I was dumbstruck to find myself light years from my homeworld, far from the tyranny and war of the Minikong throne that I had fought against, trained to defeat, and finally escaped from, only to stand on a small planet on the rim of a deserted galaxy, in front of a stark, unmarked Minikong outpost. What could they be doing here? Why?
The complex at Alpha Rho Leo 0257 II –provided (graphic)
The door looked bulky and reinforced; I had no tools that could break through, but as I approached for a closer look, it slid open. I was surprised, but kept my wits about me.
As I stepped inside I could smell a stale odour in the still air. From floor to ceiling, dust clung to the bricks of the walls and covered the surface of desks and shelves. The entire place seemed to be abandoned, with only a dull electrical hum running through the equipment. In front of me, affixed to the wall, was a large image of the tyrant Minikong dictator, Minister Buttercup, underneath which was the word “obey.” I felt my heartbeat rise with anger. I would do anything to bring down the Minikong. With that thought in mind I scoured the laboratory, hoping it would yield some answers as to what was going on in such an isolated planet, and how I might put an end to the Minikong’s reign.
Each room was filled with shelves of beakers, vials and test tubes, all empty; bookshelves were bare apart from a few empty folders. The computers that had not been smashed were blank. Finding nothing on the ground floor — apart from a packed lunch of bananas — I descended into the lower levels to continue my search. As I reached the lower floor, the hum of electricity grew louder. A bulky door stood before me, locked. With no other means to procure entry, I smashed my fist into the keypad, and as if by design, the thick metal slab parted.
What I saw was nothing short despicable. In front of me stood rows of large diagnostic tanks, each housing the body of a simian suspended in a thick green fluid. I stepped through the room in horror, my eyes darting from tank to tank, locking my gaze with each ape. With great anxiety, I crept close to one of the tanks. Each was fitted with a monitor and bending down to inspect the small screen, I was saddened to see no sign of vital signals. My heart sank. Each face seemed calm in sleep, but their bodies revealed all manner of malformation or tampering. I could not imagine why such a laboratory would exist. Were they experimenting on apes? I could not stand to be among these poor souls any longer and retreated through the once sealed door. I could not bear to think that these once proud apes would be turned into lab monkeys. The cruel hands of the Minikong would pay. Using my matter manipulator, I closed the door and crushed the lock tight.
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