I'M BAAACK! Took me only like a year, huh?

So sorry. I do not know when I can update next. I only know that this story is still dear to me and I will continue whenever I can. I still hope you enjoy it. :)

"Speech" ; "Sign"

XIV.

The Forbidden Zone.

The desert was both a protective shield and a deadly barrier to the colony. Rocket told him and Titus all about their journey with their father's brother of how they found their new home. Of how they had to flee their old home, the Redwood beside the ocean, when the soldiers came and eventually found this place, closed off by a landscape of sand as long as the eye could see. They chose it, despite the danger, because they thought the humans wouldn't follow them there.

That much was true, Soror thought. There was only one entrance to the colony, Blue Eyes' Gate, and very few entered it since they settled down. They, of course, expanded their territory throughout the years, but the desert's direction was never an option. Nothing grew there, no animals to hunt, no water to drink. Nothing could survive there. No living thing ever returned.

Cornelius, when he was younger, led a scouting party to explore the width of the desert and what had become of the world on its other side. It took them days, and they returned weakened, thirsty and vowed to never go back or allow anyone else to explore the desert. Cornelius drew a precise map of the area - and drew a strict line of the border of their territory.

Rocket and Maurice, and later Cornelius, declared the area forbidden to everybody and made it into a rule. There was only one ape, a renegade, who tried to cross it to see what was over the desert, what secrets it held, and he was barely alive when he finally came back - unsuccessful.

Titus asked his father once what was over it, what they saw, what they had to be afraid of. What he was afraid of. Out there was the rest of the world and Titus wanted to go there, find out what it was like. He told Soror that once he was old enough, he would lead his own team and see what lay beneath the lifeless land.

Now, as Soror dragged himself forward in the sand, he thought almost in ironic amusement, how he would have to disappoint his twin - it really was just a barren piece of land. It would end once, it needed to, but so far, he saw no end and with his brother weighing his mind down, he slumped down by a rock to seek at least a little shade. It had been the third day since he decided to make his way into the Forbidden Zone, partly because he knew Cornelius would go through Blue Eyes' Gate to leave the colony's territory and he wouldn't have to meet them this way - and on the other hand, as a self-made punishment that still seemed like nothing compared to what was raging inside him.

Soror knew he needed to conserve energy if he wanted to make it through the searing heat, and he made a habit of travelling only in the morning and the evening, when the air wasn't blazing hot, and it wasn't yet too dark to navigate his way in the sand. He had to live off of the dried meat and roots he managed to gather before his journey, the insects he found under the stones and rocks, and the water of the stream that ran into the lake, that was long behind him. He knew it wouldn't be enough for long, but it didn't matter - he would leave this desert soon.

And if he won't... then so be it.

The grief heavy as burning stones on his chest, Soror struggled to even his breathtakes. With closed eyes, he imagined what it would be like if Titus was next to him. He surely would have gone much faster, would have urged him to get up and continue. He never liked sitting in one place for too long. He was always moving, like a river, his mind like water...

...while his was only stone. Useless and destroying everything in its path.

Soror covered his eyes, his other arm hugged his chest, holding himself together before he could fall apart. Breathing was hard, and it wasn't just the dry air that made his throat tighten. The heat, the world around him was suffocating - even though it was not the first time he felt that way, even though he knew it only lasted a few moments, it felt like it never ended. The way his chest and head hurt, the way his thoughts and feelings hurt, was a nightmare he never dreamed of having.

The young chimpanzee almost jumped straight to his feet when he felt a feather-light touch on his arm and his eyes snapped open to see a pale figure stumbling away from him in a hurry. Soror fumbled to get his knife out and pointed it at the animal that dared come too close to him—

The figure was a human. A young male, hair and beard long and blond, his face and naked body dirty from sand. Soror had a clear view of him once he peeked out from behind another rock. One hand still holding his chest, heart beating like a bird flapping its wings, Soror willed himself to calm his trembling. He let his body fall back onto the ground and leant back to the rock's shade. The human, seeing that he won't be chased, risked moving out from his hiding spot a little more.

Soror saw immediately that he wasn't a threat; the human was mute and primitive and the young chimp couldn't imagine what he could be doing out there in the desert. Maybe they had a nest close by? Did that mean there was fertile land in the vicinity? Whatever the case, Soror knew he had to finish his thread through the Forbidden Zone, no matter what. His walk of shame wouldn't be complete without that...

And then, what...?

Soror growled at the human to get him to go away and let his hand fall to the ground in exhaustion. He turned to the far sight of mountains that seemed more and more real as he got closer, but still very far away. He closed his eyes once again, only to frown when he heard the tell-tale rattle of sand under clumsy feet and the human's approaching scent was stark in the surrounding dryness.

The crunching steps were like gunshots into the peaceful green of promises...

The young chimpanzee forced his eyes open and fought the urge to rock back and forth. Turning as if someone was holding his neck with both hands, he looked at the human who crouched beside him, glancing at the dried meat in his leather bag. His thoughts felt like they slowed down inside his head, like leaves floating on the water without direction, but Soror finally managed to decipher that maybe the human was just hungry.

Willing the memory-pictures to stop flashing before his eyes, Soror blinked a few times and once the trembling seemed to subside, he took a little meat out from his bag and offered it to the human. The apes always had a hard time determining the humans' age, but Soror was sure this one was at least younger than Nova, born well after humans started to become primitive. To imagine that these animals were once intelligent creatures... though they never doubted Maurice's words, it was hard to believe these were once rulers of the land. Some apes even outright denied it.

The human huffed gleefully and climbed closer to Soror. He reached out an arm without hesitation and snatched the piece of meat away, stuffing it into his mouth as if he had never eaten in his life. Letting out satisfied grunts, he sat down close to him and Soror wondered if this human ever encountered apes before - he certainly didn't seem he had endured violent handling from his kind, he moved towards him with the blind trust of a pet dog.

If Nova were there, she would say to treat these humans as they would any fellow creature. If Titus were there, he would insist on keeping him around, as a companion on the long journey...

Soror heaved a deep breath and got up. No... he needed to make his way through the Forbidden Zone alone. It was his burden to bear, his conscience to keep him company. He was unable to lead anyone... all he led his people to was death...

The human, however, had other thoughts. He sprang to his feet and ran after Soror. The young chimp growled at him, charged at him, but the human only seemed to hesitate a little before following him again. Maybe he had nowhere to go. Or maybe he was just hungry. Soror let his shoulders slump under the weight of the heat and sorrow. He couldn't control this, just like he couldn't control the mourning rain on the dark, greying days of fall.

Dragging his feet forward in the sand, Soror continued his road to Canossa through the desert with the human trailing behind him to the faraway mountains, bare and stark in the distance like the flames of nightfire.

Cornelius lost count of how many times he twirled the stylus in his hands. He sat numbly above the map he drew of the land outside the colony they had travelled so far, from his own observations, the reports from scouts and Queen Abrihet's telling. He remembered back when he was young, he was always so eager to expand it - and later, Titus inherited that enthusiasm and love for anything new that the years somehow killed in him.

And this was taken from him now, too.

The king imagined that on a day like that, his sons would be by his side, willing and ready, like true heirs of Caesar's throne. That one day, when the mighty earth welcomed him back within, they would continue his work and make a better tribe.

He knew he wasn't the first nor the last parent to lose a child - or any loved one. He saw the pain in Rocket's eyes, Stone's and Cedar's and so many, many others. Grief didn't spare anyone, only those who had nothing to lose. And there wasn't any ape, human or living creature that was all alone in the world. To die and be remembered by no one was a fate he didn't wish upon anybody. Titus, Prince of the Apes would be remembered, just like Blue Eyes... yet it offered little consolence for Cornelius at the moment.

Heavy was the thought that he would have to go through what Caesar lived through. When Cornelius inherited his father's throne, he didn't think he would inherit his life as well. But right now he just felt like he was floating aimlessly, with no ground to land on.

A soft grunt caught his attention and Cornelius looked up to see Spear, Lake's firstborn son and Bark, his father stand above him. The two tribes were resting further among the cliffs, the horses and donkeys were given a chance to graze the fresh green of the late spring. Apart from stray hoots from some of the apes and the neighing of the horses, nothing else filled the area.

The members of the two tribes still kept away from each other, only a few were talking. Cornelius knew it wouldn't be easy for his people to come to terms with the fact there were so many others, different tribes out there and he wondered how long they would've stayed isolated from the rest of the world if the bonobos didn't ask for their help. Whether it was a good... sustainable thing at all to stay isolated.

How long can a tribe live alone? How long will it survive on its own?

"We didn't find any traces around the area." Spear signed, "Not apes... but we found mule deer. We can hunt."

"We can settle in here if you want." Bark added with his own signs, "We can make nests and build up some tents for the night. There's a good spot for a fire-place."

Cornelius nodded, smiling in gratitude at the older chimp. Bark was as far from being a warrior as could be; he was an architect. He hardly joined hunting parties, always planning and building new nests, houses or storages, or mending those that needed it. He could have gone with the females and act as their guard instead, but he refused to leave his sons and Cornelius, and for that, the king was ever grateful. Lake took care of their children and grandchildren who couldn't fight - and Bark would look after those who joined the army.

And Bark wouldn't be here, wouldn't be his best friend's father and Lake's mate if it wasn't for Blue Eyes' death. Cornelius liked to imagine sometimes what it would be like if Blue Eyes was alive, king in their father's place, and him and Spear would be uncle and cousin. But Cornelius spent so little time with his older brother, he barely remembered him. Only glimpses stayed - his smile, his stature, that sky-coloured gaze that looked back at him from his sons...

That cold blue gaze...

Cornelius chased the thought away. He needed to be there at the present. He couldn't imagine what life would've been like if Blue Eyes was still alive, and he couldn't imagine yet what life will be like without Titus. His son was the first since Caesar to receive the honorary farewell and Cornelius only hoped, for now, there wouldn't have to be another. Not for a long, long time.

"Good." he said, "I will talk to Abrihet. It is a good place for the night. Tomorrow we'll go on."

He didn't feel the need to talk about her with her full title, or address her as such. That formal distance seemed to be gone between them during the past few days.

Bark nodded and patted Cornelius on the shoulder before he left. Spear let his tense posture deflate once they were alone and sat down heavily next to him. Cornelius knew his best friend hardly allowed himself to relax nowadays. He kept his position as scout leader even within this new army and had to be strong for everybody - like another, lesser king. Cornelius wondered - if Spear was Blue Eyes' son, he would be a prince beside him, a true heir to Caesar's throne. But he didn't have that fate, and neither would Cornelius' sons now...

Still, he patted the younger male's shoulder and got a glimpse of Spear's tired smile before they both turned back to the tribe. They sat in silence for a few more moments before the scout leader raised his hands to speak gently,

"Galen and Stream are arguing."

Cornelius sighed. Spear's younger brother and his mate, council member Stream seemed to be in constant arguments since they left the safety of their colony. They argued about each of their decisions of following the army instead of the others, about leaving Flora, their daughter behind, or why they had to support leaving at all - a question that Cornelius constantly asked himself as well.

"Sorry I complain..." Spear's voice broke him out of his musing and Cornelius' eyes widened in surprise looking at the younger chimp, "I know your pain is... bigger..."

Cornelius huffed and shook his head, he grabbed his best friend's arm before he could go on, "Pain is pain... no matter how big. We are all hurt. I see you are tired... worried."

Spear offered a sad little smile, "I want to be ready... but... I don't know... what for. I want to help you... and them, too. It would be bad to see them separate over this, when they need each other the most."

"Their bond was always like a storm." Cornelius said, looking towards the tribe to see Galen sitting by a rock alone, before him a line of dried herbs he was mixing in a mortar with a scowl on his face, "They will settle... once we all do."

Spear patted Cornelius' hand on his shoulder gratefully and they sat in comfortable silence for a while before Cornelius raised a hand to sign.

"What do you think of them?"

He didn't need to specify who "they" were, and while Cornelius had his own thoughts and impressions about the bonobo tribe, he wanted to hear his friends' opinion. Spear had the privilege to get to know the Lakeland tribes' scouts and even hunted with them a few times by now whilst Cornelius only talked to Abrihet and her advisors just yet.

"They're quiet... disciplined." Spear signed calmly, "Friendly, but... reserved. Close to each other, but not towards us. They are careful, too. I think they, too, are trying to see if they can trust us fully."

Cornelius nodded. That was understandable, and matched with what he had seen so far. Honestly, he felt the same. It wasn't easy to trust after so many years of being the only tribe in the world, in times like these, when strangers attacked from the shadows without warning, without reason...

"What about their skills?"

"Their weapons are similar to ours." Spear signed, "But their spears are lighter... they have long knives. Guns that we don't have. There is one they call..." he frowned, trying to remember the name, "Sniper rifle... very good to aim. Only few can use them. Quiet guns. Like when we hunt from hidden branches. And... they have much more experience than we do. They are quiet, but dangerous."

"So... we should keep them... our allies."

Spear nodded and the two sat in silence until a faint sound alerted their attention upwards, to the sky - as if something exploded within the clouds, light fell from the heavens and burst into pieces above them.

Many apes from Cornelius' tribe hooted in fright and awe, him and Spear stood in alarm but could only watch the aerial phenomenon descend slowly, yet still turned in surprise when they heard an elderly and eerily clear voice speak behind them,

"Human machines." Teco, the bonobos' Wise One said calmly and pointed to the shining, smoking trail, "High, up in the sky. They used it to talk to each other... through the whole world... now, without humans to control them... they fall back to the land."

"Are they dangerous?" Cornelius asked, frowning, trying to wrap his head around how the humans could build even where the clouds ended.

"Only if you're in their way." Teco asnwered with a slight smirk and put a hand on the king's shoulder, "This one... is far away from us."

"You know... much about humans." Cornelius mused and turned to the elder bonobo.

"Yes... I lived with them... long time ago, with my family." the Wise One replied, but instead of elaborating he stepped up to Spear, "My son is a scout, too. But he was among special scouts... snipers, sharpshooters, spies. Spies get into enemy lines... get knowledge and get it back. We have lost some of our snipers, but we think we could train some of you to take on the roles."

Spear and Cornelius' eyes met each other in surprise, though Cornelius chose not to speak - Spear was a high-ranking member of his tribe and a good friend of his, he respected him enough to let him make decisions on his own and speak for himself. The king thus remained silent and Spear spoke.

"Train us... to shoot down targets... from hiding? And to make it into their camp...? How many of us? In team or alone? How... do we get back?"

"Come," Teco put a hand on the chimpanzee's shoulder, "Pick those you deem ready... and we will show you what you need to know."

With that, the two of them walked away to discuss the matter, leaving the rulers of the two tribes alone. Queen Abrihet regarded Cornelius quietly and he found himself returning her gaze, the silent calm of her eyes that held regal strength in them and looked into his like they were seeking something, until Abrihet gestured to follow her. She led him to the fast stream near the camp and further down beside its course, to a smaller lake it ran into. On its shore, canoes were pushed onto the water by some of the bonobos with nets and long, thin fishing spears packed in them.

"They will go see what we can fish here." Abrihet spoke quietly over the yelps and shouts of the fishers, "You had a big lake... near your home."

"Yes," Cornelius answered thoughtfully, "but we hunt more than we fish." the king turned to face her and tried to make his expression as neutral as possible, "So... you have... "spies"... trained to get behind enemy lines... how do we know our enemy is not among you... among us?"

"We may never know." Abrihet answered, "We know each other... and keep close eye on those we don't."

"Like us."

"Yes. We watched you, too. Had to know... if we can trust you."

Cornelius exhaled, but in the end, he thought, in a similar situation he would have done the same. Queen Abrihet next to him remained relaxed, or at least she seemed so, but, Cornelius guessed, he might not yet know her enough to judge.

"They did find us..." Cornelius continued barely above a whisper, "Who knows... how long they watched us..."

Abrihet nodded solemnly, "They always send out smaller groups ahead... surprise attack is their tactic... Those who attacked you were all killed... but some could have already gone back. That only means... they are close."

The Queen of Lakeland turned towards him and spoke softly, "Do you think... you are ready?"

Cornelius contemplated all the reasons behind her careful question. Was he, as a peacetime king, ready to lead his people to fight? Was he, as someone who had never experienced warfare before, ready for the possibility that they might not live to see tomorrow? Was he, a grieving father, ready to lose even more?

He was neither and he didn't know if he would be. He only knew one thing: he would not let his people down, and with the legacy on his shoulders that he was doomed to carry for all his life, he needed to stand strong before them. There was vengeance and uncertainty battling in him constantly and the warning from Rocket - do not go down your father's path. Don't lose yourself...

You are not him.

"Do we have a choice?" he asked back, so that he wouldn't have to truly answer. Abrihet averted her eyes for a moment before she met his gaze again.

"You do. I can't help think... we dragged you into this."

Cornelius shook his head and turned to her fully, "They would have found us... sooner or later... you said they searched for us, too. Maybe... it is time for us... to come out of our shell."

Abrihet nodded, a small smile graced her lips and something like pride glinted in her eyes before she leant down to see her bonobos already on canoes upon the water, "Will you come fish with us in the morning?"

Cornelius didn't tear his eyes from her face when he said yes.

In the calm of the morning, the canoes rocked gently on the even surface of the pond. Cornelius could count on one hand how many times he had stepped foot onto a canoe or a boat ever in his life - him and his fellow apes simply hated water and the little fishing they had done happened mostly from the shore. To sail deep into the heart of a lake was just not suited for them.

Still, him, Rock - whom Spear had already asked to join in the special training - and Nova were now doing just that on one canoe with some of the bonobos while Queen's Brother Tandok sailed on another. None dared break the silence as one bonobo thrust his spear into the water with a splash and brought up a wriggling fish they had lured to the spot. They had a good time and for the first time in weeks Cornelius felt almost peaceful as he helped bring the newly caught fish into the net with the others.

Back at the shore, he saw Maurice, Rocket and Stone along with Bark and Galen watch their small triumph. For once, everything was in order and they were calm, a serene quiet ruled the camp and Cornelius allowed himself to relax. He dipped the tip of his fingers into the water, cool and silky on his skin and let a pleasant shiver run through his body like the shimmering waves under his fingers. He met Nova's gaze and the woman smiled at him.

Cornelius wished he could get lost in the moment.

Loud, desperate hoots sounded and soon, members of both tribes, among them Malna, Queen Abrihet's aide and hunter ran up to them and waved their arms to get them to come back. The canoes soon reached shore and Cornelius got out quickly, trying to ready himself for what caused the commotion.

"There!" Spear urged them to come closer and pointed in the distance, "Smoke!"

And it was really there, far away, a billowing grey smoke that could have only been caused by a fire. The weather was warm, but there had been rain last night in the wide area, so Cornelius didn't think it was a spontaneous, natural fire. And if it wasn't that...

"What is there?" he asked, but Spear shook his head slightly.

"We haven't gone that far yet."

Cornelius looked at Rocket and Maurice, then at Abrihet - all had a foreboding look on their faces. Who could have lit the fire? Could they be so close already...?

Was he ready to confront the enemy head on, come face-to-face with them?

"Get the horses ready." Abrihet spoke and Cornelius tensed up, but he made sure not to show it. What else was there to do, after all, than go and see the crisis with their own eyes. It was too late to turn back now. He turned to his two uncles, his old and loyal advisors and put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"You ride with me." he signed and they nodded, Rocket patted his arm in reassurance. His second father always put on a brave face, even if he didn't feel that way, just to make him feel better and Cornelius didn't want to think about it further. They would be leaving soon.

The King of the Apes had almost forgotten the last time he had seen a human building, and forgot how he felt about them.

Cornelius' memories of the prison of the human soldiers had been vague, a dark blurr from his earliest conscious thoughts. A nightmare he no longer dreamed about. Now, to see one burnt and charred, still smoking, was both confusing and disturbing. The building didn't seem abandoned, its well-kept state betrayed the fact someone had been using it still. Most of the windows were shattered, either by force or by the fire and eerie silence hung above the naked, symmetrical blocks, no sign of life left.

When the scouts deemed it safe to enter the area, Cornelius, Rocket, Nova, Abrihet and Malna took their first steps into the building. Cornelius immediately felt a claustrophobic grip in his chest and the choking sensation from the smoke didn't help. The corridors inside were lit only by the sunlight shining through glassless windows, one lonely lamp cracked a few times with electricity above them, stubbornly holding on for dear life. The place seemed absolutely wracked.

As they strode deeper along the corridors, it was clear apes had damaged the building, although what the building was for was not clear to Cornelius at first. There were tables, cases, chairs all over the place, papers and other pieces of furniture and equipment he didn't recognize - squares with flat, black windows, rectangular-shaped objects with letters on them, flasks and tubes made of glass... lots and lots of broken figures. They had to be careful not to step on the shards. What could the humans use them for?

Cornelius saw Nova stop at a wall with a seemingly intact piece of paper strapped on it. She cast her head to the side and frowned in confusion at first, but then her features froze and she turned to Cornelius with a forlorn look. She stepped aside to let her long-time friend see what it was - only to have his heart leap into his throat when he read the first words written with clean, black letters:

ACHILLES LIST for ΛΩ Outposts (16.06.2049):

Caesar

Blue Eyes X

Rocket...

Cornelius turned away and closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply and felt the woman's soft hand rest on his arm, and next time he opened his eyes to will himself to read more he heard a soft growl at his side. Rocket stood next to him with a deep frown, hands clutched into fists. He controlled himself, but Cornelius couldn't have known which name flared up his anger more - Caesar's, Blue Eyes' outcrossed name, or his own, written by men unknown to them. Maybe all of them. The list, however, went on...

ACHILLES LIST for ΛΩ Outposts (16.06.2049):

Caesar

Blue Eyes X

Rocket

Maurice

Eagle

Senca

Bon

Fyn X

Lake

Armando

Ocala Leader X

Tony

Rena

Dart

Tamo X

Bryn

Aldus

Sarah X

Roman

Kanz- X

Panb- X

Elik- X

Arana X

Meret X

Dorus

...

Cornelius felt another presence and turned to see Abrihet walk closer slowly, with a look on her face he never saw before. He took a step to the side to let her see for herself and caught the slightest of tremors run along her frame as she pointed to two smudged names on the bottom of the list.

"The two First Queens... and their brother... founders of our tribe." and then, her finger slid lower, to the name 'Meret' and her voice came out only as a whisper, "My mother..."

A deep exhale escaped her lips. Cornelius couldn't stop the urge to touch her shoulder to comfort and their gazes met for the briefest of moments before they turned back to the paper.

"What could it be..." the king mused, but the question remained retoric as he reached up to pry the piece of paper off the wall.

"Must be old... my name... is not there. Don't know about me."

"And not about you either." Rocket signed to Cornelius, his movements more weary than angry now, "They think Caesar still lives. Good. They don't have to know." the elder chimp took a deep breath and took hold of Cornelius' arm, he leant on his adopted son for a moment to the point Cornelius started to worry - but before he could have asked if he was alright, Rocket straightened himself and his gaze hardened again, "Come. I must show you something."

Cornelius and the others followed him to another corridor. The burnt smell was all over the place wherever they went, but it was only now he started to feel the stench of burning flesh and rot. A shudder ran through his whole being and his hair stood on end and for once, he was afraid of what they would find once they rounded the corner...

The row of distorted cages, torn metal bars and the patches of blood on the floor of the corridor was like a nightmare come true. What Cornelius felt was terror sparring with awe inside him and for once, a dazed wonder brought his feet forward. His grip tightened on his gun and he felt like he was walking right into a spider's web.

Nova's gasp alerted him to the other side and he almost froze at the sight of the dead human, impaled through the chest with a wooden spear that couldn't belong to either of their tribes. The human was a male, his clothes were dark from the dried blood and he must have been dead for a while now. The fact that he wore such clothing and his clean and shaven expression betrayed the fact that he was not a primitive one.

They still existed, after all...

Nova's gaze, however, quickly swept to the side and she hurried down to the last cage as if she was drawn there. Cornelius frowned, he and Abrihet went on, the king was in a daze as he looked from cage to cage - only to discover more corpses, of intelligent humans, primitive humans, and... apes.

Apes, killed and thrown into the cages, just like the humans.

The sight and smell was almost overwhelming, but something kept Cornelius there. He remembered the stories of Koba, and what little he knew of Cedar's life before his father freed them all - he knew his uncles Rocket and Maurice were kept in cages before they rose above their captors. But those were, to him, just that - stories. Far away from him, far in the past that no one spoke about.

And, it seemed, their killer made no difference between who belonged in a cage and who didn't - who lived or who died by their hands. Like a storm, ripping along the land, without exception or mercy.

"Cornelius..." Abrihet called and beckoned him to the farthest cage. Cornelius, anxious to see what she had found, stepped up slowly to the bonobo queen, only to shudder once he saw it... or rather, her.

The human, dressed in fitting, bloodied clothes, sat with her back to the wall, the glasses she wore were cracked and she was beaten and disheveled. The greying of her hair told of a woman past her prime. She was conscious, but barely - her movements were sluggish and her hand reached out feebly to caress Nova's face as she leant down towards her. She looked like life was leaving her, yet the air seemed to vibrate around her whole being. Cornelius felt like he shuddered deep within his very soul when the woman finally looked towards the arriving apes.

"Oh... I see... you found your peace with them." she said, her voice just above a soundless whisper, as she addressed Nova.

"What happened here?" Abrihet asked just as quietly, the air carried the sound lightly in the eerie silence of the cages, "Who did this?"

Cornelius stepped closer, as if pulled on a string - it was only then he noticed there was a small tag on the woman's shirt, a piece that read "Dr. Eva Devon", her name. The king couldn't decide why it all felt awfully familiar, he just needed to hear what she had to say.

"Nerus... the name he gave himself..." came the weakening answer, "He thought he knew what we were doing... But he was wrong... the apes here... all of us here... were willing." the woman, Eva Devon shook her head, "I... my whole life... I tried to help, find a cure..." the doctor breathed out, the sound vibrating in all of them, "I thought I was saving us... and he thought he was saving you."

The woman turned back to Nova and once again raised a shaking hand to her face in a gentle, almost motherly caress, "I am sorry we were late, little one..."

"Cure..." Rocket muttered, speaking up for the first time, "for sick humans?"

Eva Devon nodded and closed her eyes, "The sick... cannot be healed." she took another deep sigh, all strength and will to live seemingly left her fragile frame, "Leave me. I shall... join them soon."

Cornelius looked around all the dead, apes and humans both primitive and intelligent, all sharing a fate brought upon by their enemy. He walked over to them and grabbed Nova's arm gently to pull her away. He could almost feel how hard it was for his human sister to tear herself away, but she eventually did - Abrihet led the way out of the row of cages and Rocket patted Cornelius' arm, taking the piece of paper with the names on them in his hand.

The king looked down on the human doctor one last time and found her looking at him with a gaze that bore deep into his very soul until his chest tightened. It took physical strength to pull himself away, turn around and not turn back even as the woman spoke once again,

"There is nothing for you to find here... Nothing now, Cornelius, son of Caesar...

Her voice seemed to come from deep inside Cornelius' head, a whisper not heard in his ears - but as Cornelius looked back at her with a frown both confused and terrified, he found that she lay there still and unmoving, like a soulless tree in winterfall.

"This is all they saw... why would I lie?!"

Nerus walked in circles in front of the elder chimpanzee, and this behavior alone betrayed just how agitated he was. Armando knew he was usually better at hiding his emotions, but Nerus simply couldn't take betrayal of any kind - or even the implication. And he knew he never trusted this particular chimp entirely.

Roman was the leader of a smaller tribe when they found them. He and his followers tried to fight and resist with all they had, but eventually Nerus' forces overwhelmed them and claimed their territory. After killing all the humans they found, most of them primitive, the Conqueror made a deal with Roman: he would let him and his tribe members live if they joined them. And Roman, not willing to risk more death to befall his own, agreed.

Nerus found that the tribe consisted of skilled hunters and tracers, having lived in a human-infested area for long enough, they learnt the art of sneaking in guarded places and finding what they needed. Thus he made most of them members of scouting parties and Roman couldn't do anything but allow it, even if it meant sending them with the others on surprise attacks and raids.

Like now.

Rena and Dart were twins, Roman found them as children, lost and injured and took them in. Once they became part of Nerus' ever growing army, they made a name for themselves as spies and sharpshooters, they found many human settlements before that could be dangerous. However, despite all their achivements and assistance for Nerus, they remained loyal to their rescuer and reported first and foremost to Roman - even the things they wouldn't tell anybody else.

Now, when they came back as sole survivors on another surprise attack on Queen Abrihet's tribe, it was Armando who caught them talking to Roman and when he brought them before Nerus, their leader was more than furious.

"Why would you lie..." Nerus repeated and stopped, he leant down to the kneeling Roman, "Really... why? You said these two know Caesar's tribe... know where to find them... maybe that was a lie, too!"

"No, we didn't—" Dart started, but a sharp look from Roman stopped him. There was no need to make their situation any worse than it already was.

Nerus, however, straightened and stepped up to the younger chimpanzee who, along with his sister, were held down by gorillas. He talked in a quiet tone that sounded more like a growl, "You went... to the place... where you said they lived... yet you didn't find anything?!"

"Maybe they moved away..." Roman tried, but Nerus had none of it.

"Let your friend... speak for himself... You two... let your team die... at the hands of...?"

"Bonobo warriors... they were all we found!"

"Right where Caesar's tribe should be?"

None of them answered, and Nerus' movement was too quick to defend themselves - the crude knife was in Dart's neck a moment later and the gorillas let his body fall to the ground among his twin sister's screams. Nerus gestured to the gorillas to take her away. He didn't want to hurt her yet if he didn't need to, even if Rena was just another liar, her skills and experience in the battlefied still could come in handy. And, it seemed, their fate deeply affected his most untrustworthy ally.

Roman didn't move, just stared at the younger chimpanzee's body in shock and didn't see nor hear Nerus call Armando to him. Only a few silent signs were exchanged between the two and Armando nodded. Soon only the two of them remained on the spot and Armando took hold of Roman's arm to help him up.

The former tribe leader, however, tore his arm away.

"What do you want from me?" he growled, taking deep breathes that shook his chest, "What more can you take away from me?!"

"Come."

It took a few seconds for Roman to finally follow Nerus' second-in-command among trees that, he knew, would hide whatever would come next from the curious eyes. Roman knew it well and almost wasn't surprised when Armando kicked his legs and forced him on the ground. The elder chimpanzee tried to fight back, but Armando's thick arm was soon around his neck and his grip tightened, until it left the other almost, almost unable to breathe.

"I know you know more than you say." Armando hissed, "And Nerus knows, too... he told me to kill you..."

"And what holds you back?" Roman croaked, his movements ceased once he realized Armando wasn't going to break his neck just yet.

"If... Caesar's tribe and Abrihet's meet... together... they are strong enough to defeat us... and put an end to this war."

Roman's eyes grew wide in shock once again as Armando's arm pulled away from his neck and let him free. The old chimp pressed a hand to his chest and panted for air. He slowly turned around to meet Armando's hard, ashen gaze.

"So go... and tell them we know. Run now, Roman... and don't turn back." the commander hissed and walked away, left the other alone to collect himself and run for his life. He didn't allow him a chance to ask why, and stopped only to listen to his fading steps into the unknown.

Armando closed his eyes and walked back to the tribe that was more of an army than anything else now, with only one purpose - one target in mind. And whatever he believed, whoever he chose to trust or follow or fall victim to, whoever he left and let go, he, too, only had one thing left to live for.

To get his son, the only one he still had, back to him safely.

Yes, I know... took me long enough.

I don't want to make promises for when the next update would come, but I still have plenty of plans for this story, so I won't give it up.

Canon characters who appeared here:

Dr. Eva Devon: she is from the VR game Crisis on the Planet of the Apes, she was a scientist trying to find a cure for the virus and held chimpanzees captive for tests.

Roman: a chimpanzee from the comic The Time of Man, he was the leader of a tribe that seemed to know Caesar and Malcolm, though it wasn't clear how.

And the "Achilles List" is from the fourth movie, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, when the original Caesar led the apes to rebellion against the humans. The apes were kind of slaves in that movie, trained to be servants, and if I remember correctly, the Achilles List contained the names of apes whorebelled, escaped, or just broke the rules in a serious way. Here, I thought I'd give it a twist.

Hope you enjoyed! :)