Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes Read Online Free PDF

the last of their handbills in a smaller but no less imposing plaza which they had reached via a boulevard from the larger one. They stood near an illuminated information board, Caesar listlessly watching the crowds and fretting at the inescapable piped music from hidden loudspeakers.
    Perhaps Armando also regretted his decision to enter the city. He no longer gave a little talk with each handbill, merely thrust it out.
    Caesar understood that the various gleaming high rise buildings fronting the smaller plaza must all be connected with the government. The illuminated panel at the top of the information board identified the complex as Civic Center, but he was too exhausted and miserable to devote any interest to the long list of bureaus, agencies and departments listed below.
    The angle of the sun slanting through adjoining streets indicated that the afternoon was almost gone. Caesar was grateful. He wanted nothing more than to be aboard the helicopter, on his way back to the familiar environment of the circus. He wanted to leave the shock of today’s discoveries behind, even though he knew they would remain in his memory forever.
    Dully, he proffered a handbill to a woman who refused it. But he had already let go of the paper. It fluttered to the pavement. He didn’t bother to pick it up.
    Suddenly there was a vocal commotion across the plaza, outside a glass-fronted first floor office whose glowing sign read: Nationwide Ape Employment, Inc., Civic Center Branch.
    Shielding his eyes against the sun’s glare, Caesar saw a number of human males, some wearing uniforms resembling the restaurant captain’s, marching around in a circle in front of the hiring agency.
    Caesar plucked Armando’s sleeve, let his eyes indicate his curiosity.
    “Ah, just another labor protest,” Armando shrugged. “They happen all the time.”
    Caesar could just make out some of the legends on the signs carried by the pickets.
    UNFAIR TO WAITERS! SLAVES ARE SCABS! HIRE MEN—NOT ANIMALS!
    The commotion grew louder as the pickets noticed the approach of a chained ape whom Caesar recognized. The two handlers still held the chains that restrained the gorilla Aldo.
    Caesar’s pull on the leash told Armando he wanted to go forward, to see. The circus owner scowled, then sighed reluctantly and accompanied his chimpanzee.
    The waiters’ voices grew more and more angry as Caesar and Armando crossed the plaza. With a squawk, the amplified music was interrupted by one of those strident announcements: “Attention! The labor demonstration in the Civic Center Plaza will be terminated in five minutes. Repeat, the labor demonstration in the Civic Center Plaza will be terminated in five minutes. Failure to comply with this government order can result in a one-year suspension of your right to bargain collectively.”
    The waiters jeered and crowded around Aldo and his handlers. The two men were vainly trying to get the gorilla into the building. As they approached, Caesar heard one of the handlers shout, “Damn it, quit pushing! We’re not taking him to the hiring agency. We’re just trying to reach an upstairs office.”
    “Oh yeah?” one of the waiters challenged. “What’s his job?”
    “Staff messenger for the governor. So get the hell away.”
    “He’s not a very good messenger if you gotta keep him chained up!” another waiter yelled.
    “We just had a little trouble today. Aldo’s edgy. And you’re not making things any easier by—for Christ’s sake get off my foot!” The handler shoved the nearest waiter. He stumbled back, propped up by his companions, who instantly surged forward again. Caesar saw a punch thrown. The first handler dodged, suddenly raised both fists in panic as he realized he’d have to fight. Finally discovering some tangible target for their anger, the yelling waiters grabbed both handlers and started kicking. and punching.
    Surrounded by the noisy mob, Aldo the gorilla let out a bellow of panic. Through breaks in