x
Steve let out a slow breath, his gaze sweeping across the rugged landscape—the hills, the mountains, the mesas, the buttes. "Yeah, Dan," he admitted, his voice firm. "I want to go home." His jaw tightened as he looked back at him. "You can talk all you want about minerals—zinc, copper, aluminum, uranium—whatever it takes to patch together a suborbital's circuits and power its reactor. But I’m not ready to believe we can just dig it out of the ground and hammer it into working technology."
His hands clenched into fists. He felt like he had invited the same publicity for the Spindrift as the Marintha and the Anne had—vanishing somewhere between Los Angeles and London, never heard from again, just as so many people had feared.
"Still, if there's even a chance—just one—I’m gonna find it. Even if it kills me."
Dan threw up his hands in frustration. "Think about what we're dealing with here, buddy! These apes aren’t just running around with clubs and spears—they’ve got rifles, automatic weapons. I saw at least a few heavy machine guns mounted on watchtowers, and they’re lugging around grenade launchers like it’s nothing. And tanks, Steve. Tanks. You really think they’d just let us waltz onto the Marintha and take off? Even if they don’t have aircraft—and I haven’t seen a single plane in their arsenal—you can bet your last breath they’d figure out a way to shoot us down before we ever cleared the treetops!"
Steve clenched his jaw, but Dan wasn’t finished.
"And another thing—what about the others? Our passengers? Are you just gonna leave them behind? You think they're not gonna want to go home, too? Or are you planning to cram a whole village of humanoids into a suborbital built for seven?"
Dan took a step closer, his voice low and sharp. "Face it, Steve. Even if you find the Marintha, even if it still has power, even if you somehow get it off the ground—you’d be leading the apes straight to us, and they wouldn't hesitate to blast us out of the sky."
Steve stood in silence for twenty long minutes, staring out at the horizon, his mind racing through every possibility, every consequence. Finally, he exhaled sharply and turned to Dan, his voice steady but resolved.
"Look, Dan, I get it. But there’s nothing we can do for our passengers now. Whatever happened to them—whether they’re alive, dead, or scattered to the wind—it’s out of our hands. We can’t waste time chasing ghosts."
He paused, his eyes drifting to Nova. "But I’ll tell you what I can do. I can take some of them back with us. Not all, but one—her. We need proof of where we've been, of what we've seen. If we show up back home empty-handed, nobody's going to believe a damn word we say. And it’s not like we can take Zira or Cornelius with us, even if they were on our side."
He ran a hand through his hair, thinking of the Spindrift, of the engines that had sent them here. "Don't you get it? We're using a drive system that was designed for spacecraft that aren’t yet perfected for its use," he began, his tone grim. "Ships like ours run on a tiny atomic generator that charges a power unit while we're aground. The atomic pile alone can’t run the ship continuously, but combined with the stored power, it gives us about eight hours of flight per 24. And here's the twist—if this very drive created that space warp, then the government and the scientists who built it need to be held accountable. I don't want another pilot to be stranded in a nightmare, or another crew to vanish into a future they never intended to see. I won’t let this happen again—especially not to Barry Lockridge, a little boy who had to sacrifice so much for our survival."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uFNm3MqCv
Steve clenched his fists. "I know it’s risky. I know what’s at stake. But I don’t have time to sit around playing metaphysicist and debating the philosophy of time travel. The answer to what the hell happened here—why this future exists, why the apes rule where man once stood supreme—it starts in the 20th century. And if we’re ever going to fix it, we have to go back. Risks be damned."
Dan let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he mulled it all over. Finally, he shook his head and muttered, “You’re out of your damn mind, but fine. I’ll go along with this crazy plan of yours. Just don’t expect it to be easy.”
He jabbed a finger toward Steve. “You want to help the humanoids? Rebuild a downed Spindrift? You’re going to need more than just sheer willpower—you’re going to need tools, Steve. Real tools. Precision instruments, machining equipment, diagnostic scanners—stuff so sophisticated that even our own world barely has the means to replicate it.”
Dan gestured at the barren landscape around them. “And where the hell do you think you’re going to find any of that? Certainly not from the humanoids. Their market for advanced technology dried up centuries ago. They don’t have so much as a working steam engine, let alone anything that can help us rebuild a spaceship. Which means…” He hesitated, then gave a wry chuckle. “Which means we’re going to have to get it from the only civilization around that still has guns, factories, and enough industrial power to give us a shot at pulling this off.”
Dan’s expression darkened. “And that civilization belongs to the apes.”
"I think I know where I can find what I need," Steve said, his face lighting up.
"Where?"
“Dan, listen—I found something odd in the luggage compartment. It’s Fitzhugh’s suitcase, the one he claims is from his days as a ‘naval courier.’ But when it broke open, what spilled out wasn’t standard issue at all. There were high-tech tools in there, including a laser gun. It’s as if he was packing for a heist instead of a routine delivery.”
Dan’s eyes widened, his tone skeptical. “A laser gun? That doesn’t add up. I’ve always suspected Fitzhugh was lying about his background—probably a thief planning some kind of heist in London. Surely, Steve, you’re not really going to try to retrieve it, are you?”
"That's exactly what I'm going to do," Steve declared, his tone resolute as he squared his shoulders. "The entry/exit airlock is a compact, reinforced chamber embedded in the ship's sleek hull, fashioned from dark, metallic panels with a heavy, ribbed hatch designed to snap shut with hydraulic precision. If I can just get that hatch closed behind me, I'll be safe."
He paused, his expression hardening. "The problem is, I have to locate the ship first—and that's no easy task in this blasted wasteland."
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8D8EhOPe2m
General Urko stood by his command vehicle, his fieldglasses scanning the empty landscape from the mountaintop he'd finally gained. He dropped the glasses into the jeep with a snarl.
"They might've gotten away this time," he said, his rage unabated, "but I'll get the beasts and make them pay, no matter what it takes!"
The fury in his voice made Dr. Zaius shiver with a strange kind of fear. He knew he needed Urko and the Ape Army to hunt down the escaped animals, but for the first time he nevertheless felt a certain sympathy for the humanoids. They deserved a fast, clean, possibly even painless death---an extermination, not the sort of horror that Urko was addicted to. Not even a humanoid should suffer that way!"
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuMq30GykO
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiEqcRucDb
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6FTTjpMJX
The barren desert was quiet, baking in the hot sun. Even the lizards kept in their holes and in the shade of rocks to avoid heating their blood to deathpoint. No wind blew and the column of dust in the distance hung lazily in the air, thin and chalky, marking the approach of the Gorilla Army column.
A snake stirred as it felt the vibrations through the ground, and raised its head, its tongue going out and in quickly. Disturbed from its reptile dreams, it writhed deeper into its hole, its unblinking eyes watchful.
The nearing dust column soon dipped below some rocks, then started rising toward the hills. The lizards could hear the rumble of trucks and weapons carriers, and made sudden swift movements, ducking into crevices in the sun-baked rock and clinging to their sides with uncanny ability, torsos rising and falling with their breathing.
A command jeep suddenly roared up out of a gully and came to a halt. The passengers waited impatiently as the following dust cloud caught up to them, enveloping them in its choking fog. The column, too, had stopped behind the jeep and lay stretched out over the desert road, its vehicles chalky with heavy dust.
Gorillas sat in open trucks, huddling into their helmets and trying to endure the long, rough ride. They now stared blankly out at the desert, bl inking the heavy beige dust from their eyes, but making no attempt to brush the coating from their thick black fur or their leather uniforms. Soldiers in armored vehicles did not dare touch the metal sides of these carriers in the desert, if they could help it. Not even thick gorilla skin was immune to the heat that the metal soaked up.
Behind them the desert floor, stirred into gritty mush by the passage of the column, settled back onto vehicle and bush alike.
The driver of an armored troop carriers grumbled to his co-driver, "Damn humanoids! What're we doin' out here today? Who the hell wants to be out here, ya answer me that?"
The co-driver shrugged, his eyes red despite the goggles they all wore. "Stupid beasts, I guess. You know how dumb those animals are, Casca. Ya never know what they're gonna do."
"How does the general know they're out here anyway?" The driver looked gloomily at the desolation through the driving slit. "How could anyone live out here in the Forbidden Zone, for cryin' out loud?"
The co-driver shrugged again. "Officers are for knowing. Grunts are for doing. That's the army for ya."
Casca grunted, as if not convinced. "Well, I know enough not to be out here, but I'm out here 'cause Captain Sovak says I gotta be out here." He yanked a canteen from its clip and moodily took off the cap. He took a swallow and made a face. "Damn stuff's near boiling!"
"Yeah, it's hot," the co-driver agreed.
In the command jeep, the map was spread across General Urko's lap.
Captain Sovak pointed to a section of the map with a thick finger. "I suspect the caverns we're looking for are in this sector, sir."
Urko grunted, his eyes flickering up from the map to verify landmarks. "If you're right," he grumbled "we'll soon find the Underfolk and wipe them out!"
Captain Sovak's bloodshot eyes looked towards the rocky hills ahead. "It's hard to know, sir. We can't penetrate their organization with secret operatives---for obvious reasons."
"Organization!" snorted General Urko derisively. "A motely tribe is what they are."
Sovak kept silent. He had his own ideas about the humanoids and the Underfolk---unpopular ideas. But he kept his mind, and his eyes, open. You make too many mistakes around a general---especially one like Urko---and you can easily get in deep trouble, he reminded himself.
"Yes, sir," he said. "I guess that's what I meant."
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGYDCBfiip
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRM1E0Xuuh
Dan Erickson climbed out on top of a rock and leaned against the side of another great clump of stone, for what little shade there was. Pulling his pack around, he glanced up as Steve came up the steep stone side and dropped down next to him. Dan offered Steve a fistful of berries from the crude backpack he had set aside.
"Thanks," the blond pilot said, and tossed all of them into his mouth.
He then rummaged through his own pack, made of untanned hides, stiff and still hairy, and pulled out a gourd of tepid water. Washing down the berries, he handed the gourd canteen to Dan.
"Hot," Steve grunted.
"Are you always so eloquent?" Dan asked, his grin threatening to crack his dry lips.
"Oh, you noticed," Steve quipped.
The two men sat looking out over the desert they had crossed, and down on the rocky hillside they had just climbed. The sun was relentless, and nowhere could they see any greeny-only the twisted gray-green of scrawny desert thornbushes.
Steve took out some dried meat and gave half of the tough meal to Dan. They sat munching it automatically, not enjoying it but knowing they needed the strength it provided.
As Steve swallowed a lump of the unsavory chew, he spoke in a dried, cracked voice.
Steve shook his head in disbelief as he addressed the group. "We've scoured a ten-mile radius around those humanoid caves and there's still not a single wrecked spaceship in sight—no plastics, nothing—unless, of course, we want to head on over to Ape City."
Dan nodded wearily, stretching out a sore leg. He shook his head slowly, his voice heavy with grim realization. “Clearly, we won’t find a wreck out here, Steve. But if you're right—if that lost Spindrift followed the same trajectory as ours—then whatever happened to them happened to us.”
They chewed some more of the dried meat and washed it down with the warm water from the gourd. Afterward, both arched their backs and got carefully to their feet.
"Can we get back to the caves by nightfall?" Dan asked.
"No, too far. Another glorious night on the trail, ole buddy, sleeping under the stars and trying not to lie on a rattler."
They slung on their packs and started once again to climb. They hiked up a few feet when a slight movement caught Dan's eye and caused him to turn.
"Hold on!" he said to his dusty companion. "What's that over there?"
He pointed to what appeared to be smoke.
"Something's moving on the desert floor, all right!" Steve gasped. They squinted their eyes into the sun. "A column of dust! It's a motorized army column!"
"Let's get the hell outta here!" Dan exclaimed.
They both started climbing over the rough terrain as fast as they could, their fingers seeking purchase in the rocks, their feet scraping on the hard surfaces.
Dan eventually found a crevice that seemed to lead toward the top and slipped into it. "Down here," he called to Steve. "C'mon before they see ya!"
"Just as soon as I get over this boulder," Steve grunted, grabbing at the lumpy protuberance.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfna1zkPdbB
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IEUTkccIG
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nDUZJvcph
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt9tMqDuPG
Urko's jeep had pulled slightly away from the column, and now it came to a halt, letting the thick dust drift away. The ape general was standing up, scanning the rocky hillside restlessly.
"I thought I saw some movement up there," he muttered. The fieldglasses froze and the general's beady eyes glittered. "Got him! Just going over that rock! The humanoid who escaped! I'd know his cursed blond hair anywhere!"
The gorilla commander signaled to the leading troop carrier, waving it toward the rocky hills. "Move! We're going after the animal!"
As the jeep jolted into movement, the general sat back with a thick leer.
"Hah! An unexpected bonus! We set out to wipe out the Underfolk and instead find the beast with a price on his head! Urko struck the dashboard of the jeep with his heavy fist. "And this time there is no escape!"59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡil3xZ320OU
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1wmRjY60d
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRnDVV3fzw
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSf1u9Xx4r
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKw94jgGGB
"Damn, they've seen us!" Steve groaned, peering out at the armored column as it veered toward the hills.
The vehicles were now grinding speedily over the desert sands, throwing up spumes of dust, crushing fragile desert plants recklessly. The going was tougher as they left the flatter bottom of the desert valley, but their rugged metal frames were capable. The soldiers in their rear bounced and banged against one another, hanging on for dear life as the column followed the bellowing commander up the lower slopes.
The vehicles soon spread out, for the dust clouds were too thick to see through and two of the trucks had damaged their undercarriages by going over huge rocks they didn't spot in time.
Urko, jostled roughly in the jeep's front seat, was holding on grimly. "He's behind those rocks," he gloated. "We'll have him soon! When we do, I've got some definite ideas about how to treat humanoids!"
Captain Sovak, also rocked by the rough passage, said as respectfully as he could over the roaring engine and the rattle of the vehicle over rocks and gravel, "With respect, sir, shouldn't this discovery be reported to Dr. Zaius?"
Urko s hot his aide a dark look, then muttered, "I suppose we must." A leering smile crossed his face. "But don't be in any big hurry about it."
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbdp6ckqaD
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNNl6kT47N
Steve was behind Dan as they climbed hastily up through the crevice in the rock. Small rocks and pebbles were dislodged and went down in miniature avalanches at almost every footstep.
"Wait a minute," Steve gasped. "Let's see what they're doing." He jumped across the small chasm and climbed up a rock to where he could look down at the column. "Still coming," he said.
Dan crossed and stood beside him. Both men were panting and sweat ran down their bodies in rivulets. The cloud of dust from the column was closer now, and wider as the vehicles spread out.
The black pilot, coughing from the dust, said, "They know we're here, no doubt about it."
"Wait!" Steve said. He looked at Dan. "I bet they only saw me. I was stupid enough to be outside, where they could pick me out. Maybe they never saw you at all. I could try and lead 'em away!"
Dan flashed him a look of disgust. "You wouldn't stand a chance. Hell, you can't climb faster than you're doing now."
Steve shook his head. "I wouldn't stand a chance---you would!"
"Oh, come on, we'll both...."
Suddenly, without warning, the ground beneath them trembled. A deep, guttural rumble echoed through the canyon walls, sending loose stones tumbling down the slopes. Then, in an instant, the earth split open with a deafening roar.
Flames erupted from the fissures, blazing tongues of fire surging toward the sky. The heat struck them like a physical force, scorching the air and forcing them to shield their faces. The flames danced wildly, illuminating the jagged rocks with an eerie, flickering glow.
Dan staggered back, his arm raised instinctively against the inferno. “What the hell is happening?” he shouted over the deafening roar.
Steve clenched his jaw, his mind racing. “I don’t know,” he admitted, eyes darting around the chaos. “But whatever it is—it's deliberate.”
The flames licked higher, forming a burning wall around them. The ground beneath their feet quaked again, as if the planet itself was rejecting their presence. The suffocating heat made it nearly impossible to breathe.
Dan shot Steve a desperate glance. “We have to move—now!”
Steve nodded, his face set with grim determination. “Then let’s move.”
Together, they turned and ran, the roaring flames chasing their heels as they fled into the unknown
Before their horrified eyes, the ground split open and from its depths rose a colossal granite statue—a Moses-like ape. The figure was majestic and foreboding, its chiseled features conveying a timeless authority. In its right arm, the statue clutched a pair of ancient, Torah-like books, and its left hand was raised in a commanding gesture, as if ordering all to halt. The monolith loomed large against the darkened sky, its silent presence an enigma that defied explanation.
Steve’s voice trembled as he spoke, his tone a mix of awe and disbelief. “What in the world…? What is that supposed to be?”
Dan echoed his shock, his eyes wide as he stammered, “Where is it coming from?” The two pilots stood transfixed, the mysterious monument an unbidden omen emerging from the scorched earth—a sign that something far greater than they could comprehend was unfolding around them.
Amid the chaos, a strange calm descended. The roaring flames and towering granite monolith had stalled the ape convoy, casting a protective veil that hid Steve and Dan from view. In the midst of this accidental sanctuary, an eerie presence seemed to linger—unseen yet unmistakably observant, as if some unknown force was watching their every move. The conflagration and the silent authority of the statue, acting as both shield and omen, hinted that there might be a silver lining in the storm—a mysterious guardian or perhaps a portent of events yet to unfold.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLI9NnJOYKp
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ywpUQfdYV
.
General Urko stood by his jeep. The column had come to a halt even before the commander's order. Two trucks had crashed into the rear of those ahead as the stunned drivers stared at the bizarre sight in the Forbidden Zone.
After the convoy came to a halt before the roaring fountains of flames and the towering granite statue, every soldier spilled out of their vehicles, their eyes wide with disbelief. The enormous monolith, carved in the likeness of an ancient, regal ape, loomed large against the turbulent sky. Among them, Private Gorak—small in stature but eyes burning with fervent recognition—stepped forward, his voice barely a whisper over the din of crackling fire and murmurs of astonishment. "By Zagan… that’s the Lawgiver—the First Ape!" he exclaimed, his tone trembling with a mix of awe and dread. In that moment, the revelation sent a shudder through the ranks, as if the very ground beneath them had spoken of a past both sacred and terrible.
General Urko’s eyes blazed with fury as he surveyed his troops, who, in a shocking display of reverence, had knelt before the towering granite statue of the Lawgiver. His booming voice echoed across the assembly, each word laced with severe disdain. “What in the name of all that is sacred are you doing?!” he roared, his tone thunderous. “This is not a time for supplication—it's war! I will have each one of you prosecuted for cowardice before our enemies even dare to approach!” The severity of his decree cut through the murmurs and rustling of soldiers as they hastily rose to their feet, their expressions a mix of fear and contrition under the weight of his wrath.
Captain Sovak cleared his throat and spoke in a calm, measured tone. “General Urko, with all due respect, it is the duty of every ape to kneel before the Lawgiver when he makes his presence known. Our reverence is not an act of cowardice, but a sacred obligation to honor the legacy of our forebears.”
Urko thumped hard on the hood of the command jeep. The hollow thump caused the already nervous driver to jump, and he gave his commander a reproachful look.
"Complete rubbish!" General Urko thundered, his voice echoing over the assembled troops. "That infernal image rising from the flames is no more the Lawgiver than I am—it is nothing but the cunning work of those treacherous Underfolk!" The general struck the hood of the jeep once again, apparently impervious to the pain. "Someday, they'll pay!"
The colossal statue and the towering flame fountains loomed before the convoy, an unyielding barrier of silent menace. The granite monolith, carved in the visage of the ancient Lawgiver, stood motionless, its features etched with timeless authority. At its base, fierce tongues of fire erupted from the cracked desert floor, yet despite their violent energy, they emitted no sound beyond the low, constant roar of the flames. Together, they blocked the progress of the convoy, casting long, ominous shadows over the halted troops. In that surreal moment, the silent presence of the statue and the steadfast fury of the fire formed a grim reminder of forces beyond mortal control, forbidding any movement further into the desolate wasteland.
The gorilla general began cursing.
