New chapter.
CHAPTER FIVE:
Outbreak
It didn't take long for the chemical to permeate the ape enclosures. It didn't take long for it to take effect, to take permanent hold. It increased the ape's intelligences to human levels, if not surpassing it.
And they became angry. Very angry. As they realized just how deplorable their living conditions were, just how poor their treatment was, just how much abuse they've endured. They were disconsolate with rage.
And, honestly, could you blame them for their ire?
Julius had escaped his enclosure, for the final time. He had released Maestro from his, who strolled and knuckle-walked in an almost sedate, thoughtful way. The world was open for him, and he deferred to Julius as a leader, acting almost as an advisor or mentor. The Julius released Brutus, and he quick reined him in. Brutus deferred to Julius's authority, but he could barely contain his anger. His anger at the indignity of what he had to go through.
Then they went through the cages and released the other apes, who had similarly augmented intelligences. Julius had made himself a small army of seventy apes. Seventy apes in such deplorable conditions. Many of which were not known to regulatory body (who was allegedly was bribed to look the other way on this in such a way where they could claim plausible deniability, even though it was not plausible but rather ludicrous).
The night guard, however, should not be so flippant with his job, so lax with doing with his job. He had the door opened and unlocked, and he was actually sleeping on the job. He wasn't a small man, either. He was a big, thick-bodied with beady eyes, bald head, poorly shaven face, and puffy cheeks.
He was the only person in the place during this time of night. And it was quite unfortunate for him. As Julius's forces did not hesitate, and he lost his life this night. All this, and minimum wage, too.
***
"Are you serious?" YeerkSalad asked. "That's like 'Planet of the Apes'."
"Art often imitates reality," Cloak said, thoughtfully, "and sometimes reality imitates art."
"You chose one heck of a time to be a philosopher," GH teased.
They had returned from the field when they were unable to locate any more Xenocytes. This caused Cloak some silent disquiet, as he knew that there was bound to be more. He knew that they came from the planet Augstaka, used by the xenocidal Atasians (under the moniker of Highbreed) to try and take others out with him as they died out, due to their view of racial purity. They had since been forced out of such beliefs when their DNA were infused with DNA from the Codon Stream. At least, that's how it worked in the other realm. Maybe that wasn't the case here.
Still, Cloak had a sneaking suspicion that the Atasians (or Highbreed, if you would) had no idea about the existence of Xenocytes on Earth. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was a certain antagonistic octogenarian Realm Walker was actually responsible.
"This is most certainly our jurisdiction," Parker said, critically analytical, "as those primates have had . . . well, something done to them. They were smarter than ordinary monkeys."
"Don't call them monkeys," Cloak said, "they don't have tails."
"What?"
"Monkeys have tails, apes do not," Cloak said. "Stop using the two words interchangeably."
"Why are we quibbling about this?" GH asked, unusually serious, as if this reminded him of something unpleasant. "Those apes just killed someone, and I doubt that they'll stop at that just one. We need to
focus here."
