Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Willow and any alterations to the original storyline her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
Born To Lead Chapter 25
Grey, Stone, and four other apes that had gone rogue took Willow to the quarantine area in front of the roadway tunnels the tribe had used the first time they came to the city. The humans that had already been flushed out of hiding, and rounded up, were being forced into the pens with the bones lying inside. Willow could make out their screams of revulsion and horror the fear of succumbing to the dormant parts of their genes from these remains of past victims.
The traitors took her to a bus on the edge of the pens. It'd been used to transport prisoners and the infected. When the traitors were trying to shove Willow into the bus's interior she did not go quietly. Willow dug her feet into the bottom of the door not budging. It took all six of them to get her in. Willow fought tooth nail screeching obscenities at her oppressors as they bound her wrists in chains securing them on the ceiling.
When they exited Willow tried to follow, but the chains locking her wrists together kept her back. Frustrated she tried to yank the poles the chains were tied around by the bolts, but no luck. They were wedged in there tight.
"Cowards," shrieked Willow, voice laced with hate and the promise of pain should she ever get her hands on them.
Outside the apes laughed at Willow's expense mocking what they assumed was an idle threat to their wellbeing, a bluff. Two chimpanzees remained with the bus as a precaution to discourage any chance of escape guarding her with their guns while the others rejoined the main troop.
Willow's hatred was merely a mask. Inwardly Willow was heartsick to see her people being manipulated so for someone else's ambitions.
Overcome by a combined mixture of sheer lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion Willow smacked her head on the wall crying.
"Father, Ash," sobbed Willow, tearful, hyperventilating slightly. "Come back. Please, come back."
As expected no one answered her call.
Willow didn't know how much time had passed, but well, to put it in a basic term, she received some uninvited, yet not unwelcome, company. She was appalled when she identified who Koba was imprisoning there with her.
"What are you doing here," asked Willow in disbelief, after the guards distanced themselves once they put the chains on those Koba decided did show an ounce of disloyalty to his vendetta on the humans.
Now even a day and Koba was already dispensing of Caesar's main supporters.
"We refused to swear fealty to the new alpha," answered Maurice, shifting uncomfortably in the confined space. This reminded him too much of his time at the old primate shelter.
"And you," signed Luca.
"I-I attacked Koba. Ash, he…," signed Willow, subdued, looking pointedly at Rocket.
Judging by the devastation on Rocket's face he already had been made aware of the fate that befell his son.
The waterworks returned in full force.
"I'm sorry," apologized Willow profusely hiccuping, chin quivering, vision blurred. "I'm so sorry. I tried to stop Koba. I tried to hang on to Ash. I-."
Willow broke down curling in as tight a ball as possible with the chains acting as a hindrance sobbing her poor heart out hysterical.
In an instant Willow was surrounded by her uncles. Together each one tried to reassure her in their own unique way. Luca provided his sheltering stature, Maurice rumbling gently to soothe her broken and grief-stricken soul, and Rocket gave his understanding.
Willow could ask for nothing more, but even this wouldn't be enough.
A large percentage of the human colony had already been collected, but there were still more to locate.
"Humans! You ape prisoner now! You will know life in a cage," roared Koba. "More humans out there! Go! Find them!"
Reverting to more primal instincts in their heritage the apes were all too eager to comply.
One ape disrespectfully bumped Blue Eyes in the shoulder disdainfully. Caesar wasn't here to protect him anymore. With Koba in power, Blue Eyes was now just an ordinary foot soldier, no longer a Prince in their eyes.
Following the throng of apes dividing into separate scouting teams on foot and horses Blue Eyes saw a rusty old bus with a pair of armed apes on the roof off to the side. It was easy to deduce they were guarding prisoners. The twenty-five apes within were hard to miss, but it was the identity of these apes that caused him to halt in his tracks. Every single one of them was a veteran from the olden days so long ago. Backed against a window, peering straight at him through the iron bars was the all too familiar visage of a certain orangutan.
"Maurice," signed Blue Eyes with one hand, the rifle Koba gave him in the other.
Discreetly, as best he could manage with his hands chained up, Maurice signed "Koba said we're too loyal to your father."
Speechless Blue Eyes stared blankly at his uncle dumbfounded. First Koba had killed Ash in cold blood, now he imprisoned apes for simply staying true to Caesar's valued traditions. If Koba desired all traces of Caesar eradicated from this earth then what hope is there for him?
Which was the same thought running through Maurice's head.
"Protect yourself," cautioned Maurice.
Glancing behind to the top of the access tunnel Blue Eyes saw Koba and his newly appointed lieutenants watching him closely. He was going to have to take great care with each step he took from here on out.
Moving to merge with one of the search party's Blue Eye's got a good look at some of the apes behind Maurice. Luca and Rocket were among the captives, but they weren't the ones who caught his attention. Willow was sitting at the end near Rocket.
So this is where they took her.
Willow appeared visibly cowed head bowed and shoulders slack. All in all, she looked totally defeated. She and Rocket were huddled against each other sharing in their combined misery and grief in losing Ash, feeding off the comfort their auras had to offer. Ash, the one ape they both loved unconditionally.
Feeling the weight of Blue Eyes stare Willow sluggishly lifted her head eyes meeting his.
Gazing into his twin sister's face, where her eyes once resembled the purest elegant emerald shade of green belonging to leaves on a willow tree, now they were pools of dark empty despair utterly lifeless. The brightness had disappeared from her beautiful eyes replaced with an infinite abyss.
Looking deeply into Willow's eyes she didn't know him. She was literally indifferent and uncaring of his presence. Physically Willow was with them, but spiritually she wasn't there.
Willow was gone just…done.
Authors Note:
Wow. I just had revelation of how close we are to the end of Dawn. Has it really been that long already?