Apes Chapter 27

 

27

Anderson stepped away from the wall opening and removed the long coat he wore earlier. He had walked the perimeters and aw the carnage outside the Fortress. He wore on his chest the shoulder holster that held his sidearm. He looked to the line-up of his guards. His version of the city was also in similar turmoil as that of the main City.  

Unlike the City, they were containing the issue but there were pockets of resistance.

“Commander, we are sweeping the Eastern side now. We have terminated some servants there and they are not organized.”

Anderson looked at the officer who was to assist him.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Leary. When this is over, you will move to Aide of mine. Do me proud.” The Lieutenant saluted the Commander. He was a tall and stout frame dressed in the red jacket and dark pants tucked into the tall boots, but he wore his sidearm on the waist belt, and the dagger tucked into the right boot while the right boot held the baton. On his head, he wore the iron helmet that resembled a round pan with a cap.

“Commander, I am joining the clean-up on the Eastern side. We will take the perimeter and around it.” The Lieutenant saluted once more. He then left the Command Centre to re-join the four armored vehicles on the roads. The vehicle was the eight-wheeler unit with the seated capacity of twelve troopers and held a cache of weapons. It was damaged but still working. The vehicle was handled by a single driver and gunner with the vehicle commander. The vehicle was fortified with metal plates on the exposed areas, and the entry was moved to the rear entrance.

Each vehicle was originally armed with double cannons mounted on the vehicle top but it had then been damaged.  On that day, the vehicle held six passengers including the Lieutenant in the lead vehicle. They were all armed for the task; the heavy guns and energized batons. The mode of operations favored by the Lieutenant was direct contact. The vehicles drove past the perimeters and were then engaged by the servants. The servants were not organized and some of them were equipped with guns. They were winning at parts of the city then was due to their overwhelming numbers but the Enforcers were fighting back.

“Resistance…” The lead driver called out while he swerved the vehicle passed the debris placed there by the servants. The way to the Eastern side was through the dense part of the city which was then the battleground of the servants and the survivors. The survivors were there resisting the servants and looking to be rescued.

“Do we…” The driver called out.

“Drive ….” Anderson called out. “If you stopped, I will kill you.”

The vehicles slammed on and ignored the calls for assistance. Some of the servants were bold to jump in the vehicle path but they were discarded like thrown garbage.

“Shoot them,” Anderson called out. The gunners on the armored vehicles climbed to the vehicle's top and used their rifles.

“Commander, we have survivals out there.” The leader of the gunners replied. Anderson turned from his command seat and then withdrew his sidearm. He shot the officer who was in the same vehicle as himself.

“Shoot them!” That repeated command was not disputed. “Discard him.”

The previous drive was removed and tossed out from the vehicle.

The gunners opened up with the rifles and took down the targets. They moved on with the journey and then reached the Eastern side. The task given by Anderson was to secure the perimeter and did that. The section there was under the command of one Enforcer Sergei Udine who held the command of over ten guards.

“Lieutenant Anderson, I need to …” The Lieutenant stepped off the rear exit with his sidearm leveled at the Enforcer. He pulled the trigger but his aim was to the right of the Major.

“Lieutenant, I am at your …”

“Is the convoy ready?” Anderson asked. He looked behind the Major and saw the line-up of ten heavy storage vehicles. “Once we are on en-route, maintained your task to mine the walls. And the warehouse. There will be others to protect the inner perimeter.”

“Are we going to City soon?” The Enforcer asked.

“I don’t like to be questioned.” Anderson shot the Enforcer. “And I don’t normally miss. Do as I say or lose the Fortress sooner.”

“We are going to see the Senate.” Anderson gave the command.

So was Astrid. It had escaped two chimpanzees who had cornered it then. She ran and with the open plains, she was not given many options. She ran and jumped where there were obstacles but the chimpanzees were not like her. They just bull their way through and finally one of them caught Astrid by the lower left limb. Astrid was thrown aside like a discarded carcass. It went down hard and before it could get up, the ape was on it. Astrid struggled in panic It was waiting for the deadly punch.

The punch did not come then.

Instead, the ape howled in pain.

The wooden shaft protruded from the ape’s back below the neck.

Lances lowered the bow when he saw the ape fall. He was out with Leroy exploring. He saw the apes attacking the chimpanzee. It was the latter who has attracted him with its shrieks then. She saw the chase and intercepted it. He released the arrow and it was into close combat with the serrated spear.

“Die!” Lances screamed when he stabbed the spear at the ape’s limbs. It was one way to stop an ape from escaping. Leroy ran up when he saw the second ape. He saw the one that lagged was older and may be weak. It caught up with Lances and attacked from behind. The ape grabbed Lances by the right arm and threw him aside. Leroy strung up the arrow on the bow and shot it while on the run. It was a weak shot but it hit the ape that was attacking Lances in the left armpit. He rushed in and lashed out with the raised leg. Leroy did kick at the ape but it did not topple the later. Lances were on the ground then. The older ape staggered but Lances rushed at it. He had drawn his sidearm and shot the older ape in the nose. It ended the ape’s life.

“Lances! We agree not to use the sidearm.” Leroy called out. He then went for the wounded ape writhing on the ground. He had his machete out and did a few slashed on the ape’s face.

“That is how you do it. Not use the sidearm.” Leroy snapped out soon after he slashed the final cut on the bloodied face. “We need the …”

It was also then when Lances fell off his tough shell. He broke down and cried like a young kid. Leroy stepped forth to console the other.

“I will be fine. Just leave me …. alone.” Lances mumbled. He stood back and then looked at the dead servants. It was a good hunt. A pity they could not snare the chimp too. It was food.

Unlike Doctor Lanceston. The doctor loved them. H then saw the chimpanzee approaching him.

“Astrid?” Lances struggled with his memory.

So, was Doctor Lanceston who struggled with the goggles on his face. He got so irritated with his workings that he punched his right fist on the console. He could not find a solution to the servant’s behavior. He knew that the imbecile Doctor Julius had a hand in it but the routines planted in were not the real changes that affected the servants. Their mind had adapted to the routines and modified it from there. Doctor Lanceston sighed then. He should have seen it coming then.

“Evolution…” Doctor Lanceston sighed louder.