GEMP Chapter Ten
GEMP
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Codper stood in the middle of the Village. The ground was littered with dead Gemps. A deep satisfaction came over him as he stepped over several little bodies. To his right he heard a female Gemp scream. Then a single shot. Two soldiers walked out from the forest laughing. One of them said “HumanTD”, both laughed again. Codper lifted the walkie-talkie to his mouth. “Captain Pierce, report.”
Nothing.
“Report!” He clicked the Talk-Button twice. “Has anyone seen the Captain?”
“Sir?”
Codper turned away. “Yes?”
A sergeant stood with his M16 pointed down at the ground. “You ought to see this.”
“Lead the way, son.”
Steve walked through the disguised door. Oscar spotted Hela and Feme and ran to them. They embraced one another.
Oscar signed, “Glad you are safe and here.”
Hela said and signed, “Elder, explain what has happened.”
Grenier stepped into the light. He waited for Tutu, Mos, and Kiri to enter. The heavy door clicked shut. “I can explain.”
All the Gemps turned to Grenier.
“Strange, I know. But if you can give me a few moments you will have some answers. Follow me.” Grenier lead them into an adjacent room.
The Sergeant took Codper through a path of broken low hanging tree branches. Even before the Colonel reached the spot he smelled death. “Damn!” He said as he saw Captain Pierce sitting up against a tree. His rifle’s barrel rested against his right thigh, the rest of the gun between his legs.
Codper knelt down and noticed the wound in his chest. Must have had it on auto when it went off he thought. Then he looked down and saw Pierce’s blood soaked crotch. “What happened?” Codper asked, but he felt he knew. Suicide?
“Not sure, sir. One of the Gemps, maybe?” The Sergeant had a sense of what happened, too.
Both men looked at each other. Codper blushed deep red, the Sergeant a shade lighter.
“Sir?”
Codper stood up. “Is the Lieutenant nearby?”
“He was chasing down some Gemps last report over the radio.”
“Find him. We need to get Grenier and the others to pull this off. Start checking the outposts.”
The sergeant saluted, turned, and walked away.
Grenier sat in one of the chairs. “Please have a sit.”
The Gemps looked at one another.
Grenier said, “It hasn’t been that long since you sat in a chair.”
They hesitated.
Oscar pulled out a chair for Hela and Feme. He sat in a chair next to the two.
Hela sat first, then Feme, both looking like small adults in a large playroom for giants.
Tutu sat next. He jumped over the armrest and planted his bottom solidly on the chair seat.
Mos lifted himself up cautiously. He had a look on his face as if he remembered something. He looked over to Kiri, who was seated next to him. She nodded and recognized his expression. She, too, remembered something familiar about a table and chair.
Grenier cleared his throat. “Thank you. My name is Grenier. First, I have to apologize. You may not remember this, but not too long ago you sat in chairs like these. You sat at a table and listened to a human, standing in front of the room like this one, teach you how to talk. A human taught you how to eat, cook, make bows and arrows. A human taught you how to . . . “
Tutu yelled, “Enough!”
Grenier sat quietly, but he did not avoid eye contact with Tutu.
After a moment Tutu looked away, “I not believe you.”
Grenier nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll be right back.” He walked out of the room for a moment. He returned with a remote control in his hand. “I’d like to show you something then.”
Tutu watched the human as he moved his thumb across a small black strip of wood. A large white cloth came down from the top of the ceiling. “What is this?” He hissed.
Grenier ignored him for the moment. He thought, ‘this is theater, my suspicious friend’ and smiled.
Tutu looked across the room at the others. He was uncertain as how to act. Should he just attack the humans? Or wait. Then he remembered how Elder and Not God now Steve fought off the dirty Gemps. The screams they made. The death they created. He would wait.
Grenier press his thumb on the small bit of wood. The lights dimmed and a projector dropped from the ceiling. “What you are about to see is moving mind images projected onto this white cloth. It’s not magic. It is called technology. So, please do not be afraid.” He pressed the play button.
A large human face appeared on the screen. Feme jumped and screamed. Oscar jumped over to her chair. He hugged and cooed. Tutu and Hela hissed at the face. Only Mos and Kiri remained silent.
Kiri frowned. She remembered something about the face. It was comforting and caring and happy.
Mos looked over to Kiri. He frowned, too. “Mary?”
Kiri turned her head to face Mos. She nodded.
Grenier said, “Mary Austin is her name. She was one of many caregivers who worked the farm.”
Tutu walked over to the screen and peeked behind it.
Grenier paused the video. He would wait.
Mos and the others walked over to Tutu.
“No one is here?” Tutu said.
“It is a projection. An image of the person. Like looking into the lake except we can show the image many times, anytime.”
“No one is here?” Tutu repeated.
Mos said, “No one is here.”
Hela said, “No one is here.”
Feme said, “No one is here.”
Kiri said, “No one is here.”
The Gemps circled the projector screen several times crossing in front of the light.
Grenier waited patiently. He liked what he saw.
Steve watched with fascination as the Gemps inspected the screen. A few moments later Tutu grabbed a chair and started scrutinizing the projector. He found the keypad controls and pressed a red button. The projector powered off.
Oscar bantered and moved over to Steve.
Steve smoothed Oscar’s hair as the little chimp’s teeth clicked.
Grenier pressed the on button.
Tutu and the other Gemps jumped. Tutu pressed the red button again. The projector blinked out.
Grenier pressed the on switch.
Tutu pressed the red button.
The Gemps circled the projector screen several times crossing in front of the light.
Grenier waited patiently. He liked what he saw.
Steve watched with fascination as the Gemps inspected the screen. A few moments later Tutu grabbed a chair and started scrutinizing the projector. He found the keypad controls and pressed a red button. The projector powered off.
Oscar bantered and moved over to Steve.
Steve smoothed Oscar’s hair as the little chimp’s teeth clicked.
Grenier pressed the on button.
Tutu and the other Gemps jumped. Tutu pressed the red button again. The projector blinked out.
Grenier pressed the on switch.
Tutu pressed the red button.
Lights on, lights off, lights on, lights off, light on.
Mos said, “Tutu. Grenier turns thing . . .”
“Projector.” Grenier interrupted.
“. . . projector by small piece of wood he is holding.”
Tutu walked over to Grenier.
Grenier moved the control away as Tutu tried to snatch it from his hand.
Tutu hissed.
Grenier, taking his cue from Steve, hissed back and louder.
Tutu hadn’t expected that. He remembered Grenier dishing out his own brand of death on the wild Gemps. He backed down.
Grenier said, “Ask me nicely and I’ll give it to you.”
Tutu stared.
Grenier stared back.
Tutu blinked first, “I changed my mind.”
“All right by me, but I would like you to sit back down in the chair so that I may continue.”
Tutu stood his ground.
“You wanted answer, yes?” Grenier said.
Tutu nodded.
“Then please sit back down.”
The Gemp stood fast.
“Please, Tutu. Answers. Promise.”
Tutu frowned and walked back to his chair. He sat in a huff. The others were already seated. The large human face was still on the screen. “Mary.”
Grenier continued, “She was one of your caregivers.” He resumed the video.
Mary said, “Hi!” She stepped back to show a thin blonde hair young woman with a bright smile. Her hair was tied back with a pink bow. She wore bright pink spandex pants and a green cotton top that was partly covered by a long white lab coat. When she talked she seemed to bubble and gush. “Welcome to the Farm. My name is Mary and I’ll be your host.” She giggled.
The Camera followed Mary throughout the tour. It stopped and focused on a group of very young looking Gemps. Tutu was standing over a young Mos and Kiri.
Young Tutu was angry and yelling at the two, “My toy! My toy! My toy!”
Mary ran over and rubbed Tutu’s chest. “Yes Tutu, your toy, but you can share. It will always be your toy until you decide to give it away. But, right now you are sharing.”
“My toy!”
She smoothed his head and said, “Strong Tutu, your toy.”
“My toy!”
Mary changed her voice, “Tutu!”
He was startled and looked her in the eyes, “Brave, strong, wise Gemps share. Your toy, but you like to share.”
He nodded and relaxed. “Tutu will share.”
The scene changed. Hela and Feme were playing with blocks of wood. Oscar walked over, sat next to the two. Kissed each one on the cheek, knocked the blocks over and ran. Feme and Hela chased Oscar, knocking things over, laughing and screaming. Steve appeared.
“Oscar!”
Oscar playfully screamed while being chased. He ran into Steve knocking him down. Hela and Feme stepped on Steve as they followed.
The scene changed again. A room filled with Gemps seated behind desks were listening to Kelly recite the alphabet.
Another change. Grenier is staring into the camera. He is holding it. “Hopefully we’re onto two stage by the time you see this. I am sorry. But if you are seeing this video I apologize again. You don’t-didn’t believe me. You don’t-didn’t remember who I am. You don’t remember Steve, Kelly, or when you first met Oscar. Making you forget was necessary. Now it is necessary you believe and we move on. Enjoy your new freedom. This is where life will get exciting and you have a purpose. Learn everything . . .” A young Tutu snatches the camera. “Learn learn learn learn learn.” Grenier gets control of the camera again. He’s relaxed and smiling. “Until then.”
A collage of different scenes played on the screen. A few minutes later the video ended.
Grenier turned on the light.
Mos stared at Steve. “I don’t remember, not God anymore but now is Steve.”
Steve nodded, “You will, in time, but now you’ll have a whole new world of learning ahead of you. You’ll see things as I and Oscar Elder sees them. You’ll . . .”
“I am mad.” Tutu said.
Grenier nodded. “I know.”
“I am mad at you and the other humans.”
Grenier nodded again. “I understand. But I need your help now.”
“No help.”
“I will help.” Mos spoke up.
Kiri added, “Mos help, I help.”
Feme and Hela nodded.
Tutu asked, “Why would I help?”
“Brave, strong, wise Gemps help. That’s why.”
Tutu’s face relaxed after a second. He nodded. “Tutu will help.”
Grenier smiled. Damn that conditioning was strong.