Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Willow and any alterations to the originals storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
Born To Lead Chapter 29
After consulting with her father's advisors Willow concocted a plan and set it in motion. There was a greater urgency to their cause to get out now. Maurice had learned some of the apes talking and learned that the bonobo had summoned the females and young to the city. They'd be here in a matter of hours with Cornelia and the baby counted in their number. Fearing what would become of them at Koba's hands Willow knew the time to act was now. With so little of it, Willow had to improvise. She could only hope things went flawlessly. There was only one chance at this. None of them could afford a misstep.
All the prisoners had to do was wait for the most opportune moment, but there was an unforeseen dilemma. A couple of Willow's apes were reasonably scared disheartened by the threat of what Koba would do to them should they fail. Willow knew the risk. They needed to escape now and if they didn't escape then death was certain. She needed to find some way to boost their morale, confidence, and trust in her. Willow knew the perfect way to accomplish this.
The collective noise created by humans and apes combined with the thickness of the bus walls would be enough to muffle whatever noise was made inside the bus.
Willow sang from the heart.
As she sang Willow noted a major change in her apes. Slowly the fighting spirit of every ape on that bus returned. By the final verse, they were all ready to go. Nightfall arrived and most creatures were asleep. Koba's apes had made a game of toying with the humans. The guards shot over the human's heads, leaving them begging for their lives, taking great pleasure in this.
It was right after one of these that Willow ordered the strike.
At Willow's signal, her apes began breaking windows, shrieking, jumping all over the place shaking the bus. Basically, anything that would draw all of the guards over to them.
It worked. All of the guards converged on the vehicle leaving their posts, even the ones stationed on top of the bus, to get the imprisoned apes back under control. None of the guards were left at the pens.
When Willow saw all of the guards were in position she nodded to Maurice, watching closely for her signal.
Realistically the prisoners could've escaped much earlier, but their shattered spirits prevented all that.
No more.
Hooting Maurice yanked his chains from the ceiling freeing himself with everyone else doing the same.
The guards found out the hard way they made the mistake of coming too close to the bus.
Punching through the glass of a window Willow wrapped her arms around the guard nearest to her in a headlock trapping him against the bus. Some of the other apes on her side of the bus did the same according to plan.
Maurice roared and the apes rocked the bus back and forth in the dirt tipping it on the side further and further each way. That is until it overturned onto the guards cutting off their screeches.
One by one each ape left until all of them were out in the open. Willow was first making sure every single one of her apes was free.
Instead of bolting Willow went over to one of the pens. She looked at the captured humans and thought, what would Caesar do? And then she'd berate herself for considering this ridiculous question in the first place. She already knew what he would do. The humans caged within backed away out of terror believing Willow fully intended to hurt them. Willow was determined to prove them wrong.
"Willow, what are you doing," signed Rocket."We must go now."
Waving her arm toward the pens, Willow signed "Help me."
Willow then proceeded to try to pull apart the door in one of the pens making an opening so the humans to get through. She couldn't just leave them there to rot. But the metal was too strong, she couldn't do it by herself.
Following her without question Luca came over and tore the door off its hinges tossing it to the side. Others followed his lead working in unison to open the doors to the adjacent pens.
Following this, there was a pause the humans not making any move to leave.
Hoping to show they meant no harm, smiling invitingly, Willow said "It's okay. Go."
Still, no one made for the exits.
Then two humans stepped out of the crowd. It was the old couple she and Ash had tried to protect. Looks like they were captured after all. Willow was relieved to see them alive. She didn't want Ash's death to be for nothing.
They showed no ounce of fear as they walked past.
Apparently, they recognized her too.
Grateful the old woman even patted Willow's hand, saying "Thank you."
Encouraged by this the rest of the humans poured out from the pens embracing freedom.
This joy was short-lived.
From up above a chimpanzee that had been on a late-night patrol heard the guards screaming and came to investigate. Now he was raining bullets down at the prisoners shrieking an alarm. Soon the entire area would be riddled with more where he came from.
Out of the blue, an unknown adversary returned fire forcing the chimpanzee to take cover temporarily stopping his onslaught.
Spinning around Willow located the shooter and got a surprise. Standing tall on the overturned prison bus was Blue Eyes.
Authors Note:
The song Willow sings in this chapter is called Blood Sweat and Tears from Leap. I heard it and just knew it suited her in this situation.