Apes Chapter 25

 

25.

“Members of the new City here, I bid you welcome.” The Colonel stood on the podium to address the survivors that he led out of the City to the new place named the Dome. They numbered about four hundred sixty-three.

“This is our new home now but it comes with a price. That price is total loyalty to me.”

There were some murmurings and then disbelief glares at him among the count of six hundred and eighteen survivors which included a hundred fifty-five Enforcers.

“Accept my words, or be sent off immediately.”

The murmurings died immediately and everyone stared at the Colonel. The Colonel was flanked by four Enforcers but they were encased in some armor suit that covered them from neck below with the head portion covered by a dome-like transparent cover. With the suit on, the officers looked taller at over seven feet. They all held a square pack on their back with the cables to the vambrace on the lower arm where which may appear as projectile barrels.

There were another ten more of those suits behind the Colonel.

“The Enforcers that you see before you are of the Special Units that were sent here to guard this place. I do not call them Enforcers; I called them Terminators Please allow me to tell you why I name them that.” With that, the Colonel motioned to the officer on his rear left. The officer stepped up and leveled his right arm at the piece of scrap metal at the far end of about fifty feet in distance. The projectile barrel fired a beam of energy pulse that shattered the metal scrap into small pieces.

“That’s why they are called Terminators.” The Colonel addressed the assembled there. “As for all of you, you will be our guests here. Selected members of you will be allowed to join the Terminators but only after the selection criteria are fulfilled. Those who failed will be utilized as assistants or …. servant. No one is without a task.”

Not even Astrid then who was safe. The chimpanzees have chased her away, and it ran. It was roaming the City and trying to find some attachment to any clans but no others will receive the previous leader. Astrid had to shy away from the chimpanzees which had taken a hostile move toward its presence. When it thought all was over for the chimpanzee, Astrid found a companion willing to be with.

I am Jonah. You can join me.

Jonah? Were you with Jesty?

Ye, but Jesty dead. I am like you left out. Follow me. I know of a group that had formed to fight the new leader Napoleon.  

 I know Napoleon. It’s a bull with no leadership but bullying tactics. We have to be ready to fight back.

Astrid was ignored. It took to follow the other and was soon led to the City walls. They climbed the high walls and then stood on the top looking at the City from there.

Where are the others? The ones that wanted to fight Napoleon

There are none.

With that, Jonah knocked Astrid over the wall to the outside.

Stay out of the City!

That was on Bernice's mind than when she saw the convoy heading out. She decided to follow them in. With assorted vehicles, the cruiser blended in. The survivors came in all forms single and groups but they found the place was devoid of any supplies to ensure their survival. The numbers grew from a few dozens to a hundred.

“We were told that there will be food. We want food! We want …weapons!” The cries went out among them. Bernice could only sigh then for she has no answer to them. The only answer came from one of the survivors. He had captured a chimpanzee then and it was wounded.

“As we have no food, then we will make our own.” The survivor thrust the sharpened rod into the chimpanzee neck. “We will eat servants.”

Bernice for the sidearm but she was stopped by Juanico. Bernice hand hovered over her sidearm and saw the feeding had begun. It was revolting but the mode of survival overrode all emotions. She turned away and looked at Juanico who spoke. 

“We have to blend in. Discard the rifles but keep the sidearms.”  Juanico told Bernice. She ran to a secluded spot and hid the weapons. She had taken a change of clothing and then asked Bernice to change into it.

“We will blend in.”

 “The …. servants. We need to hunt them to feed these people.” Bernice swallowed her pride to speak out. “It’s the only food we can …. eat for now.”

“You are mad.” Juanico snapped back “We can’t…. We need to survive ourselves.”

So was Doctor Lanceston then seated in the new unit at the Dome with his sight on the other seated across. The unit was equipped with consoles and machines that could churn out the results they want.

“Tell me, Doctor Julius.” Doctor Lanceston voiced had the scant tone of distaste on addressing his peer “How long have you been involved here?”

Lanceston had been seething with anger at the other but he held his emotions for he needed the reason to kill the other. He was after all a man of science and he had to know what did transpired to justify the kill if need be.

“Lanceston, this center had been in existence for over five years now. We discovered it by mistake and when we search here, we found astounding features that were past ours. Or maybe it was our past before the war and what we have was the leftovers. The real stuff is still here. Not all but enough to make us looked like interns.”

“When was this?” Lanceston scientific curiosity took over. “What did you find?”

“Five years ago, the Colonel on one of his journeys to the Outlands found this place off the usual track. He explored it and was to report it to the Senate when he was diverted. His ambition took precedent. However, he did brief the scant details to the Senate and was offered him resources to explore here. It took him some time to recruit people to come out here and be a part of the discovery. He had wanted to utilize the findings here for the City when he took over. He later embarked on the idea of his army among the servants. He then recruited me to add in new hidden routines that will soon hold his army to obey him.”

“You failed.” Lanceston insulted the other. “You were never the genius here.”

“I did not fail!” Julius shouted back. “There were setbacks and we were almost there until this stupid revolution by the servants. How was I to know that? I did not plan it that way. It was supposed to work….”

“It failed because you failed.” Lanceston scoffs again at the other.

“Did you plan it then? The revolution?” Julius turned frantic for the reply.

“If I did, would I be telling you?” Lanceston then got up and went to his work area. He was assigned to find a reversal of servant behavior.

If there was a reversal to the events then Astrid will be the one most welcome to it. The chimpanzee picked itself up from the ground and rubbed at the bruises on its body. It was a tall fall but Astrid had found itself lucky to the land of the softer ground and not on some scraps. It knew that scaling back the wall was futile and more to it, it meant returning to hell there. It decided to take its chances in the wasteland. It had heard of far-flung settlements out there and some held servants too. Maybe Astrid might find a friend among those. It was a hopeful feeling.

So was Lances then when he lowered the rifle. He had shot an ape in the head that was wandering there. It was a clean shot to the head and death was instant.

“That will make a decent meal.” Lances voiced up and it made him felt sick to the body. Killing the servant was what he could do but to eat them, was alike to cannibalism. He then felt the bile from the stomach reached towards his throat and threw out the last meal.

“Hey, Lances. It’s okay. I will figure out some food for you.” Leroy soothed the other. “We could raid the cities or the settlements for food. God knows where they get theirs.”

Lances nodded and then walked back to their hideout in the tall building. He walked past some survivors and they reached for the slabs of meat handed out by Leroy. He felt concerned about what had transpired in the last few days. It was like a nightmare to him.

 A long dark nightmare.