I worked at GenSys as one of the animal caretakers. They tested their drugs on apes. I usually got the difficult cases, I was an animal behaviorist. I was the poor sod that had to get them out of their cage when they refused. I was also usually ignored by the higher-ups. I was helping unload a new shipment of apes. The loaders weren't being very kind to them. One of the apes lunged at the cage door and the loader picked up his electric prod.
I immediately grabbed his wrist, stopping him from using it. "Don't, we don't what his past life is, more trauma won't help him." The ape was scarred and blind in one eye. He had clearly been mistreated in his life.
"He needs to be kept in his place," the loader replied.
"You touch him and I'll make sure you lose your job for mistreatment of animals. That goes for all of you!" I shouted at the loaders as they were bringing the 15 in. The loaders quickly finished their job and left. I walked into the room where the apes were, they had an incredible ability to understand language. "I can't keep them from experimenting on you, but I can keep them from causing other harm. They have to treat you with respect," I told them.
I started to prepare food for them as the others came, these were the ones that mainly handled them for the scientists in the lab once they were out of the cage and sedated. I started passing food and water out to the new apes and learning their names. Gray, Koba, Cornelia, Norten, Sam, Jeff, Ripley, Spring, Bren, Lupin, Draco, Belle, Bucky, Duchess, and Kovu.
Koba was the one with a blind eye and the one who had lunged at the loader. I came toward his cage with an apple. "Hey bud," I said sitting down in front of the cage but not facing it. I had the cage on my right side. I could see him but I was making sure I wasn't presenting a threat. I was giving him space and not making eye contact. I pulled out a second apple and began eating one. He hooted at me and slid his arm through the gap in the door.
"You're hungry, huh?" I asked. He hooted again and tried to reach for me palm up. I slid a bit closer. "I wish I could keep them from doing this to you guys," I said as I slowly moved closer. I could tell this one ape had been hurt so many times. And it was going to happen again. He held his hand out to me, palm up. I stroked it and handed him the apple. One relationship started, 14 to go.