Apes Chapter 23

 

23.

The defeat was what Astrid had to face then but the defeat came with the punishment of expulsion from the others. Astrid was once more a loner among the others. The words spread among the servants that Astrid the Chimpanzee was no more the leader. For those that did know of the work done by Astrid had then forgotten it. Astrid took to the City streets laden with dead bodies and frenzy feeding by its breed. It saw the gorillas stood by the side refusing to partake but their hands were all bloodied from the carnage then.

Astrid saw some gorillas that were isolated when they refused to partake. It was maybe their routines were not affected or they have come to their senses. Among them was a known ape.

Jopey, do you…

The other chimpanzee shied away from Astrid but it was not before three other bulls jumped on it with their fists. Astrid saw the beating but it was unable to help. It took off on its limbs towards the one place that it once found solace.

Doctor Lanceston.

Solace was what the five Enforcers sought then cramped into the cruiser gunning past the walls and into the wasteland. All of them leveled up and used their cannon to clear the passage for them to get clear on the journey.

“We head back for the City. It’s our only option.” Lances told the others through the communicator. “Our power packs on the cruiser could last us there.”

“Lances, I was thinking of the abandoned city on the south end.” Leroy voiced up. “It’s better to hope. It was never completed but it held some good structures.”

“The abandoned city? You must be mad. There are memories of the past there. The last was held in the darkest memories there. Some have said that ghosts existed there. Unrequited souls that died in the last war.” PJ added in. He was a man of faith in the ancient ways still then in practice by the few thousands which felt the life had a better meaning if they hold a faith.

“It’s cursed.” It was Kyiv, another of the Enforcers who joined in. “I have my concern too. My brother shared my concern.”

“We have never ventured beyond the main walls. The creatures ….” Sergio the other brother added on. Both looked alike although Kyiv was older. They have their sidearms and rifles with limited ammo.

“May not be there.” Lances replied. “We will head there. Tell any survivors you may find on the way. We will maximize our coverage before we convened there. That place will be our new City. We shall name it Solace.”

It was at Solace that everyone alive was headed for.

To be protected.

But not all.

“Doctor, we have to leave.” The guard manhandled the doctor to the exit while the other guard helped to carry the doctor’s box of folders. The order came in and they were to leave.

“Where are we going?” Doctor Lanceston asked the guard but he was not given a reply and pulled by the guard to the structure exit. He saw the vehicle used to transport the servants. It was a huge twelve-wheeler that held a metallic container on it.

“Don’t you worry, Doctor? It has been modified for our use in such emergencies.” The doctor could only gasp his wonderment that what was considered a servant transporter into a formidable armored vehicle to hold important personnel. The interior was converted into a command post and the Colonel was there. He was seen seated there in what may be considered as the command seat. On the sides of the command post was the array of consoles manned by the other officers. The screens on the consoles displayed the agony of the City and its suffering inhabitants.

“Doctor Lanceston, welcome aboard the Juggernaut.” The Colonel introduced the forty feet length square metal container. “We modified it with some fancy gadget. I made it out of the siege at the Fortress with this.”

The Colonel displayed the four sets of double cannons on the top deck. He had reinforced the front of the truck with a modified heavy plow that will move most barricades.

“I got six cruisers to escort this truck and we have another of this beast out there now. That is currently holding some other occupants.”

“Where am I going?” Doctor Lanceston asked. “I got work to do.”

“Where you are going isn’t important. But what you are going to do will decide the future of …the City. I need you to control back those servants that you created for us.” The Colonel then motioned to the doctor to seat next to him. “Let us talk once more on the City and its servant.”

Doctor Lanceston recalled that the City came to him when they heard of his research. The war had killed the land and the survivors have moved to the cities for survival. He recalled the Council then had asked him to help them assist the City. It was a straightforward request and he did it. He created the servants and except for minor incidents, there were never any riots until the recent ones. The City grew from the ashes with the ten thousand to the previously packed numbers. The other cities picked up the results and moved on their pace with the servant program. The demand was greater than the supply so there were some hindering issues. The so-called servants were to be bred and they aren’t doing it despite the incentives then. One day, Doctor Lanceston was the one who advocated the forced breeding given that the apes hardly do that for years. He knew then it was a harsh move but it was required to nurse the demands of the City.

“We got the city to bring assistance to. I say we …. help it with them” With that approach the forced breeding began. With that done he continued with his quest of improving the servants’ skills.

“I wasted my life research. What did you do? ….  No, the Senate may be responsible. What did they do to my research? I have been looking at the routines. I can’t find it. The works on it have changed when I was doing it. You have new codes…”

“Hold your tantrums there, Doctor. I am getting to the new part for you.” The Colonel snapped in. “We are going to put right the issue here. We lost the City but we have another hidden away.”

“Another City?”

“Yes, another one. What were you thinking of? The City was bursting at its structures and some of us planned it. A better city and more in shape with what we need.”

“Who …what about this new City?” Doctor Lanceston asked.

“Sit back, Doctor. You are in the plan too. We will get to see the new City soon.” Doctor Lanceston felt the cannon shots on the deck and it was not shooting pigeons which then had been extinct for years

Extinction was what Astrid felt then. It did not know the meaning before but one day, Doctor Lanceston took to explain it to the servant.

“Do you know that Man is the only creature that survived extinction? It survived the age of the huge dinosaurs, the learning age, the space age, and then the warring age. It survived it all while other creatures died along the trail. We are the worst kind of creature to live here. We did it by killing everyone else.”

Astrid did not understand it all but the word extinction stayed in its mind all the time. It was the initial trigger point but then Astrid felt being ostracised was worse. It was like living without life.

A worthy life.

It was then the next blow came.

The stone landed on Astrid’ back and it turned to look at the one that threw the stone. It was the young bred that was rescued from the breeding center.

Move, you are an outcast

Astrid looked at the mother of the smaller one which had sneered at it. Astrid wanted to rush at the other but the sight of the young one. If Astrid kills the older one then the young one will be alone. It will be alike like extinction for sometimes.

It happened and it will happen again

Astrid charged at the other chimpanzee and leaped with its four limbs struck out to grab the other by the shoulder and head. They crashed to the rear sending the young ones running to the side. Astrid did not stop there and twisted the head to the left side and snapped the neck. It was not a typical move by the breed but a new skill that was learned from Jesty’s downloads. Astrid stepped away to walk but the sight of the young ones was jumping frantically there over their dead brother.

Astrid wanted to turn back for the young one but it knew it would be a wrong move.

I prefer extinction.

Lances wished that was true of the extinction there.

“Leroy, that is no more a city.” Lances were looking at a series of towers that were in state disrepair and the boundary on the city was a dried river moat with a depth of over twenty feet. There was the wide bridge there equivalent to a ten-vehicle lane but there were scattered holes in the bridge length of over two hundred feet. Beyond it was the tall wall that appeared there with most parts crumbled.

“I never promised you anything more than solace from the wastelands out here,” Leroy replied and then gunned the vehicle to cross the bridge.