War for the Planet of the Apes: Official Movie Novelization

by Greg Cox

  And now Blue Eyes wanted Caesar to move their people again?

  His family at peace around him, Caesar contemplated the moonlit waters falling ceaselessly before his sleepless gaze. There was a rugged beauty to the falls that he would surely miss should he indeed decide to—

  Three dark shapes, veiled by the falling water, descended past the opening, quickly dropping out of sight.

  Caesar blinked in confusion, not entirely sure what he had just seen. The blurry, indistinct forms had vanished just as quickly as they appeared, before he’d truly had a chance to register their existence. Had it just been a trick of the light and foaming water? Rising warily from the bed without disturbing Cornelia and their child, he slowly approached the wall of water, which appeared normal once again. Caesar briefly dared to hope that his weary eyes had deceived him, but then he spotted something peculiar: a strange thin line hanging down the side of the falls, being whipped about by the cascading water.

  That had never been there before.

  Mystified, Caesar reached uncertainly for the line, then threw caution to the wind and plunged his arm into the icy water and grasped for it. Determined fingers closed on the line and yanked it toward him, away from the cascade. His anxious gaze fell upon a taut length of red nylon rope.

  A climbing rope.

  Understanding dawned, bringing a sudden jolt of fear that chased away the last of his late-night grogginess. Instantly alert, he turned toward his family and saw Blue Eyes stirring. Sitting up, the sleepy chimp peered at his father with bleary eyes. Confusion was written on his face.

  Stay here, Caesar signed urgently. Protect your mother and brother.

  Blue Eyes immediately grasped that the situation was deadly serious. He nodded grimly, even without understanding the nature of the emergency. Caesar regretted that there was no time to explain, but knew that he was needed elsewhere.

  The humans have found us at last. No ape is safe.

  * * *

  Three silent figures moved briskly and efficiently through an unlit corridor in the hidden fortress. The roaring falls, which had helped conceal the apes’ sanctuary for so long, now served to muffle the stealthy tread of the strike force. Their leader smirked in the darkness, appreciating the irony.

  Human see, human do.

  Emerald beams from their rifles’ laser sights swept the mossy granite catacombs before them as the soldiers advanced, seeking their primary target. Encountering no opposition, they came to a fork in the corridor.

  The leader did not hesitate. Undaunted by the dilemma, he signaled the other two soldiers to go left, while he struck out toward the right on his own.

  Eenie, meenie, he thought.

  * * *

  Caesar crept cautiously through the sleeping halls of the fortress, making his way down a narrow, winding passage. He was torn between sounding a general alarm, which might provoke the invaders to abandon stealth and open fire indiscriminately, and trying to ambush the humans before they even knew that their incursion had been detected. At the moment Caesar held the advantage of surprise in that the intruders were unaware that he was hunting them. Perhaps there was still a chance to end the attack before it even commenced?

  Or was he just fooling himself?

  Rounding a corner, he came upon a huge hulking figure. Startled, he jumped backwards in alarm, only to hear a deep, familiar grunt. Luca was standing guard in the corridor, cradling a rifle in his large, meaty arms. The vigilant gorilla peered at Caesar in surprise, no doubt wondering what his leader was doing prowling the fortress at this late hour. His eyes widened beneath his bony brow.

  Caesar! he signed. Is everything all right?

  Caesar shook his head. How many others on patrol?

  Five? The gorilla held up his fingers. Six—?

  Get them! Caesar ordered. Rocket, too!

  * * *

  Cornelia crouched behind several large, mossy rock formations in their family dwelling, her youngest son clinging to her back. Ordinarily, the rocks served as furniture—seats, tables, shelves—but now they shielded her and her sons from whatever menace stalked the sleeping fortress. Straining her ears, she heard no shouting and fighting, but she knew that Caesar would not have instructed Blue Eyes to protect her and little Cornelius unless the danger was both real and serious, which meant only one thing:

  Humans.

  Blue Eyes gestured for Cornelia and the toddler to stay behind him. He clutched a sharp wooden spear as he stood watch over the shadowy cavern, which was lit only by the moonlight coming through the falls—and a bright green beam shining into the dwelling from the corridor outside. Cornelia knew enough of human tools and weapons to recognize the unnatural beam of light and know what it was called.

  A laser.

  The emerald beam was proof that the enemy had penetrated the fortress and was drawing nearer. Crouching between her and the invader, Blue Eyes stared intently at the laser light. His body tensed, coiled to pounce as the eerie green glow spilled into the dwelling, sweeping its interior coldly and methodically. Cornelia’s keen ears picked up low, furtive breathing and footsteps just outside the cave, drawing ever closer and closer…

  For a moment, her memory flashed back to being imprisoned in a human lab many years ago, cowering in her cage, waiting for the scientists to come and conduct their cruel “experiments” on her. She felt just as trapped and frightened now—except that now she had to fear for her children’s safety as well.

  Both my sons are in danger.

  Blue Eyes sprang forward as a shadowy figure violated the sanctity of their home. Cornelia reached back and covered Cornelius’s eyes as a brief, violent scuffle played out in the murky cave, silhouetted against the moonlit falls. The green light darted chaotically across the walls, threatening to blind her if it came her way. Inarticulate grunts and groans disturbed the nocturnal stillness. Her nose wrinkled at the stink of freshly spilled blood.

  Human blood.

  Blue Eyes stood, panting, over the body of his victim: a dark-haired human female wearing a damp military uniform. Smeared camo makeup hid her face. AΩ was tattooed on her hairless neck. An automatic rifle lay upon the floor of the cavern, just beyond reach of her limp, unmoving fingers. Bright arterial blood seeped from a deep wound above her heart—and dripped from the point of Blue Eyes’ spear.

  One human dead, Cornelia thought, but how many more are there?

  She was appalled by the violence, but relieved that it was Blue Eyes who was standing over the dead human and not the other way around. Grateful for his protection, she looked proudly upon her firstborn—even as another green laser beam targeted the back of his head.

  No! she opened her mouth to scream. Not my child!

  * * *

  The soldier stalked the dark, narrow corridor, the beam from his laser sight lighting his way through the pitch-black tunnel. Glancing about apprehensively, he whispered into his headset:

  “Nothing down here, Colonel. Any sign of him?”

  In the darkened passage, it was almost impossible for him to see what was right ahead or might be coming up behind him. Waiting anxiously for an update from his commander, the soldier failed to notice a wiry gray shape emerge from the deep shadows behind him and creep toward the unsuspecting human.

  “Colonel—?”

  Powerful hands, many times stronger than any human’s, grabbed the soldier from behind and smashed him into a granite wall as easily as if he were a rag doll. Flesh and bone crunched against the unyielding stone. Silenced muzzle flashes strobed the corridor as his finger involuntarily pulled the trigger in a terminal spasm. The rifle flared only briefly before darkness reclaimed the passageway, even as the lifeless soldier landed in a heap upon the floor. Blood stained the wall where his head had collided with solid rock.

  Flickering torchlight entered the hall, falling upon Rocket as the triumphant chimpanzee reached down to retrieve the dead soldier’s rifle. He looked up at Caesar and Luca as they arrived. The gorilla walked behind Caesar, be
aring the torch. Caesar was impressed and relieved by how quickly Rocket had dispatched that soldier, but his friend looked more worried than excited about his kill.

  I heard him talking, Rocket signed and pointed to the body. The Colonel… he’s here!

  Caesar’s eyes went wide. Taking the torch from Luca, he came forward to take a closer look at the dead human. The light from the torch revealed that the body belonged to Travis, one of the soldiers whose lives Caesar had spared before. He was the agitated, excitable one, Caesar remembered, although the man’s lifeless face no longer displayed any feelings at all. Caesar frowned, realizing that his moment of mercy had only granted Travis a few more hours of life—and possibly endangered them all.

  How did they find us? Caesar wondered. I was certain we weren’t followed.

  Static crackled and a gruff voice escaped the dead man’s headset:

  “I got him, soldier—”

  Caesar snatched the dislodged headset and held it to his ear.

  “I got him,” the voice repeated. “Let’s go.”

  Caesar listened to the transmission with mounting horror. He knew that there could be only one “him” that the soldiers were after.

  Me, he realized. They came for me.

  But if they “got” another ape by mistake, that could only mean…

  My family!

  Panicked, Caesar let go of the torch and bounded through the fortress, practically bouncing off the walls, leaving Rocket and Luca behind in his desperate haste to get back to his cave even as he feared that he was already too late.

  I should have never left them alone!

  He burst into his dwelling just in time to see a solitary figure fish the red nylon rope from the waterfall and start to clip it to an anchor on his belt. Silhouetted against the moonlit cascade, he turned toward Caesar at the sound of the ape’s approach. For the first time, Caesar laid eyes upon the humans’ infamous leader.

  The Colonel.

  He presented a nightmarish figure in the underlit gloom of the violated dwelling. Shocks of greasy camo paint darkened his features, beneath a shaved skull that was even balder than Rocket’s. A sandy-brown beard made up for his hairless head, while pitiless azure eyes were ringed by painted black shadows. His military fatigues were still damp from his climb down by the waterfall earlier. A rifle was slung over his shoulder.

  The man’s eyes widened at the sight of Caesar, and his gaze darted away from Caesar to something on the floor. The ape tracked his gaze to discover—

  Blue Eyes sprawled lifelessly, a bullet wound in the back of his skull, not far from the body of a dead human soldier. Cornelia lay beside him, a bright red circle between her eyes. That both were beyond saving was painfully, horribly obvious.

  His wife… his son… were gone.

  Time froze for a moment as Caesar’s entire world came crashing down on top of him. He reeled unsteadily, every muscle going weak, until he lifted his eyes to see the Colonel still standing there, only a few yards away from his victims.

  Fury gripped Caesar. Baring his fangs, he growled at the murderer, who hastily swung his gun off his shoulder. Self-preservation drove Caesar to dive for cover behind the nearest large rocks just as the Colonel opened fire. The rifle’s muzzle flared brightly and bullets chipped away at the stones protecting Caesar, who feared that it wouldn’t be long before his shelter gave out.

  But the furious roar of many apes rushing toward the dwelling convinced the Colonel that a strategic retreat was in order. Backing toward the falls, he shouted into his headset.

  “Get me out! Now!”

  Turning away from Caesar, the Colonel leapt straight through the waterfall into the open air beyond. Daring to lift his head above the rocks, Caesar spied the human dangling on the other side of the falls, barely discernible through the frothing cascade of water. He watched in dismay as the Colonel held on tightly to the nylon rope as he was pulled upward away from the cave opening.

  No!

  Caesar sprang from cover to charge after the Colonel, as apes poured into the dwelling, too late. He barreled past the other apes, including Rocket and Luca, who watched in shock as Caesar flung himself into the falls after the Colonel.

  You can’t escape me! I won’t allow it!

  Intent on revenge, he barely noticed the cold water striking him as he plunged through the falls, hundreds of feet above the churning river far below. His flailing hands grabbed onto the rope, which swung wildly beneath his weight. Holding onto the cable for dear life, he peered up at the Colonel, who was already high above him as he ascended toward the top of the falls. The sudden jerking of the rope alerted the Colonel, who looked down to see Caesar furiously climbing toward him.

  You murdered my family! Your life is over!

  Seemingly unfazed by the alarming sight of a vengeful ape coming at him, the Colonel drew a carbon-steel combat knife from his boot and scowled at Caesar, who scrambled up the rope as only an ape could until he was almost within reach of the human. He bared his teeth and gums, wanting nothing more than to tear the Colonel apart with his bare hands.

  He never got the chance, however, as the Colonel’s knife sliced through the shrinking length of rope between them, cutting Caesar loose. He plummeted toward the water far below, reaching fruitlessly for his enemy even as he fell.

  He hit the water hard, the impact knocking the breath from him, and sank below the foam into the river. The sudden immersion came as a jolt and he kicked and splashed frantically back toward the surface. Gasping for breath, his head broke through the surface of the water as he frantically searched for the murderer. Despair and frustration clawed at his heart as, through the cold, clammy mist, he spied the Colonel disappearing over the top of the cliff, hundreds of feet beyond Caesar’s reach.

  The killer had escaped.

  For now, Caesar thought bitterly. Only for now.

  6

  Caesar watched in silence as the bodies of Cornelia and Blue Eyes were lifted from the blood-stained stone floor, along with the body of the dead human female, whose remains were treated with considerably less reverence. Still soaked from the plunge into the river, he sat motionless, sinking into a whirlpool of grief and rage, as his murdered wife and firstborn were carted away by hushed, attentive apes. His closest friends—Luca, Rocket, and Maurice—stood beside him in this time of tragedy, but Caesar was too overcome by emotion to even acknowledge their presence. Only the volcanic intensity of his gaze hinted at the all-consuming fury growing inside him. His heart felt as hard and deadly as the bullets that had killed his loved ones.

  How did they find us? Rocket signed to Luca. How did they know where Caesar slept?

  Luca shook his head in bewilderment as he replied. Only apes knew.

  Two young gorillas entered the dwelling and reported to Luca, who as leader of the gorilla guards was in charge of the fortress’s security. The apes shot worried glances at Caesar as they delivered ominous tidings.

  Winter was not at his post, one of them signed. We can’t find him anywhere.

  Caesar followed the discussion intently but remained as still as stone. Luca and Maurice exchanged worried looks as an unthinkable possibility was forced upon them.

  Could he have turned against us? Maurice signed.

  Caesar recalled the white gorilla’s obvious fear and distress earlier, when faced with the possibility of being hunted down by the Colonel and his soldiers. It was possible, he supposed, that Winter was merely a deserter, fleeing the fortress to seek safety elsewhere, but then how did the humans find the apes’ hidden fortress—and know where to look for Caesar? As Luca had just observed, only an ape could have given away that secret.

  And Winter was missing.

  Suspicion hardened into certainty as Caesar found yet another target for his wrath. Luca must have arrived at the same conclusion, for he turned to Caesar with a look of profound remorse upon his broad, heavy countenance.

  I’m sorry, Caesar, he signed. Winter was in my command.

&nbs
p; Caesar said nothing, but did not blame Luca for Winter’s apparent perfidy. He knew what it was like to be betrayed by an ape you trusted. He had not seen Koba’s treachery coming, despite too many warning signs.

  “My youngest,” Caesar asked finally. “Where is he?”

  He dreaded hearing that Cornelius had perished as well, although it was hard to imagine that the toddler had survived where his mother and older brother had not. Then again, the Colonel had been after a full-grown chimpanzee, not a toddler. Was it possible that Cornelius had been overlooked by the assassin?

  They’re still looking for him, Luca signed.

  For him or for his body? Caesar thought. He looked away from Luca, not wanting to know what the mournful silverback meant. He wasn’t sure he could bear losing his other son as well.

  Let’s help them look, Maurice suggested to the others.

  Caesar assumed the orangutan wanted to give him a chance to grieve for his loved ones in privacy. He appreciated the gesture as Maurice herded the others out of the cave, leaving Caesar alone with his sorrow.

  And his anger.

  Caesar waited for tears to come, but his desire for revenge burned too hot to allow for weeping. His seething gaze traveled to the spot where he had found Blue Eyes and Cornelia lying dead upon the rough, cold floor. Their spilled blood had seeped into the porous stone, leaving the stain of murder upon it. Blue Eyes’ spear still lay upon the floor not far from where his body had rested. Its bloody tip declared that Blue Eyes had died trying to protect his family, but this was cold comfort to his father. Stirring at last, Caesar found himself drawn to the site. He staggered toward it as though in a trance.

  Two brass bullet casings gleamed in the moonlight. Caesar crouched to inspect them, unable to look away from the evidence. The shells were physical proof of what had happened, forcing him to face the fact that this was not merely another nightmare from which he would soon wake to find his family still alive and intact. Cornelia and Blue Eyes were not just sleeping while he darkly dreamed of war and betrayal; they were truly gone for good.