Commandadmin: Created page with "{{TplGEMPChapter|title=Chapter 5|chapter text=Chapter 5

It was 1:39 am and Kelly couldn’t sleep. Neither Steve nor Kelly felt like talking when they got back to their room. They checked in on Oscar, who was fast asleep and dreaming. Both washed up, ate a quick meal from the pantry and went to bed. Then, she just woke up. “Steve, you awake?”
Steve snoozed softly while drooling on his pillow.
“Steve! You awake?”
Steve rolled over. “Not yet...."

2025-01-24T21:26:11Z

Created page with "{{TplGEMPChapter|title=Chapter 5|chapter text=Chapter 5 It was 1:39 am and Kelly couldn’t sleep. Neither Steve nor Kelly felt like talking when they got back to their room. They checked in on Oscar, who was fast asleep and dreaming. Both washed up, ate a quick meal from the pantry and went to bed. Then, she just woke up. “Steve, you awake?” Steve snoozed softly while drooling on his pillow. “Steve! You awake?” Steve rolled over. “Not yet...."

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{{TplGEMPChapter|title=Chapter 5|chapter text=Chapter 5 
 
It was 1:39 am and Kelly couldn’t sleep. Neither Steve nor Kelly felt like talking when they got back to their room. They checked in on Oscar, who was fast asleep and dreaming. Both washed up, ate a quick meal from the pantry and went to bed. Then, she just woke up. “Steve, you awake?” 
Steve snoozed softly while drooling on his pillow. 
“Steve! You awake?” 
Steve rolled over. “Not yet. Why?” 
“Because I can’t sleep.” 
With his back still facing Kelly he said, “And you want me to share in your insomnia?” 
“No, well . . . no . . . yes. I do.” 
Steve yawned and rolled back over. 
“What are we going to do about the Gemps?” 
“Which ones?” 
“Both.” 
Steve took a deep breath. This was going to be a long night. “Kelly. Government property, remember? I don’t like it either, but we both signed the dotted line. Uncle Sam is paying for our retirement.” 
“But they are alive. They think for God’s sake. They think and have emotions.” 
“I know, but I don’t think Ken meant Mos’ group would be killed.” 
“That’s not how I heard him.” 
“Ken said the wild Gemps are an evolutionary dead-end. He said no such thing about Mos’.” 
“Steve, that’s the point. One group gets killed . . .” 
“Maybe. We don’t know the big picture.” 
“Okay, one group may get killed and the other something. What’s the something? Research? Medical experiments. Zoos?” 
Steve thought a moment. ‘Zoos.’ Very illogical, but who blames the Government for thinking logically? “I think there really is something bigger going on here, but I’m too sleepy to talk about it. Just a few more hours . . . of . . .” and he started snoozing again.
Kelly watched him. “Should she be mad? She gave the thought a few minutes to germinate. Yes, she should be. He fell asleep while they were talking. She thought she should give him the silent treatment in the morning and have him wonder what he did wrong all day. Men! Never quite understanding what is important. 
 
*** 
 
Steve woke up with a start. He dreamt he was talking to Kelly in the middle of the night and fell asleep while they were talking. He shook the fogginess from his head. It was just a dream he eventually convinced himself. Steve stretched, yawned, and got up. It was 5:30 am. The morning briefing would be in another four hours, so he decided a quick wash up and a trip to the base gym, before breakfast, would be a good thing. When he got there Kelly was already working a Stairmaster. He walked up to an empty station next to Kelly. He climbed up and leaned in to say ‘morning’. 
Kelly saw when Steve walked in. He spotted her, smiled, and stopped at a station next to her’s. She pretended not to notice him. When he leaned in to say ‘hi’ she looked away casually. 
Steve tapped Kelly on the shoulder. 
She turned, said, “Morning,” then looked away again. 
Realization hit Steve. It wasn’t a dream. He’d known Kelly long enough to know that she’d find an in to tell him what he did wrong. He sighed deeply, placed the earplugs attached to his smartphone into his ears and started exercising. 
 
*** 
 
Oscar had left that morning early. He had an agenda. His destination would be the Gemps. It was worked out. He’d seen it on Television many times. He watched some of the male soldiers use it on the female soldiers and civilians. PFC Haynes greeted him at one of the secured entrance into the Gemp camp. This entrance was made especially for him. 
“Greetings Oscar,” the young private said. 
Oscar gave him a toothy smile. 
Haynes checked today’s activity. “Oscar, I don’t see an authorized schedule outing today.” 
Oscar signed, “Special assignment. Very important.” 
The young man eyed Oscar, “Is that so? Is this something I can mention to Dr. Launse when I see him?” 
Oscar hooted a few times. He worked his mouth as if he were talking to Haynes. Then he produced an L-Ration card. Steve had about three years’ worth stockpiled in his office. It was meant to be used on the mainland. 
Haynes smiled. The last L-Ration card Oscar gave him had about three hundred dollars on it. The card disappeared somewhere in the Private’s pants pocket. He simply said, “I’ll let Reynolds know you are out. Treat him well, too.” 
Oscar raised the fingertips of an open right hand to his lips and he gently moved them away as if blowing a kiss. In a way, it was just that. This was more than a thank you if it worked. 
 
The path to the village was long. It usually took about 30 minutes if he wasn’t in a hurry. When he emerged from the hidden passageway the Sun had just started to rise. It was another fifteen minutes’ walk to the village. Oscar had decided he would approach Hela, first. Whenever he was in the village she seemed to pay more attention to him. She was also the most attentive student he had whenever he taught them new signs. As a backup plan, he brought chocolate. He quickened his pace and made it to the village fringe in less than five minutes. He slowly approached Hela’s shelter. Stepping around to the entrance he quickly peered inside. Empty. 
She had to be down by the river. 
He causally walked the short distance and found her with Feme. Both had found fruit and were washing it for an early meal. 
 
Feme heard the break of twigs first. She turned thinking it would be Tutu and one of the other Gemps. She tapped Hela when she saw the Elder. Both giggled as the Elder slowly made his way toward them. 
Oscar signed, “Children. Morning. Good to see pretty Hela and Feme.” 
Both signed and said, “Elder. We are surprised to see you.” 
Oscar replied, “Really? God sent me to check on his children.” 
Hela and Feme excitedly ran up to Oscar. 
Feme signed, “Elder, it was frightening last night. The sky flashed bright many times followed by loud boom sounds.” 
Hela followed with, “And Mos ran into the village. He said God made the light and sound.” 
Oscar signed, “And Tutu did not believe him.” 
“Elder!” Hela said. “How did you know?” 
“God sent me to check on his children.” 
The two Gemps were excited. They giggled. “Elder, you must tell the village.” 
Oscar signed, “Stop. Not yet. Elder wants to talk to both of you.” 
The two settled down. “Yes, Elder?” Feme said. 
“The Elder favors you two.” 
They blushed. 
“You have a special place in Elder’s heart.” 
They giggled and leaned into one another. 
“Elder would like to show how much he favors Hela and Feme. Will you let me show you?” 
Hela asked, “How, Elder?” 
“May I touch you in a special place?” 
They blinked. 
“Come. Let’s not wake the others yet. Let us go into Hela’s shelter. Just the three of us.” 
They hesitated. “Are you going to hurt us like Tutu and Gitu?” 
Oscar shook his head. “Elder favors the two and will be kind. He has a treat.” Two pieces of chocolate appeared in his hand. He finger spelt, “C H O C O L A T E.” He motioned for them to eat it. 
Each Gemp took a piece. They sniffed and lightly licked at the heart shaped milk chocolate pieces. Each piece was as big as a thumb. 
Hela pronounced, “Choke O Late?” 
Oscar bit into air and signed, “Bite. Surprise inside.” 
Feme bit first. Her eyes widened and she savored the sweet innards. She sucked in the gooey cherry gel leaving the heart empty. 
Hela watched Feme. It must be good she thought and took a bite. The cherry flavor mixed in with the milk chocolate coating burst into her mouth. She looked at Oscar, who was staring intently at her, and wanted another. The deliciously gooey filling coated her teeth and tongue and made her salivate. 
Both signed, “More, please. May I have another?” 
Oscar smiled, “Elder wants to favor Feme and Hela. We go to Hela shelter. Oscar has appetite for pretty Feme and Hela.” 
The two blushed and still licking their lips walked, without a word back into the village. Everyone was still asleep, which was good. They walked passed Kiri’s shelter and heard what sounded like Mos’ voice. They knew what he was doing. He favored Kiri. Now Elder was going to favor them and both became excited. The Elder was going to give them more chocolate. As they reached Hela’s Shelter, both Gemps looked at each other and nodded. Elder knew God and he had chocolate, too. 
 
*** 
 
Steve set his tray of fruit, toast, and Greek yogurt next to Kelly. 
She was eating a bagel. A half empty cup of coffee was in her hands. She stared blankly at a wall behind Steve. 
“Kelly, I’m sorry. I was so tired, I . . .” 
“. . . asleep while we were talking.” 
“It was one something in the morning.” 
“1:39 am . . . and you fell asleep. This was important.” 
Steve knew it was fruitless to argue. He would never win this battle. It wasn’t worth the mental ammo. “Kelly, I am sorry. Really. I’m awake now.” 
“The moment passed,” She said. 
Steve sighed. 
The two ate in silence. 
A few minutes later Grenier walked into the cafeteria, spotted Steve and Kelly. He hurried over to the two with an alarmed look on his face. 
Kelly noticed Grenier first. She reached over and touched Steve on the sleeve, her anger forgotten. “Steve,” she said. 
Grenier sat down. “Steve, we have a situation.” 
“The Gemps?!?” 
“Worse, Oscar.” 
Kelly said, “Oh my God. Is he okay?” 
“You two need to see this.” He got up and left. 
Kelly got up first with Steve very close. 
 
All three walked into Briefing Room Three. It was the only room with a large 110 inch flat screen. Rogers, the morning shift supervisor, sat at one end of the conference table. He had a media control tablet in front of him. Colonel Codper, scowling, sat at the other. 
Kelly and Steve sat in the middle on one side, Grenier the other. 
Kelly, still worried, said, “Is Oscar alright?” 
Codper spoke, “More than alright, Ma’am. Damn near perfect.” 
She gave him an inquisitive look. 
Grenier nodded at Rogers. 
Rogers tapped on the tablet a few times. The lights dimmed and the flat screen came on. He moved out of the way so that the others could see the entire screen. “At 0545 PFC Haynes allowed Oscar unauthorized entry into Gemp Village One.” He narrated. 
The screen showed several images of Oscar moving through the passageway. The first few moments he was moving at a regular pace, then suddenly he picked up his pace and practically started running. Clearly he was on a mission and agenda of his own making. 
Rogers tapped at the tablet. 
The video changed to Oscar with Hela and Feme by the riverbank. 
Codper asked, “What is he doing?” 
Steve watched with dread. He followed the conversation. “Oscar is tempting the two.” 
“Tempting,” Codper began, “Tempting them for . . .” his voice trailed off. 
Everyone watched as the camera showed Hela and Feme each eat a heart shaped chocolate filled with something. Kelly identified with their reactions. Then the three headed into the village. The video switched to show the three entering Hela’s shelter. The screen went dark. 
The room remained silent for a moment. 
Codper said, “Did that little chimp of yours do what I think he did? Did he fornicate with the Gemps?” 
Steve turned to face the Colonel. “I can’t believe Oscar would . . . shit.” 
Codper said, “Son, that little bastard monkey of yours is out of control.” 
“I take offense to that, Colonel. Oscar is not out of control and he is not a bastard.” 
Codper stood up, outraged, yelled while pointing to the screen, “What did we just watch?” 
“Oscar doing what . . .” 
Codper yelled, “. . . he’s not supposed to be doing that.” 
“Colonel, he’s still an animal with urges. He’s . . .” 
“. . . fucking those beast!” 
Kelly had a distressed look on her face. She thought for a moment and said, “Isn’t this exactly what we wanted?” 
Everyone tuned to face her. 
Grenier said, “Kelly, what do you mean?” 
“Think about it. Oscar is the only one on this base who either doesn’t have a partner or can’t go to the mainland for outlet. He’s stuck on this island with humans and Gemps.” 
Steve sucked in his lips, “She’s right. I hadn’t thought about that. Damn!” 
Codper said, “So we let this chimp of yours fornicate with the Gemps?” 
Grenier said, “Yes.” 
Codper turned, “What?!?” 
Grenier turned to Steve. “Steve, what have men in power done over the ages?” 
“Most have abused it. History is full of examples.” 
Grenier said, “What about religion?” 
Steve said, “Some of the worse examples of abuse.” 
Codper sat down, “Outrageous. No man of God would ever abuse his position.” 
Steve replied, “Colonel, the bible is full of examples. Maybe it’s how you look at it?” 
“There is only one way to read the Bible, son. It is . . .” 
“Haman.” 
“Pardon?” 
“Haman, Colonel. He was the vizier of King Ahasuerus. If it wasn’t for Esther the entire Hebrew nation would have been wiped out. And there’s Herod. Judas. Pilate. Simon. All men of power. The bible shows that eventually those who abuse power fail and fall.” 
Codper nodded. He had just finished reading Matthew 26 and 27. “Okay, son. I get it, but that still doesn’t excuse the fact of your little monkey fornicating.” 
Grenier said, “Colonel, you’re missing the point. This is a fluid experiment. Nothing is set in stone here.” 
The Colonel was about to call Grenier son but remembered last night. “What do you suggest we do?” 
“Steve, I think this is the best thing to happen. Think of it. Oscar is showing us the development of corruption of power. He’s learned to work the system and is now using it to his advantage. We got two experiments going here.” 
Steve took a deep breath. Grenier was right. He looked over to Kelly. 
She smiled. Even though it was gross on some levels she also saw it as very sweet. Oscar having a girlfriend or two. 
“Okay, we let Oscar continue, but I think we should punish him in some way.” 
Codper said, “I’m not likely this one bit. This project seems to me is getting out of hand.” 
“In what way?” Grenier said. 
Codper remained silent. Civilians he thought. Non believing heathens. 
“Colonel, we are gathering information.” 
“At the tax payers’ expense.” Codper spat. 
Grenier retorted, “And the Military cost what each year?” 
Codper stood up. 
Grenier stood up and leaned forward. “The project is not in jeopardy, Colonel.” 
The two men stared at one another for an undetermined amount of seconds. 
Codper blinked again. “A standing army is vital in a world full of evil.” 
Grenier answered, “Especially when we are the cause of such evil. Colonel, look, we walked into this project knowing that all sorts of unknowns were going to pop up. This is one. It won’t be the last.” 
Codper sat down. “I’m adding this to my report to the Chairman.” 
Grenier nodded, “And I’m adding this to my report to the President and Joint Chief of Staff.” 
Steve and Kelly held their breath. Codper and Grenier clashed before, but not like this. 
Rogers coughed. “Sirs, briefing is in another 30 minutes.” 
Codper said, “Understood.” 
Grenier looked at his watch. “My suggestion is to not mention this incident while Oscar is here. I’d like him to think he got away with his adventure.” 
Codper said, “And that will accomplish what?” 
“Let him continue. We can observe him and the Gemps. That is the reason we made him ‘The Elder’.” 
Steve nodded, “True, but for him to think he got away is . . .” 
“. . . is good. Let’s work this out. How far will he go? Will the other male Gemps challenge him? Will God’s might be enough for Oscar to keep his position? We just had another can of worms opened. Plump and juicy. I say we let it ride.” 
Kelly nodded. “I agree, but for different reasons.” 
All the males turned to her. 
Grenier asked, “Such?” 
“It’s not that I like the idea of Oscar turning into an alpha dominating misogynistic male, but that Hela and Feme are in a position of power. You’ve read the book, ‘The Power of the Pussy’, right?” 
She got blank stirs. 
Men she thought. Bright as door knobs sometimes. “Look, Oscar wants something. Apparently, he went to great lengths to get it. I used to think men had it so easy in enticing women, but I’m seeing it differently now. First, Oscar had to be in a position that got him noticed. Next, he had to dream up his plan. He needed the means and materials. Then he had to execute it. If anything, I’d wonder how one, Oscar got the chocolate and second, got PFC Hayes to allow him to leave unauthorized. Guys, Oscar has been working the system for years to his advantage. Seems to me, we wanted to make Gemps human. Instead, we made a chimpanzee human as well. But anyway, as I was saying, Hela and Feme are in a position to work the system themselves. They are getting chocolate in exchange for Oscar’s needs.” 
“Fornicating!” Codper spat. 
Kelly continued, “The Gemps have been sexually active for about a year now and . . .” 
Codper said, “Disgusting little beasts.” 
Kelly scowled, “Disgusting? Colonel, are you living in the Dark Ages?” 
“I just don’t like the thought of all this.” 
Kelly eyed him for a few seconds, but decided to not push. Clearly the Colonel had issues but this was not the time to air his dirty laundry. She said, “Oscar should continue and, of course, we should watch him.” 
Grenier nodded, “Colonel, I know there has been a breach in discipline and protocol in one or more instance, but I strongly urge you to allow it to continue. Talk to PFC Hayes, if you must, but don’t spook him. Punish him later, but not now.” 
“Don’t tell me how to discipline my men . . .” 
Grenier raised his voice a little louder than he had wanted, “God damn it Colonel! No one is stepping on your dick . . .” He blushed, turned to Kelly, “Sorry,” turned back to Codper, “This is an opportunity of getting good data. This, as odd as it seems, is the reason for spending all this money. The emergence of Human behavior, good, bad, or indifferent, by non-humans.” He was red in the cheeks. If he could have the Colonel replaced he would, but the Chairman favored him. Fuck! Grenier thought. 
Codper stared at Grenier a long time. He’d let the little monkey continue. He’ll have the duty sergeant watch Haynes closer. He’ll give Garner what he wanted, but he would recommend to the Chairman the project be terminated, and the Gemps destroyed. He’d see Grenier pushing the unemployment line and it would be good. “Alright. We’ll let the little chimp continue . . . for now.” 
“Thank you,” Grenier said. 
 
*** 
 
Oscar used up his quota of chocolate for the month early. He had another week of waiting and that was much too long. Feme and Hela wanted chocolate and he wanted them. 
Sergeant Farmers was behind his desk. He knew Oscar wanted something the moment the little chimp rounded the corner. “Oscar!” He signed, “Hello.” 
Oscar jumped up onto a chair next to Farmers’ desk. He signed, “Chocolate. You have?” 
Farmers said, “Of course, Oscar.” He smiled. “I always reserve extra for you, but . . .” 
Oscar produced a L-Ration card. 
Farmers leaned back into his chair. “How many boxes?” 
Oscar remembered the first time he tried this. He asked for one box. When he came back for another Farmers said he needed another L-Ration card. Oscar was so furious he thought about ripping the man’s arm off and beating him with it. He learned over the years. He signed, “Give me two now. Two next week. Two week after that.” 
Farmers nodded. The chimp learned some bargaining over the years. Besides, he liked Oscar. Everyone did. Oscar had a cache of L-Rations and that made it even better. “Done. Flavor filling, nuts, or solid?” 
“One box flavor. One box mixed, please.” 
A few minutes later Oscar had his two boxes. He hurried to his room to drop the boxes off before this morning’s briefing. He’d ration them out to Feme and Hela over a week time. Today he’d get his outing schedule. 
 
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