Grateful Ape, adventure Awaits:
A Bored Ape Story

 

Written by Chris Placko

Illustration: Jeanje-suis

 

STARRING

GRATEFUL APE	KAWI

 

The ape landed on the decking with a thud. The transition from one realm to another was never an easy experience. Sitting on the deck of his solar cutter, the “Jade Dew”, Grateful closed his eyes as he removed the augmented pilot’s visor from his face. Blinking and rubbing his eyes, he looked around the airship and scrambled back as the massive form of a beast filled his now-clearing view.

Not a beast, he quickly realized, it was his best friend, Kawi. The dog bound over to Grateful and licked his friend’s face, the multicolored teeth hidden within his mouth gleaming behind his tongue.

Kawi barked.

“I know, I know..” Grateful said, grasping the scruff of the dog’s neck and letting the animal help him up.

“But the bartender at the outpost said this is where we will find what we are looking for. It’s the last waypoint beacon before we reach the edge of the map!”

Kawi emitted a whine and shook his head.

Grateful looked over his shoulder at the cabin door inset into the sleek airship’s wedge-shaped stern. He knew the map Alula had given him was rolled out on his table. They had already marked off every waypoint except this last one on the map. Any portals they found this far out wouldn’t have been mapped, and he had no idea where it might spit them out… there was no guessing as to where or what these things connected.

“We can trust her,” Grateful said to Kawi. “She’s never let us down before; we saved her from the Corporation and brought her back to the yacht club, for Pete’s sake! Alula is our friend; she wouldn’t lie to us!”

Grateful had received a mysterious message from Alula that had seemed more urgent than her usual disposition allowed. The message had asked him to return to the Yacht Club immediately. When Grateful and Kawi got there, she was almost in a panic as she relayed what she had overheard from sailors that had recently made port at the clubhouse. They had been discussing a rare technology that had something to do with the portals, like a key that would open any door.

She didn’t tell him exactly where she had gotten the map, and he hadn’t pressed her. A wink from Alula meant that some secrets were meant to be kept. Grateful had returned the wink after she handed over the map with a grin.

The two had developed a strong bond: Alula knew that Grateful was trustworthy, but she also knew how much trouble his ability to see only the good in everyone could get him. His singular drive to improve himself and those around him, to always be their best.

More than once, Grateful’s run-in with near-death experiences had been caused by his need to find a way to help someone else that was in trouble. Alula knew she had to help him any way she could, to keep him safe on his travels if anything else.

He and Kawi had been searching for months, traveling to distant lands and exploring many hidden corners of the known world. But no matter where they looked, he couldn’t find any trace of the technology. Every clue they followed led them into increasingly more dangerous situations, though now that Grateful thought about it, maybe that was a sign that they were on the right track.

When he was about to give up, Grateful received a message from an unknown contact. The message contained a set of coordinates that led him to the portal they had just traversed, one so unstable that Grateful was sure it would finally break his ship against the breakers, so to speak. Although Grateful knew he shouldn’t open the message, let alone click on the coordinates, but he had.

He had gotten one of those feelings like the one he had when he’d first met Alula when she had been trapped in that Corporation merchandise factory. When he had asked the Mutant Cartel to help pull her out of that place and its horrible conditions… he had most definitely saved her life. The Corporation wasn’t known for its health benefits!

The portal had led them to a remote island in the middle of an unknown planet in a strange new universe. It gleamed brightly before it shut itself like the closing aperture of a camera lens.

Once he and Kawi had recovered from the portal transitioning, Grateful activated the ship’s scanners and let them run before attempting to land. The report being fed into his visor scrolled across his line of vision, telling him all he needed to know: it appeared that this island was the only landmass on the planet and that it was time to find out what was hidden at these mysterious coordinates.

Standing on the deck of the Jade Dew, his pink fur was waving as it was caught in the wind blowing along the beach. Grateful stood with Kawi and looked up and down the tree line for anything that hinted at what was hidden amongst the dense vegetation and towering trees.

Grateful turned to Kawi, “Maybe there’s a big X that marks the spot?” he said, shrugging.

Kawi grumbled in a way that only your best, closest friend can when they know you’re completely clueless.

Far into the island’s mainland, Grateful could see an ancient stone ruin with the crumbling walls of a tower that reached through a blanketed canopy that hinted at a once grand and majestic structure, now swallowed up by the jungle.

Kawi barked, and Grateful looked down at him.

“That’s definitely where we are headed,” he said, kneeling to close the pack at his feet. “Maybe this ruin will be different than the last one?”

Kawi barked again, his mouth opening slightly, revealing his bright rainbow teeth in a smile.

“We agree on that point! This has got to be the most exciting adventure we’ve had in a while. Those last few jobs were dead ends, for sure! Whatever we find out here has got to be something special,” Grateful beamed at his friend.

“Let’s go. We don’t want to be out there when the sun goes down, whenever that is on this planet. I think it's time to let you loose and run!”

Disembarking from the ship, they discovered a path hidden among the trees near the beachhead where they had put the airship down. It was slightly obscured by a pair of palm trees crossed like an X.

Grateful laughed as he ducked under the trees and headed up the path, Kawi loping ahead with his tongue lolling out of the corner of his mouth, clearly excited.

As he watched the dog run, he yelled: “X did mark the spot!”

Shaking his head at the irony, Grateful set off into the jungle towards the ruins in the island’s interior.

Grateful followed the path as best he could, winding his way through the jungle as the trail continued to lead him deeper in, the jungle becoming even more dense, with clusters of ferns and bushes making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. The air was hot and muggy, and chirping insects and birds filled the air. Kawi began to stick closer to Grateful as they made their way along the path, the gloom closing around them.

The path began to climb steeply, winding its way up a rocky slope where the trees were massive, with twisted roots and branches reaching out in all directions. The path became treacherous, with loose stones and jagged rocks making it difficult to keep a steady footing. Grateful relying on Kawi to find the safest route, the dog’s senses and footing far better than his own.

After a grueling climb, the path leveled out and began to cut further through a dense stand of trees with barely enough space for them to squeeze through. The canopy overhead was so thick that it blocked out most of the sunlight, creating a dark and eerie atmosphere.

When Grateful had finally made it through the tangled trees, he stopped next to Kawi, who was waiting patiently on the other side of the trees in a circle of freshly pounded dirt surrounded by a ring of stones, the path ending in a large clearing.

“This must be the place,” he said.

Kawi nodded his large head and wagged his tail, waiting for Grateful to decide what to do next.

In the center of the clearing stood the ancient ruin, a crumbling temple of stone and moss, its spires towering through the canopy above, which must have been what he saw from the airship’s deck. The air here was thick with the musty smell of age and decay, and the only sound was the gentle rustling of the leaves in the wind and… something else.“Is that… music?” Grateful gasped!

His eyes widened as he looked down at Kawi, whose tail wagged even faster, seeing that Grateful had heard the music.

Grateful, taking his cap off, scratched his head as he stared up the staircase leading to the ruin’s entrance.

The entrance to the ancient ruin was hidden behind a thick wall of vines and overgrown foliage. The doorway was a large, intricately carved stone archway adorned with symbols and images of long-forgotten gods and goddesses.

When Grateful and Kawi reached the top of the stairs and pushed aside the vines, the entrance revealed itself as a narrow, crumbling archway made of rough-hewn stone blocks worn smooth by time and weather. The air around the opening was as musty and stale as the clearing below, and there was a sense of mystery and danger lurking around it.“No one has been here in ages,” he said to the dog.

Kawi barked and nosed aside a dangle of vines obscuring something behind it.

“What is THAT?! Grateful exclaimed as he pushed the vines aside, revealing a shining metal panel and a keypad.

“No way! This crumbling ruin is older than old, and that metal looks like it was polished yesterday!”

Squinting through his visor, he saw a cable jack and a small red light at the bottom of the panel.

Kawi barked again.

Grateful shrugged and pulled the connector feeds from his visor, plugging into the jack and letting the visor connect to the system. A beep from the panel on the wall vibrated, the stone facade tumbled down and away from the archway as a concealed metal door slid open and disappeared into the rock wall to either side. The previously soft music they had heard when first entering the clearing increased in volume as the door opened. A faint yellow-green glow emanated from within the passageway beyond.

As Grateful and Kawi stepped through the archway and into the darkness, the chirping birds and rustling leaves faded and were replaced by the hum of unknown technology.

The ruin, which he had thought to be an abandoned, forgotten place, had just been revealed to be a hidden laboratory filled with banks of machines and a giant glowing screen. Three stone walls were lined with shelves and cabinets, filled with mysterious gadgets and inventions that hinted at the knowledge and technology hidden within the chamber. As Grateful peered closer, the nearest wall was stacked floor to ceiling with crates and boxes of chocolates, a somewhat familiar stamp on the packaging. Not quite able to place the image, the pair followed the sound that filled the space. It became clear that this hidden chamber was the source of the music as they stepped further into the laboratory beyond the closing doors behind them.

Before the glowing screen, a white-furred ape in a lab coat was slowly bobbing his head and tapping his feet resting on the desk where he was sitting. He hadn’t seen Grateful and Kawi enter the room, as he didn’t even turn around when the pair walked up behind him.

Reaching out to touch the scientist’s shoulder, Grateful flinched back as the white-furred ape suddenly spun around in his chair, his piercing eyes locking with Grateful’s own behind the visor.

The scientist smiled.

Grateful’s mouth gaped open.

Kawi barked.

“Hello there,” the scientist quietly said. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“For me?” Grateful was taken aback. How could the scientist have known he was coming? “How?”

“Well, I did send you my laboratory's coordinates, after all,” the scientist said, smiling. “Come, sit with me. I’ll tell you everything.”

Grateful quietly sat down before the wizened ape, unaware of what was happening. Kawi joined him, curling up at his feet, his eyes on the scientist.

“My name is Dr. Virgil Morgan,” he said as he recounted his grand story.

The scientist, once a world-renowned inventor, was a reclusive and eccentric individual who had dedicated his life to exploring the depths of science and technology. He had developed a brilliant mind through countless hours and days of intensive study, with a passion for uncovering the universe’s secrets and creating incredible inventions that pushed the boundaries of what was possible.

As a young man, he traveled the cosmos, seeking new knowledge and experiences. Eventually, he was drawn to this remote island's dense and mysterious jungles. Here, he stumbled upon the ancient ruin, hidden deep within the wilderness, and decided to make it his home.

Using his incredible knowledge and skill, he transformed the ruin into a secret workshop where he could work on his inventions in peace and solitude. He spent countless hours tinkering with his gadgets and machines, using the jungle's resources to fuel his creations.

Despite his isolation, Dr. Morgan remained dedicated to his work and continued to push the limits of what was possible. His latest inventions were way ahead of their time, and many of his ideas, he knew, would not be fully realized until years after his death or, if they ever would be, locked away in this hidden laboratory.

But in the end, his passion for exploration and discovery drove him to create some of the most incredible inventions the universe would ever see if there was someone he could trust to bring them into the light of a world so wrought with darkness and turmoil.

As Virgil finished his tale, he held out his hand to Grateful.

In his hand, the old ape held what he had designed this entire laboratory for.

Back at the yacht club, Grateful sat at the bar, his favorite tea in the cup before him, boasting loudly to anyone who could hear him, “... and after that, I became known as one of the greatest airship captains and adventurers in history, while my name is whispered with awe and admiration by all who hears it.”

Alula narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a look far beyond skepticism.

“What the hell are you talking about? You just walked in from the swamp and sat at the bar!? It’s just like you to claim the fame before you even know if the damn thing will work or what to do with it!”

“Oh, it works all right! I installed it on the Dew… I’ll show you!” Grateful said as he stood up and whistled to Kawi.

The three friends walked out onto the docks in front of the Bored Ape Yacht Club, where the airship was tethered to the power connection at the end of the gangway.

“You won’t believe what you’re about to see!” he said as they looked up at the airship and the future waiting for them."