Greg Keyes - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Firestorm

“They’re just apes,” Corbin snarled. “Keep it together.”

“Where’s the friggin’ air support?” Kyung demanded.

“It’s been recalled,” Corbin said. “I can’t get a straight answer as to why.”

“They’re recalling us, too, right?” Flores said.

“They said for us to proceed at my discretion.”

“If you tranq one of them, you’ll have to fight them all,” Malakai said.

“I’ve called everyone else in. They’ll be here in ten minutes.”

Malakai continued searching through the trees, watching the numbers grow.

“That could be a very long ten minutes.”

“Yeah,” Flores said. “And another, what, fifteen guys? Maybe if more of us had real guns, instead of Sleepy Joes…”

He looked significantly at Corbin, the only one carrying a real assault rifle.

Overhead, one of the orangs made a long call, and that set off the chimps, who began screeching even louder. Sticks began pelting down. Not big ones, but lots of them.

Malakai watched the nearest gorilla. It was staring at him as if it knew everything he had done in his life. It did not have the dull intelligence he remembered. Like the chimp he had seen earlier, this ape was different.

Clancy saw it, too.

“It’s not just one of them that’s smart,” she said. “It’s all of them.”

“I say you’d better use your ‘discretion’ to check our asses out of here, Corbin.” Flores said, his voice edged with panic.

“They’re just monkeys, damn it,” Corbin snapped.

“Don’t,” Malakai said.

As he said it, a group of chimps seemed to explode out of the mid-canopy. For an instant, the one leading them looked as shocked as anyone. Then a gunshot detonated, so near it set his ears ringing. One of the chimps screamed and tumbled from the tree, falling almost at Corbin’s feet. Before anyone could react, another chimp leapt down, knocking Corbin to the ground and sending his rifle flying.

The newcomer was a nightmarish customer, with one milky eye and a visage filled with sheer malevolence. It was a kind of face Malakai was all too used to seeing, had seen many times on people whose hatred for another tribe or religion transcended all rational bounds. Everyone seemed frozen as the ape slouched toward Corbin. In that moment, it could easily have torn the mercenary’s throat out.

But instead the one-eyed chimp backed away, although it seemed reluctant.

The cacophony from the trees suddenly cut off, leaving them with a surreal silence that was almost claustrophobic. Flores started to pull his weapon up, but Malakai slapped it down.

“Are you insane?” he hissed.

The half-blind ape went over to the wounded one and pulled it up. He lifted it onto his shoulder, all the time staring at Corbin and the others. Then he turned his back, as if daring them to shoot him, before swinging unhurriedly into a tree and climbing away, carrying his fallen comrade.

“Let’s… get… the hell… out of here!” Flores said.

Malakai picked up Corbin’s gun, keeping the barrel carefully pointed to the ground. He reached out a hand to Corbin, who ignored it and scrambled up under his own power. The apes had remained silent. But suddenly from the midst of them came a single screech.

And the rest seemed to explode—the chimps screaming, the gorillas growling threats, the orangutans hooting with what seemed to be derision. But Malakai hardly noticed them. It was their unity, their singleness of purpose that sent prickles down his spine. One glance at Clancy told him that she felt it, as well.

“Yeah,” Corbin said. “We’re out.”

For a long moment, Malakai wondered if that was even an option anymore. But as they backed away, the apes just watched them retreat.

Caesar watched them leave, his heart hammering.

If Koba had killed the man…

He made his way over to where Rocket lay on a huge branch, the bonobo sitting beside him.

Rocket? he asked. Where bullet hit you?

Rocket looked a little embarrassed.

No bullet , he said. Surprised. Missed branch. He indicated his leg. Hurt , he said. Then his arm. Hurt .

Can you travel? Relief welled up in Caesar’s chest.

Not fast , Rocket replied.

Caesar glanced back up at the sky. He still couldn’t hear any helicopters.

We have to go, find new place , he said. They come back with more guns, more machines .

I’ll help him , Koba said.

No , Caesar said, Sam will help him. You lead his band now .

Koba’s eyes went wide.

You made the right choice , Caesar said. You chose Rocket. You chose ape. I am proud .

Koba supplicated.

Apes together, strong , he said.

Apes together, strong , Caesar repeated. Now go. Find thick forest beyond the mountain, away from humans .

Koba nodded. He glanced at Rocket’s band. They fidgeted, but with a look from Caesar they fell in line.

We go , Koba signed, and he moved to leave. The others followed. Soon they were out of sight. Wearily, Caesar went down to organize the move. They all thought they had just won an important victory, but he felt in his bones that they were in more danger than ever. This was only the start.

Phillips met them when they arrived back at the base. He didn’t look happy.

Corbin wasn’t happy either.

“What happened to the air support?” he demanded. “The nets, the traps, the guys who were supposed to put them down after we found them?”

“I’m sure you were informed when it was pulled,” Phillips said. “Plans were changed. We have to be flexible. I had every expectation that you had enough resources to succeed in your mission. To bring back at least one lousy ape.”

“You weren’t there,” Corbin said. “You didn’t see them. If you had let us take in our AR15s we might have had a chance. Or if you called in—”

“The goal is live capture,” Phillips said, interrupting him.

“They’re monsters!”

“They are not,” Clancy said. “They’re amazing.”

“It doesn’t matter what they are,” Phillips said. “For the moment, at least, we’re shut down.”

“Why?” Corbin demanded.

“You don’t need to know that,” Phillips said. “Just stand down and wait for further orders.”

This , Malakai realized, is where they kill us .

The streets were nearly empty as Talia drove toward the hospital. She felt as if she was in a demilitarized zone. Garbage was collecting on sidewalks and streets. Wrecked and abandoned cars littered the freeway. What people she did see were almost shadows, scurrying in the periphery of her vision.

Just for the hell of it, she decided to try a pharmacy. It would be quicker, and as a doctor she could order the meds right there. But when she pulled into to the nearest one, she saw that the windows had been smashed in, and the lights were off. Suddenly feeling in danger, she wheeled out of the parking lot and hurried on toward the hospital.

She found the National Guard turning cars back more than four blocks out. A soldier waved for her to stop, then walked over.

“I’m a doctor,” she told the man, and showed him her ID.

“You can’t drive in,” he said. “There’s a back entrance for doctors. I can walk you there.”

She found a place to park the car, and then walked back to the guardsman, wondering what the hell he meant by “a back entrance.” Soon enough, however, she understood.

The entire block surrounding the hospital had been cordoned off, and guardsmen were busy putting up chain-link fencing. A huge line of people was being herded through an entrance in the fence into a sort of tent city that had sprung up like magic in the seven hours since she had left. Outside, buses were pulling up, from which people disembarked. A lot of them didn’t seem to be doing so willingly, as the guards had to prod them—and in some cases drag them along.