Hello everyone! After being emotionally compromised by War, this idea came to me out of nowhere and I just had to write it. I have always loved the relationship between Will and Caesar, and I wanted to pay homage, and expand on that connection, but with someone else who Caesar shares a close bond with. This is my first story in the POTA universe, so I apologize if I explain something wrong, or something doesn't make sense. I'm learning as I go along. If you have any questions, you can always send me a message on here, or on my tumblr (info on profile) But, I hope you all enjoy the ride!

Rating: T for basics: language, violence, etc

Pairings: No romantic pairings, only a familial bond between Caesar and my original character

Warnings: language, violence, injuries will be fairly detailed, mentions of blood, a character talks about wanting to die and major character death

There was a knock at her door and it jolted her awake.

Her eyes shot open, coinciding with a sudden intake of breath, and she casually glanced around the room. The knock came again. This time she sat up in her bed, feeling her head swooning from waking up too fast. She covered her face with her hands, trying to still the dizziness she was experiencing.

The knock came again, this time, it was followed by a voice. "Ava!"

She recognized the voice instantly. Sniffling, she shook her head and blinked, to try and wake herself up. Another knock came again, hard enough to make the door rattle on its hinges. "Hold on!" Ava called back. Groaning, she got up from her bed and shuffled over to the door. Upon opening it, she was greeted by the sight of Malcolm, sporting an anxious look on his face. She let out a yawn, before asking, "What is it?"

"Dreyfus needs to see us. It's about the power supply."

Her face hardened, all the drowsiness she had been experiencing quickly melted away. She nodded, signaling for him to wait a moment, and closed the door. Grabbing a jacket from her makeshift closet, she quickly threw the garment and her shoes. Then, she sauntered out of her room. She and Malcolm made the trek to Dreyfus' office. They had to push their way through the market, but they had done it many times before. Whatever was making Malcolm so anxious, it made her want to get there fast. The fuel they had been using to operate their generators had been dwindling. They had been trying to find other ways to keep power running at their sanctuary. And with the supply shortage, they had finally come up with a possible plan to get unlimited power.

Ava and Malcolm took the steps up to Dreyfus' office and Ava knocked on the door three times. After a beat, she heard the cue to come in. Pushing open the door, she found Dreyfus sitting at his desk, hands entwined with each other. "We need to make our move, and fast."

Malcolm closed the door, before joining his spot next to Ava. "The generators and gasifiers are not going to sustain us for much longer."

That was a fact. "How much fuel do we have left?" Ava asked.

Dreyfus remained quiet, mulling over the answer. "Enough to last two weeks, maybe three at most."

That made Ava hesitate, her teeth scraping against her bottom lip. "Okay, that's fine." Ava glanced between Dreyfus and Malcolm, before continuing. "What about the rewiring? What's the news about that?"

"That's why I brought you both here." Dreyfus sat up from his chair. "We're nearly complete with the rewiring. Now, all we need is for a small team to head up into the woods and locate the dam."

"And what if it's not intact?" Malcolm asked the probing question. It made the group go silent. What if, it wasn't intact? What were they going to do then?

Ava then shook her head, vehemently. "Don't focus on that. No one has even gone up to see." Her attempt at lightening their skepticism barely worked. So, she continued. "Malcolm and I will head up there. We'll pull together a team and we'll check to see if the dam is still intact."

After a beat, Dreyfus finally answered, with faint relief flooding his features. "Alright. Get your team, go up and check the condition of the dam. Then, you come right back. Understood."

Ava and Malcolm both nodded in their agreement. With a nod from Dreyfus, he ended the conversation, and Ava and Malcolm headed out of his office and made the walk back to their living quarters. "Who should we bring with us?" Malcolm asked as they pushed their way through the market crowd.

"Uh," Ava slid past someone, looking back to make sure that Malcolm was still close behind her. "What about Foster and Kemp?" They were good with machines, they could definitely help with the repairs. No doubt that dam is going to need some maintenance.

Malcolm nodded. "Sounds good."

Ava and Malcolm pushed through the rest of the crowd until they were out of the main crowd. She then turned to Malcolm, "What about Ellie and Alexander?"

He only had to think on it for a brief second. "Yeah, I'll ask them to go with us. I'll also get Carver to come along."

That made Ava stopped dead in her tracks, and Malcolm, who saw her out of the corner of his eye, stopped to look back at her. And he could see the look on her face, and he tilted his head. She leaned her head, just hearing his name annoyed her. Malcolm nodded in understanding. "I know, Ava."

She centered her sight on Malcolm, "I can't stand Carver." She said, rather bluntly. She and Carver never got along. Carver always thought of her as a pushover and bossy. He was nothing more than an asshole who always jumped too fast conclusions.

"I know you don't. But, he worked for the water department before the pandemic. He'll know what to do with the dam and how it works."

Ava closed her eyes in contemplation. The last thing she wanted was for Carver to tag along. But, Malcolm was right. He was an asset for getting this plant to start working. That's what was important: to get the dam working, not her dislike for Carver. "Okay, fine." She reluctantly agreed. "Thirty minutes. Get everything you need for the trip, and we'll meet down at the cars."

"Okay, thirty minutes."

Malcolm and Ava split up, heading for their respective quarters. Once in her room, Ava pulled her bag out and began to pull together the items she would need. Water canteens, food bars, extra clothing, first aid kit, flashlights, extra batteries, and a few other necessities. She then pulled out a safety box from underneath the cot and unlocked it. She stared at the contents: her handgun and several rounds of ammunition. Before the pandemic, she never thought she would own a gun. Now, here she was, a gun owner, and possessing a rather good aim. She exhaled a soft breath, and quietly loaded the ammo clips, loading her gun with one of them, and stashing the extra ammo into her bag. After, she stood up and secured the gun into the holster on her beltline.

Once everything was packed, Ava closed her backpack and got to work with changing into the appropriate clothing for the hike. The outfit consisted of grey pants, dull brown boots, and a thick parka. The temperature had dropped dramatically over the past few days. The parka seemed like a good idea to her. She pulled on the pants and the boots, shrugged on a thin sweater over her tank top, and then pulled on the parka. Picking up her backpack, she slid the straps over her arms and situated until it was sitting comfortably on her back.

During the act, she noticed a box poking out from under her cot. She paused and stared down at the box. Aside from where she kept her gun, this was one of her most important possessions. Something she had never shown anyone. However, it had been a few years since she had gone through the contents and seeing it now, it was tempting to do a quick run through what was in there. Instead, she used her foot to push it back under the cot. Before the impulse could return, she left her room and started back towards the main courtyard.

"Ava."

She slowed her pace, looked behind her and saw Ellie walking towards her. She offered a smile to her, as she finally caught up. "Malcolm informed you on what is going on?"

Ellie nodded. "I'm just glad that the rewiring has been going well. Did Dreyfus say when it would be complete?"

Ava shook her head, "No. But, given that he's sending us up there now, I'm pretty sure it'll be done within the next day or so."

"Well, the sooner we can get the dam working, the better."

"That's only if the dam is still intact, if not," Ava gave a meek shrug of the shoulders. "Then, we'll have to come up with another plan."

"Does he have one?"

"No." Ava then thought on her answer, "If he does, he hasn't said anything to me, or Malcolm. It's probably one he's still thinking through."

They reached the main courtyard. Two jeeps were already there. Malcolm, Foster, Kemp, and Carver were securing their bags and equipment to the vehicles. Ava spotted Alexander, who was tying down bags to the roof of one of the vehicles and slowly approached him. "Hey," she gave a small tug at Alexander's jacket, and he immediately peered down at her. "I'm glad you agreed to accompany us on this trip."

Alexander smiled, "Well, you and dad need all the help you can get, right?"

"Right." Ava agreed. Alexander offered to tie her bag down, to which she answered by shrugging the bag off and handing it over to him.

"Alright." Malcolm began to address the group. "Foster and Kemp will be taking the backup truck. The rest of us in this one." Malcolm gestured for everyone to get inside the vehicles. "Let's go."

Alexander finished up typing down the bags and then jumped down. Ava opened the car door, allowing Ellie and Alexander to get in first, before settling down next to the teenager. Carver took his seat up in front, next to Malcolm. Once everyone was settled in, Malcolm started the drive towards the bridge. Ava passed the time by watching Alexander sketch into his notebook. She always took an interest in his drawings, since she had never been able to draw anything past stick figures. Ava cringed at the recollection of all the drawings she made for her mother. They were so bad. Alexander had offered to give her small lessons, which she gladly accepted. However, it never did any good for her. She just surmised that she wasn't blessed gift to be a good drawer.

They made it through the last checkpoint and cruised over the Golden Gate Bridge. Ava turned her attention from Alexander's sketchbook to the scenery that was right outside her window. She leaned closer, watching everything go by. And there was a moment when she thought about what life was like before the Simian Flu pandemic. Staring out the window, the bridge was completely empty. She remembered how crowded it would get, and the traffic…it was the worst. And for the first time, in a while, she felt that familiar warmth engulf her. Memories of her family, ones she had long since stored away, came flooding back. Her lips stretched into a thin smile. God, she missed them. But, she couldn't sulk over it. Everyone has lost loved ones to the pandemic. It was a fact every single person had to learn to live with, and it was something that they all bonded over. A weird, sad thing to bond over, but it was a commonality they shared.

When the car finally drove through the entrance to the woods, Ava felt her entire body shiver from the chill that went down her spine. The entrance sign was practically non-existent, just the two supporting pillars remained. She could picture this place, with ease, being packed on a clear summer day. People out walking on the trails with their pets, enjoying the view. She came here countless times with her family, mostly with her grandfather who always had the time to take her. She could even hear his voice in her head, Look, it's the Muir Woods.

It was strange seeing it, after all these years. It didn't even look familiar to her anymore.

The vehicle came to a stop. They had reached the point where they could continue the search on foot. At the same time, everyone in the car stepped out. Malcolm and Alexander got to work getting everyone's bags off the roof. Ava slid on hers and pulled her jacket closer to her body. It was a lot cooler than she had expected, plus the rain from earlier didn't help the temperature.

For a moment, Ava wanted to pause and take in the scenery around her. It had been over ten years since she was last in these woods. She wanted to take a moment to really take it all in, but she couldn't. They all had a job to do, and the longer they wait, the more anxious Dreyfus will become. Malcolm and the rest of the group already started up the hill. Ava, after finally breaking her trance, slowly followed them up the hill.

And as she glanced up at the trees, she couldn't help but wonder. If he was still in these woods.

A/N: I know this is pretty short, but as we all know, the next chapter will be when everything picks up. And you all will start to learn more about Ava's past and her family within the next few chapters. I wonder if any of you have any guesses. Either way, until next time!