the pages. Then after a few moments he slowly turned his gaze to Galen.
"Do you know, by having this book, is punishable by death?" Zaius warned.
"Why, Zaius? Why should the truth be against the law?" Galen inquired.
The councilman was silent for a moment before closing the book.
"I'm sorry, Galen. But I can't help you." He told the young chimp.
A look of sadness appeared on Galen's face as he said this and left him behind in the cell.
While Urko had a faint smirk on his face as he eyed the now condemned ape. Then he left, feeling pleased with himself.
Meanwhile back in Central City...
Alan, Pete, and Kristin quietly snuck about in the dark. Pete wanted to know where he could find where this Zaius lives.
They hid around the corner behind a wall waiting. Then a man older man came by pushing a cart. Alan reached out and quickly grabbed the man and covered his mouth.
"Do you know where an ape named Zaius lives?" He asks.
There was silence.
"Do you?" He asked again, slightly shaking the clearly terrified man.
The man gave in and nodded.
"I still think you're crazy." Pete told him.
"What is it you really expect to find there?" Kristin asks.
"Answers." Alan told them.
The scared man told them exactly where the councilman lives, before he ran off.
Apparently, it wasn't all that far from here. So, the three of them took off in the direction of his home. They quickly crept through small alleys to get there without being seen.
Then they managed to sneak inside his home through a window and found themselves in his study.
"You look over there for the grenades and I'll look over here. But be careful." Alan instructed the other two.
Kristin and Pete looked at each other. Both couldn't believe they were doing this.
But if they made it this far and were here, they may as well go through with it. After all they can't turn back now. Alan went to look for it by the large desk.
Pete went to look through what appeared to be some kind of file cabinet against the wall on the other side of the room. While Kristin spotted a glass cabinet not far off from the desk.
She went over and opened it and carefully looked through the shelves. Once she got to the second shelf from the top, she saw a box with the lid left open.
The young woman peered inside and saw what they were looking for.
"Guys, I think I found it!" She whispered loudly alerting them.
The men quickly came over and looked. There it was tucked into a small opening in the medium size box.
Alan carefully reached in and took it out. He started to inspect it and surmised that this was the same kind of grenade that Urko used back in the council chamber earlier.
"Now what?" She asks.
Alan went to say something, but stopped when they heard voices outside of the office.
They quickly went and hid in a hallway that branched off from the office. Not a few seconds later the door opened and in walked in none other than Zaius.
He casually strolled in. Something caught his eye. The old orangutan noticed the glass cabinet door was open. He approached it and looked in and realized something was missing. And that something was the grenade.
He quickly turned around to leave, when a voice halted him in his tracks.
"Stop!" Alan said, as the three of them quickly came out.
"Don't try to run or I'll use this to blow you to pieces." He threatened.
"What do you want?" Zaius asks.
"This grenade, where did it come from?" He asked.
"A man he had it on him when he came in." Zaius said.
"Where did he get this? Who was he?" Alan pressed.
"He didn't live long enough to give me his name. Just as you won't be alive long either." The councilman told him.
"Look I'm warning you..."
"I know, you'll destroy me. Just as humans have destroyed this world before." Zaius told them.
"What do you mean?" Pete inquired.
Zaius went on to tell the three humans how in the past how humans ended up destroying each other with their technology and how they destroyed the world with them.
Kristin stared in disbelief and shock. They all were pretty shocked at this startling revelation.
Zaius then admitted to them how many of the old ones here knew and how they don't want to remember the memories of what humans of the past have done.
That he feared they will start it all over again with their intelligence and ideals.
"He was caught sneaking into the city. That man. That is when we had him destroyed. The same way you will be destroyed one." He paused. "Just as I will have poor Galen destroyed." He added.
"Galen?" Alan questioned.
"The infection you spread is contagious!" Zaius spat.
Kristin gasped; she couldn't believe it. Galen was caught and now, he was going to die.
She approached the councilman, "We're going back to the jail cells, and you are going to take us."
The old orangutan looked at her like she was nuts. Even Pete looked at her like she clearly lost it. But Alan had the same look of understanding.
They had to go back. If not to help him.
It was a bit tricky getting back there. They had to cut through some woods so not to be seen and make sure that Zaius wouldn't try to alert someone for help.
They forced him to the front door at gunpoint.
"Knock on the door, get them to open it." Alan demanded.
"You're wasting your time; you could easily still get away." Zaius said trying to reason with them.
"He saved our lives; we're not just going to leave him here to die!" Kristin snapped.
"Get them to open the door." Alan repeated, while shoving the barrel of the gun at his back.
Seeing no other way out of this, Zaius complied with their demands.
He knocked on the door, "Open up, it's councilman Zaius."
They were met with silence though.
"Open up, I say!" He demanded a little more urgently.
A few moments later, the door finally opened.
"I need some help out here." Was all Zaius got out.
Before they jumped the guard and shoved Zaius into him.
Both were tackled to the ground and when the guard struggled to get up due to the councilman being half on him, Kristin cocked back her fist and deck him in the face.
He went down, and that is when Pete jumped him. Then the two men went to work tying them up and gagging them.
"That should hold them for a while." Pete said.
"Who is it? What's going on?" Galen asked through the door of his jail cell.
Alan went up to the opening of the door.
Galen met him halfway.
"What are you doing here!?" The young chimp asked, clearly surprised.
"You know where the keys are?" Alan asked.
"I believe Urko has them, but what are you doing here!?" He asks again.
"Never mind that, listen go to the back of the cell and lie face down." Alan ordered.
"Why?" Galen asked.
"Just do it!" Alan snapped impatiently.
The young chimp eventually complied and ran to the back and got down.
Alan pulled the pin out, quickly placed it in front of the door than the three of them quickly rushed into one of the other unoccupied cells for safety.
Not long after, there was an explosion and the door to the cell Galen was in was destroyed.
The three humans came running back out and Alan reached in and grabbed Galen by the arm and hauled him out. They then led him to the front entrance and the four of them made a mad dash into the nearby woods and to freedom.
While Urko and his men ran out to see the destroyed door to the chimp's cell and he was missing. Then quickly shuffled out of the jailhouse and looked around.
But the fugitive chimp and the humans were nowhere to be found.
In the woods...
The three humans and chimp ran for the next several minutes, putting as much distance between them and the city as they could.
Once the adrenaline started to wear off, they started to feel exhausted. Eventually they came to a stop to catch their breath. They sat down on the grass, huffing and puffing.
"That was one hell of a close call." Kristin said, between breaths.
"I don't understand. Why did you help me?" Galen asked, still surprised they came back to clearly help him.
"Why not? You saved us, Galen. We weren't just going to leave you behind to die." She told him.
His gaze went to the young woman sitting not far from him on the grass.
"I guess...it is my turn to thank you then. All of you." Galen said.
Kristin smiled, "You're welcome."
"I think we should keep moving. Let's go a little further until we're in the clear. Then we can stop and rest for the night." Alan told them.
"Better be soon. Otherwise, I think I may pass out here and now." Pete stated.
"Yeah, I second that." She added.
"By the way, nice right hook you dealt to that guard back there, Kristin." Pete told her.
"Thanks, though he had it coming." She replied.
Galen turned to her, "You attacked another guard? Again?"
"What do you mean again?" Alan inquired.
"It's nothing. The guards that brought me to the cell were being dicks." Kristin said, not wanting to share much of what went down.
"In what way? Is that how you got that cut and bruise on your face?" Pete asks.
She sighs, "Look, I don't really feel like talking about this right now. Can we just...go? The further we get from the city, the better."
The men glanced at each other. While Galen tilted his head and crinkled his nose as he looked at the young woman.
"Sure, let's get going." Alan said.
Then one by one, they got up, and started heading further into the woods.
The two astronauts walked ahead. While Galen and Kristin walked a little further behind them. Every now and then the young chimp would look to her as she walked next to him, a couple feet were between them.
"Are you ok?" He asks her.
Her light blue gaze shifted to the ape walking beside her.
"Yeah, just tired. Didn't sleep well the last couple nights. Feel better when I can lay down and finally sleep." Kristin replied.
He nodded, "I understand."
Galen felt there was more to it. But he decided to keep it to himself. He too had a difficult evening. Hell, his life had officially been turned upside down and there was no turning back now.
All he can do, is stick with these humans from another time, and hope for the best.
Hope this story is turning out ok so far. I'm trying to blend in the original storylines in with my own added material. Luckily, I have the (1974) P.O.A. T.V. Series on DVD. So, I get to go back and watch episodes to get better ideas how to connect it all in. I try to use dialogue from the episodes while mixing in dialogue for my OC. I will also be adding in scenes between times during the episodes.
Examples are when Galen visited my OC in her cell, her time spent while sharing a horse with him back to Central City, and this last part at the end of this chapter when they ran into the woods.
There will be continual dialogue added in between initial episode chapters. Most will be between Galen and my OC.
Until Next Time ;)