Frank backed up as far as he could from the steps.
“Frank,” Hal whispered. “What are you doing?”
“Going up there and getting Rufus.”
“Are you nuts, they’ll get you.”
“No, they won’t. I run too fast.”
“Lest you forget big brother, you may run fifty five miles an hour, but so do they!” Hal said.
“Oh, that’s right. But … I’m good, they won’t get me. Or at least they won’t get me coming out of the hatch. Stay here.” He pulled out his revolver with LEP ammo and charged forward at full speed up the stairs.
“Son of a bitch,” Hal saw Robbie run for the box. “What are you doing?”
Robbie loaded a weapon. “We can’t let him out there by himself. By staying here, we’re sitting ducks and cornered.”
“Toss me a weapon.”
Frank was fast. He was so fast, that they missed him as he came from the hatch. He knew with the trees and the rough terrain from the remaining ruins of Bowman that the horse couldn’t move quickly, so Frank did, assessing the situation as he ran.
Hal was in the ballpark. He spotted six horses. Two of which were abandoned while their riders carried Chaka toward a horse drawn cart.
Another Hubra was at the cart, he could see Rufus, laying in the cart, not moving.
His plan was to lead the other two Hubra on horseback away from the hatch, even if it meant running by Rufus and leading them away. He had to keep his brothers safe. He’d find a way to help the boy after he knew Hal and Robbie weren’t in danger.
They pursued him fervently, wielding nets and lassoing them in the air ready to toss it at him. He had a lead, not much, and one of the horses neared him. He felt the brush of the net against his back, what Frank didn’t expect was the jolt of electricity that accompanied it.
Frank had been shocked many times and was able to handle the voltage. This one was different. It paralyzed him for a second, causing his knees to buckle. He knew he was a split second from feeling that net again. Just as he caught himself from falling to the ground, he spun around, extended his weapon and fired right as the Hubra raised the netting. The LEP ammo landed in his chest, sailing the Hubra from the horse.
The animal lifted on its hind legs and turned to run the other way.
That was when Frank saw Hal.
He and Robbie had emerged from the hatch. Even more so now, Frank had to keep moving to lead the remaining Hubra away.
Hal eyed the stray horse and smile. “I got this. I’ll get him. We can follow Frank on horseback. Stay here.” He moved in the path of the frightened animal, holding up his hands, hoping to stop him or grab the reins.
The horse slowed down and danced in circles around Hal.
“Easy, easy.” Hal reached for him. He took hold of the leather strap. “That’s it.” Hal quickly mounted the horse. “Robbie let’s …” Hal paused.
Everything paused when the sound of a tusk trumpet rang out.
“Oh, you have got to be shitting me.” He pulled the reigns, turning the horse to go and get Robbie when he saw the Segs coming from the forest. “Robbie!”
There wasn’t that much of a distance between them, maybe fifty feet and Robbie ran toward Hal.
A few steps into his run, a thick arrow, almost spear size sailed down and into and through Robbie’s thigh. It took him by surprise and he stumbled forward. Before he could hit the ground, a Seg on horseback, tossed a net over Robbie, capturing him.
The Seg never missed a beat or slowed down, with Robbie entangled in that net, he rose onward, dragging Robbie with him.
With a snap of the bridle, Hal pursued the Seg that had his brother.
The chase of Frank seemed to instantly freeze with the sound of the tusk trumpet, everything happened so fast. He saw Robbie take that arrow and get captured and even though Hal was riding close behind, Frank changed his direction and raced after Robbie as well.
In the wooded area, Frank was nearly as fast as the horse.
“Don’t let him out of your sight, Hal!” Frank yelled.
Hal briefly looked over his shoulder when he heard Frank holler. Robbie was far ahead. A bloody path formed and Robbie struggled to get free of the net. He snapped the reins hard to pick up speed, then reached into his front pocket.
“I got this, Frank!” Hal yelled. “I got him! Get safe, Get home!”
When he was within a few feet, Hal turned on the horse and leapt landing at Robbie’s feet. He slammed hard into the ground, taking his breath away, but Hal gripped as best as he could to Robbie and the netting with one arm. His legs dragged against the rough ground and he could feel that grip quickly letting go. “We’re out of here, Robbie. I got you.” He clutched as best as he could to Robbie’s leg and with the pendant in his other hand, he looked once more back to Frank.
Gone.
They were gone.
Frank breathed out in relief. Their sudden disappearance scared the Segs and shrieking they scrambled in a different direction.
He found it funny and even laughed. He was so focused on his brothers, that for a brief moment, Frank lost focus on his own well being.
He felt the shock hit him again, his body jolted.
Fuck! He screamed in his mind, spun around ready to fire his weapon.
Frank was strong enough to take a shot of electricity and recover, however, whatever they used to clobber him from behind took him by surprise.
They struck him hard in the back of the head.
His ears rang and everything went blurry before it went black and he was out.
Frank went down.
TWENTY-THREE – BEGINNINGS
Joe griped about a lot of things that Danny Hoi brought back. The internet, coffee shops, movie theaters, cell phones, and social media. The apocalypse didn’t need that. One thing he didn’t mind was the return of the newspaper. The Hoi Times was something Joe looked forward to, even though it was only a couple times a week.
He sat in his favorite chair, a fresh cup of coffee next to him, reading the Hoi Times. He glanced up when he heard Andrea humming.
She was fixing her earring as she strolled through the living room and then stopped. “Joe,” she said in shock.
“Andrea.”
“You’re here.”
“I am. I live here.”
“But I mean, here in the living room right now,” she said.
“I was on the porch, but then Dean stole my coffee. I came in to get more and decided to read my paper. There’s a fresh pot. See how nice I am.”
“You are so sweet.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You did this all for our anniversary.”
Joe looked up.
“You remembered.”
“No Andrea, I didn’t. Anniversary of what?”
“The anniversary of our first date.”
“Oh, Christ Andrea, who the hell keeps track of that stuff.” Joe returned to his paper.
“But you’re here. At seven in the morning.”
“I am here.”
“You’re not working.”
“No, I’m trying to read the paper and ignore the growling in my stomach.”
“Are you sick?”
“Yes,” Joe flipped a page. “Sick of Beginnings.”
“Oh, Joe.”
“Nope, no, oh Joe, me. I had a rough day yesterday and will not deal with the craziness of it again. I need a break. I’m taking the day off.”
“Well, you deserve it.”
“Thank you.”
“Would you like me to make you eggs.”
“Actually yes, thank you that would be great.”
“Wonderful. I’ll make breakfast and we can have a meal together. Don’t go anywhere.”
“I don’t plan on it.” Joe watched her leave then lifted the paper, speaking on a low voice to himself. “I don’t plan on going anywhere today. I need a day without any insanity.”
Flash.
Buzz.
Joe looked up from his paper when the r
oom lit up and landing center of his living room floor with a loud bang were his sons.
Hal was holding on to Robbie, he was trapped in some sort of thick, foul smelling net.
Joe stood up in shock.
“Joe, would scrambled eggs be …” Andrea entered the living room. “Oh, Hal, Robbie, glad you dropped by. How nice. I’ll make more eggs.” She turned and walked back out.
Joe rushed over. Hal was dirty. His face and arms covered with abrasions. They both worked to free Robbie. “Oh my God. Are you alright?”
Hal nodded. “Bruised and sore, but fine.”
Reaching down, Joe paused when he saw the arrow in Robbie’s leg. “Robbie, are you …”
“Fine.” Robbie grunted as he struggled from the net. “My ass hurts from being dragged.” He nodded at the arrow. “I may need help getting that out.”
“I’ll call Dean or Jason. We’ll get you to the clinic. But I need to know…” Joe looked at his sons. “Where’s Frank?”
TWENTY-FOUR – POLW
The pain of the head injury didn’t wake up Frank. He didn’t have any, he healed quickly and wouldn’t have been unconscious long had they not hit him with some sort of tranquilizer. He was knocked out for a minute, opened his eyes, found himself in the cart with Chaka and Rufus, and as soon as he started to fight, they shot something in his arm.
He was out again.
An odor, much like ammonia woke him up. For all joking Frank did about the Planet of the Apes and comparing the future with it, he wasn’t pleased to see he was actually living it. The only positive thing was he knew the mistakes made in the film. What did Chuck Heston do that he could do different or the same.
He sat up, finding himself in a cage with saw dust and hay on the ground for a bed. Thick metal bars blocked him in.
Frank had been tossed in the cage, like an animal. But he expected that. As he lifted his head, he felt the translator fall from his ear.
Yes, he thought. They didn’t find it. He secured it again and sat up.
Rufus was near the bars, sitting in a crouched manner. He must have heard Frank, because he looked over his shoulder.
“You okay?” Frank asked.
Rufus looked panicked. He immediately placed his hands over his own mouth to tell Frank to be quiet.
“Oh, I don’t fucking care. But … staying silent could be useful. Thanks.” He winked.
Rufus held up a bowl of water to Frank.
Frank shook his head. He didn’t see any LEPS, his captors obviously weren’t around. Stepping forward he neared the bars of the cage and looked down. There were two square trench like bowls. One had water, the other had remnants of food.
“I’ll get us out of here,” Frank whispered.
Panicking again, Rufus covered his own mouth and shook his head.
“I know. I know. No one’s here.” Frank grabbed the bars, they were firm and he didn’t see where the locking mechanism was. “At least my brothers are safe and back home. Chaka will get us out. If not … I’m out of here. I’ll take you with me. Man, I’m like Charlton Heston and you are my Nova.” He looked around. It reminded him a lot of an animal rescue. Everything concrete, the lighting was bright. Most of the cages had someone in them. It was in the cage caddy corner form his that Frank saw Harry.
“You …” Frank pointed. “Are so fucking done when I get out of here. Done. I’m opening all these cages, but yours. Stuck. Yeah.” Frank pointed. “Fuck you for turning on a fellow man.”
Rufus kept grabbing his arm.
“What!” Frank blasted. “I know. No talking. I won’t … yet.”
He heard a buzz, followed by a shifting sound and voices. They were coming. That was the nearest he could figure. Frank wanted to watch, he needed to get out, plan his escape and the best way to do that was stay silent and learn the way the operated.
He only caught a glimpse of them when they walked in, they headed straight down another row of cages.
“Good morning all,” the female voice spoke upbeat and cheerful.
“You are always so nice to them,” the male said.
“They can’t help what they are. I need Costco today.”
“Which one is Costco. I go by numbers.”
“Twelve and you know I don’t.” She then upped her voice as if talking to a baby. “There you are. How are you today? Are you ready to be groomed?”
“Groomed? Not medical?” he asked.
“Not today. Here, Costco, yes, a treat.”
“Watch your hand,” he told her. “They bite.”
“If you are gentle so are they.”
Frank listened, getting clues and hints to try to be what they needed so he could gain their trust. Unlike Taylor in the Planet of the Apes. Frank always thought he pulled a stupid move, talking or trying to, showing his hand early.
He listened as they opened the cage. He heard a squeak, obviously it swung open, that was good.
“Okay, calm down,” she said. “Calm. Calm.”
Her partner shouted, “Hadda! Get in here and help. Now!”
“Easy with him, Pike,” she said. “Don’t hurt him.”
“They’re animals, Dr. Vesna. Treat them like that.”
There was mumbling and scuffling, Frank couldn’t make out what it was. Then he heard them coming. When he saw them walk around the bend, it took everything in his power not to laugh. The female was slightly smaller, dressed pretty nice and wearing a white lab coat. It was clear she was female and it was the first LEP that Frank ever saw that had hair. She wore it long and to her shoulders. Pike was dressed exactly like Chaka was when Chaka arrived in Beginnings.
“There are the new ones from last night,” Pike said. “Some we got from a Primal camp. They attacked. We only took one, the elder Primal because he said strangers from the stars were in the sacred city with a feral young Primal.”
She laughed. “From the stars?”
“I laughed, too. Until …” he pointed at Frank.
She cocked back in surprise when she saw Frank. Then her eyes shifted to Rufus. “Feral or not, you know I don’t like the young ones in with the older ones. The older Primals tend to try to mate with them.”
Frank instinctively produced such a dramatic look of disgust that it caught her attention and she snapped a look at him.
Quickly, he changed to a blank expression.
“There is something different about him,” she inched to the cage.
“His clothing is odd.”
“He looks harmless.”
Frank gave a puppy dog look and tilted his head.
“Oh, how sweet,” she said.
“Sweet? No. He fought and killed one of our Hubra.”
“If he did that, why is he in here.”
“We believe he found an ancient banned weapon in the sacred city and it went off. There is no way he’d know how to use it.”
“True. He’s just so different.”
“So was the Hubra with them, we think a bounty rebel.”
“Segavas?”
“He claims to be from here, but no one knows him and he was wearing bright color clothing. He’s detained now. He is very civilized but we believe he is a bounty.”
“You said Primals from stars, where there other like him?” she pointed to Frank.
“Two others. They … they vanished.”
“Vanished?”
“Vanished,” Pike said. “Gone.”
“Oh, nonsense,” A snobbish sounding male voice entered the conversation and walked forward. He, too wore a lab coat. “The sacred city has caverns all under. They probably fell into one and the simpleton Segavas claimed magic and ran. Hello, Dr. Vesna.”
“Doctor Hoota,” she said coldly.
Doctors? Frank thought. How the fuck did these things become doctors.
It was getting harder to stay silent.
“What brings you here?” she asked.
“I came to collect Pike. I need help removing some specimens from my lab. And also, to give you
the heads up. Senator Wa, is coming by. Like me he will be curious as to why you have so many Primals using our resources. Why are they not being groomed or taken for exhibition and experiment?”
She winced. “You know I don’t believe in that.”
“You’re protecting them.”
“They are my work.”
“They are animals.”
“They are still living beings. And look some are different, look at him.” She pointed to Frank.
“He looks like every other Primal.”
I do not!
“He does not.”
Thank you.
“Yes, he dresses different. What if he is from a more intelligent tribe, one we don’t know about? ”
Dr. Hoota laughed. “An intelligent Primal? They are not intelligent.”
Hey now.
“You know my theory on this. Look at this one.”
Frank stepped closer to the bars.
“it seems like he understands us,” she said. “look at him.”
“He’s hideous.”
Fuck.
“Put aside his repulsive appearance.
I’m getting a complex here.
“Put that aside and look at his eyes,” she said.
Frank blinked several times and widened his eyes.
“See. See. There seems to be depth. Like a soul in there.”
“Ha!” Doctor Hoota scoffed. “Primals have no souls. You know this. God gave only Hubra souls when he made Hubra in his image.”
“I am a Hubra of science. I don’t subscribe to that.”
“You better. It is our law as written in the sacred scrolls.”
Wait. I heard this conversation before.
She argued. “Sacred scrolls are written by Hubra. You want to speak about sacred. In the sacred city, there is—"
“If you say that you have been there I will be forced to turn you into counsel. You know the only Hubra permitted on those grounds are soldiers.”
You dick.
Dr. Hoota flung out his hand. “Now I suggest you quit wasting the resources of counsel, send a few of these creatures off. And you might want to send this one…” He pointed at Frank. “To the museum. As hideous as he is, he will make a great exhibit. Excuse me. Come along, Pike.”
Escape the Planet of the LEPS: Beginnings Series Book 28 Page 11
