In Thade We Trust
Aug. 19th, 2010 09:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veiledndarknessTitle: In Thade We Trust 19/?
Author: veiledndarkness
Warning: The usual disclaimer, not my property, just playing with the
characters. Takes place shortly after the end of Planet of the Apes (2001).
Summary: In the darkest parts of the human mind lies the ability to be
needlessly cruel and inhuman, a baser nature that separates us from the animals.
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X
Koza drove along the darkened side road, keeping his speed at a neutral pace, one that left Leo silently grinding his teeth. He rubbed at his neck, chafed by the fabric of his borrowed clothes. In truth, his lab sweat suit had been of much softer material. He fingered the light marks on his neck left behind from having worn the collar for so many weeks.
"I hate to even ask, but how close are we?"
"We're close." Koza glanced at him in the rear view mirror. "I do hope you're prepared for what's to come."
Leo fought the urge to growl at the smug face of his rescuer. He curled his fingers on his lap and counted down from ten in his head. "Look pal, you don't have a clue about what I've already been through, ok? I think I'm more prepared than you ever will be."
Naira tucked the folders but for one in Ari's bag, shaking his head as he did so. "Leo's right. We're not exactly going into this with sure footing. All of this is based on what-if's and supposed possibilities. There's no way to predict what might happen when Leo comes in contact with the markings."
"So?"
"So that means you have a good fucking chance of dyin' tonight, Koza…Are you prepared for that?" Leo mocked.
Ari glared over her shoulder at the pair of them. "Stop that, both of you."
Koza tapped his fingers on the wheel, his smirk somewhat deflated. "I'm aware of that fact."
"Did any of you guys ever think about what all this is gonna come to? I mean, helpin' me is death for you." Leo held Ari's gaze for a moment. "Can't avoid thinking about that forever."
"We can't go back now, Leo," she murmured, tucking a section of hair back behind her ear. "I think we all know that."
Naira shrugged his shoulder, bringing a sad smile to Ari's lips at the movement. Leo had rubbed off on them in more than one way. "Then we'll end this knowing we did what was right."
"There, right there," Koza pointed out the window to where the Thade Memorial stood, beckoning to them in the distance.
Leo swallowed, his skin prickling at the very sight of it. He closed his eyes, feeling the crushing impact as he'd landed in his pod, the exhilaration of having finally made it back and the horror that had followed when he'd seen the waves of officers coming for him, all the non-human faces filled with hatred for him.
He shuddered, a cold sweat trickling down his back. "Hurry up."
X
A reporter stood on the lawn, her back to the building, her press badge hastily attached to her business jacket. She grasped her microphone with both hands, eyes wide as the camera rolled. "This is Lemo with Channel 3, reporting live from the grounds of the Institute for Advanced Research and Law, where an explosion rocked the building mere minutes ago."
"We've received numerous reports of a metal machine that crashed from the center of the building, smashing the inner and outer walls as it exited. There are reports of shots fired into the remains, triggering an intense fire. We've been unable to get a solid number on how many workers are still trapped inside. As of yet, only twenty workers have been accounted for, the first to emerge ahead of the flames."
A fire truck roared past her, the sirens blaring. The firefighters jumped down from the truck, racing through the procedures. Several of the chimps nearby screeched, jumping away from the gush of water that shot out of the hoses and into the fiery wreck.
Lemo took a breath, her eyes watering from the smoke and her voice shaking under the well practiced on-air veneer. "There have been unsubstantiated reports that the human, known for his crash landing on the Thade memorial, has escaped from the grounds. Officials have yet to confirm or deny this."
As the windows on the top floor of the building shattered from the intense heat, sending showers of shards raining down on the burnt grass and the firemen raced into the burning facility, Lemo stared into the camera, unable to hide the horror on her face. "We're standing by for further updates on the devastation here, at the remains of the Institute for Advanced Research and Law."
X
Riva and Sandar watched the Channel 3 report from inside his luxury car in disbelief as clips shot from cell phones were broadcasted, grainy images of a giant metal contraption bursting through the building, bullets spraying from the arms of the machine, flames shooting high above the roof.
"Calder..." Riva tried to swallow, his throat dry-clicking. "Oh dear Thade..."
Sandar blinked, wiping his fingers over his thinning hair, his complexion pale. "You're certain that this was Calder's doing?"
Riva nodded, "Y-Yes Sir, most definitely." He wet his lips, shaking a little as more images of the destruction filled the screen. "Several members of his team were working on top security level projects. Calder spoke...not in detail t-to...well to me, but I knew of those projects."
"And this...thing was one of them?"
Riva looked down and his lap and nodded. "Yes Sir. He called it the Menscheaffe."
Sandar listened to Lemo rattle off the initial reports with the tentative death counts. "What does it do?" he asked finally, his voice rough.
"It's a walking machine, in a manner of speaking," Riva swallowed over the sour lump in his throat. "It can move almost as fast as this car can, it's nearly twenty feet high, and it can open fire on any object..."
"And it can destroy a building in minutes…" Sandar whispered. "What have we done...?”
X
"Keep your head down, Leo. Oh, how I wish I'd thought to bring a hat, or a scarf for you," Ari fretted, hurrying Leo out of the somewhat secluded shrubbery that covered the car.
"Somehow I doubt that would help," Leo muttered. "I'm still a human, no matter how you dress me."
Naira followed closely in Leo's footsteps, smacking his fading illumination stick. "Yes, but a hat would have helped. Ari, watch ahead, the path is uneven."
Leo clenched his teeth, irritated by the slow approach. He moved ahead of Ari, all but jogging up the path that lead to the memorial. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he came to a stop behind the memorial. He looked about warily. "Shouldn't there be guards here?"
Koza nodded, panting as he caught up with him. "It's normally crawling with guards."
Leo narrowed his eyes. “I got a bad feelin’ about all this. Why aren’t they here?”
“Wait Leo, please, wait,” Ari called, hurrying along as best she could.
“No! I’m tired of waiting! This is my life, Ari, ok? I’ve been stuck in this fucking mockery of my world for how long now and I’m done waiting! I’m getting outta here one way or the other.” With that, he raced up the walkway, running to the front of the memorial and disappearing around the corner.
Naira glared at Koza. “If you’re in on this with the government…”
Koza flinched at the accusation. “How dare you? You ridiculous hypocrite, that you would even dare suggest that!”
“Naira, that’s absurd!” Ari gasped. “How could you even suggest that?”
“Do you even know him; I mean really know him well enough to say so for certain? Many a chimp’s been tempted by money,” Naira sneered.
“He asks to cover his own guilt over what he’s done! Years and years of revolting testing, his experiments on humans, his threats to you, to all chimps who would do anything to have equality in this world!” Koza pointed at Naira, his upper lip curled back over his teeth.
“And yet…you still care for him, don’t you? You love him!” he spit.
Ari sucked in a shaky breath, avoiding Naira’s heavy stare as the ground trembled beneath them. “I…I…”
“What in the…” Naira whipped around, the tremors increasing. He looked to the distance, watching with horror as something lurched towards them at a frightening speed, dozens of cop cars, all with lights flashing, all trailing behind the huge piece of machinery. The ground shook and trembled as it advanced closer, the arms of it raising and pointing directly at the front of the memorial.
“Thade…” Naira choked out. “Leo!”
X
Author: veiledndarkness
Warning: The usual disclaimer, not my property, just playing with the
characters. Takes place shortly after the end of Planet of the Apes (2001).
Summary: In the darkest parts of the human mind lies the ability to be
needlessly cruel and inhuman, a baser nature that separates us from the animals.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
X
Koza drove along the darkened side road, keeping his speed at a neutral pace, one that left Leo silently grinding his teeth. He rubbed at his neck, chafed by the fabric of his borrowed clothes. In truth, his lab sweat suit had been of much softer material. He fingered the light marks on his neck left behind from having worn the collar for so many weeks.
"I hate to even ask, but how close are we?"
"We're close." Koza glanced at him in the rear view mirror. "I do hope you're prepared for what's to come."
Leo fought the urge to growl at the smug face of his rescuer. He curled his fingers on his lap and counted down from ten in his head. "Look pal, you don't have a clue about what I've already been through, ok? I think I'm more prepared than you ever will be."
Naira tucked the folders but for one in Ari's bag, shaking his head as he did so. "Leo's right. We're not exactly going into this with sure footing. All of this is based on what-if's and supposed possibilities. There's no way to predict what might happen when Leo comes in contact with the markings."
"So?"
"So that means you have a good fucking chance of dyin' tonight, Koza…Are you prepared for that?" Leo mocked.
Ari glared over her shoulder at the pair of them. "Stop that, both of you."
Koza tapped his fingers on the wheel, his smirk somewhat deflated. "I'm aware of that fact."
"Did any of you guys ever think about what all this is gonna come to? I mean, helpin' me is death for you." Leo held Ari's gaze for a moment. "Can't avoid thinking about that forever."
"We can't go back now, Leo," she murmured, tucking a section of hair back behind her ear. "I think we all know that."
Naira shrugged his shoulder, bringing a sad smile to Ari's lips at the movement. Leo had rubbed off on them in more than one way. "Then we'll end this knowing we did what was right."
"There, right there," Koza pointed out the window to where the Thade Memorial stood, beckoning to them in the distance.
Leo swallowed, his skin prickling at the very sight of it. He closed his eyes, feeling the crushing impact as he'd landed in his pod, the exhilaration of having finally made it back and the horror that had followed when he'd seen the waves of officers coming for him, all the non-human faces filled with hatred for him.
He shuddered, a cold sweat trickling down his back. "Hurry up."
X
A reporter stood on the lawn, her back to the building, her press badge hastily attached to her business jacket. She grasped her microphone with both hands, eyes wide as the camera rolled. "This is Lemo with Channel 3, reporting live from the grounds of the Institute for Advanced Research and Law, where an explosion rocked the building mere minutes ago."
"We've received numerous reports of a metal machine that crashed from the center of the building, smashing the inner and outer walls as it exited. There are reports of shots fired into the remains, triggering an intense fire. We've been unable to get a solid number on how many workers are still trapped inside. As of yet, only twenty workers have been accounted for, the first to emerge ahead of the flames."
A fire truck roared past her, the sirens blaring. The firefighters jumped down from the truck, racing through the procedures. Several of the chimps nearby screeched, jumping away from the gush of water that shot out of the hoses and into the fiery wreck.
Lemo took a breath, her eyes watering from the smoke and her voice shaking under the well practiced on-air veneer. "There have been unsubstantiated reports that the human, known for his crash landing on the Thade memorial, has escaped from the grounds. Officials have yet to confirm or deny this."
As the windows on the top floor of the building shattered from the intense heat, sending showers of shards raining down on the burnt grass and the firemen raced into the burning facility, Lemo stared into the camera, unable to hide the horror on her face. "We're standing by for further updates on the devastation here, at the remains of the Institute for Advanced Research and Law."
X
Riva and Sandar watched the Channel 3 report from inside his luxury car in disbelief as clips shot from cell phones were broadcasted, grainy images of a giant metal contraption bursting through the building, bullets spraying from the arms of the machine, flames shooting high above the roof.
"Calder..." Riva tried to swallow, his throat dry-clicking. "Oh dear Thade..."
Sandar blinked, wiping his fingers over his thinning hair, his complexion pale. "You're certain that this was Calder's doing?"
Riva nodded, "Y-Yes Sir, most definitely." He wet his lips, shaking a little as more images of the destruction filled the screen. "Several members of his team were working on top security level projects. Calder spoke...not in detail t-to...well to me, but I knew of those projects."
"And this...thing was one of them?"
Riva looked down and his lap and nodded. "Yes Sir. He called it the Menscheaffe."
Sandar listened to Lemo rattle off the initial reports with the tentative death counts. "What does it do?" he asked finally, his voice rough.
"It's a walking machine, in a manner of speaking," Riva swallowed over the sour lump in his throat. "It can move almost as fast as this car can, it's nearly twenty feet high, and it can open fire on any object..."
"And it can destroy a building in minutes…" Sandar whispered. "What have we done...?”
X
"Keep your head down, Leo. Oh, how I wish I'd thought to bring a hat, or a scarf for you," Ari fretted, hurrying Leo out of the somewhat secluded shrubbery that covered the car.
"Somehow I doubt that would help," Leo muttered. "I'm still a human, no matter how you dress me."
Naira followed closely in Leo's footsteps, smacking his fading illumination stick. "Yes, but a hat would have helped. Ari, watch ahead, the path is uneven."
Leo clenched his teeth, irritated by the slow approach. He moved ahead of Ari, all but jogging up the path that lead to the memorial. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he came to a stop behind the memorial. He looked about warily. "Shouldn't there be guards here?"
Koza nodded, panting as he caught up with him. "It's normally crawling with guards."
Leo narrowed his eyes. “I got a bad feelin’ about all this. Why aren’t they here?”
“Wait Leo, please, wait,” Ari called, hurrying along as best she could.
“No! I’m tired of waiting! This is my life, Ari, ok? I’ve been stuck in this fucking mockery of my world for how long now and I’m done waiting! I’m getting outta here one way or the other.” With that, he raced up the walkway, running to the front of the memorial and disappearing around the corner.
Naira glared at Koza. “If you’re in on this with the government…”
Koza flinched at the accusation. “How dare you? You ridiculous hypocrite, that you would even dare suggest that!”
“Naira, that’s absurd!” Ari gasped. “How could you even suggest that?”
“Do you even know him; I mean really know him well enough to say so for certain? Many a chimp’s been tempted by money,” Naira sneered.
“He asks to cover his own guilt over what he’s done! Years and years of revolting testing, his experiments on humans, his threats to you, to all chimps who would do anything to have equality in this world!” Koza pointed at Naira, his upper lip curled back over his teeth.
“And yet…you still care for him, don’t you? You love him!” he spit.
Ari sucked in a shaky breath, avoiding Naira’s heavy stare as the ground trembled beneath them. “I…I…”
“What in the…” Naira whipped around, the tremors increasing. He looked to the distance, watching with horror as something lurched towards them at a frightening speed, dozens of cop cars, all with lights flashing, all trailing behind the huge piece of machinery. The ground shook and trembled as it advanced closer, the arms of it raising and pointing directly at the front of the memorial.
“Thade…” Naira choked out. “Leo!”
X
