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Jul. 22nd, 2006 06:36 pm"What am I being arrested for?" Guppy asks as one of the policemen eschorts him off the premeses. Snowball is dragged the other way towards the simulator. The policeman holding the pig opens the door.
"Don't worry, you can get out all right. You've been voted off."
Snowball holds his ground a moment and stares incredulously at the policeman.
"Me? Voted off? Before John?"
The policeman chuckles. "Sorry pig, the public were interested in John because they reckoned he'd start a fight with one of the rest of you. Oh and they kept Guppy in because of that half day he spent refusing to wear the shirt that called him labrat 8. You just... well you just weren't interesting enough."
"What will happen to him? And the others?" Snowball asks, trying to ignore the snub on his seriousness.
"We've arrested the professor this morning. Turns out the guy faked your consent for the project. Fans started calling us when they managed to spot a few of your signs on the walls. Oh and they'll need questioning over the shooting. We're only letting you go because you clearly couldn't have held a gun. Now get on with you, we have work to do."
He shoves Snowball into the simulator and slams the door.
"Oh yeah, and find the cheese." he calls after the pig.
***
Snowball creeps forward, noting the smell of farms. He recognises his home immediately, and nearly jumps out of his skin when a large shire horse nudges him on the back.
"Comrade Snowball? It is time for the meeting. Are you all right?"
Snowball blinks, then nods and follows the horse into the great barn. Napoleon is in front of him, but does not attack him. He is younger. Snowball recognises the scene at once, and for a while bides his time, talking about the windmill as he remembers, and waiting. Finally he calls out to another horse at the back.
"Comrade Clover, please lock the door. I have something to say that I do not wish to be interrupted." Clover shuts the door. "... by the nine ferocious dogs that Napoleon has been training to rip me to shreds."
A gasp of horror goes around the room, and Napoleon immediately dives for Snowball's throat. Simulation or not, Snowball fights with the heavy pig, rolling across the barn to where the gun stands.
He reaches out, pushing a trotter into a hand, and takes the gun. Somehow he manages to twitch one of his previously immobile fingers.
The gun fires. Silence lingers as Snowball gets up and goes to the end of the barn. Human. Naked, not even putting on the stretchy green plant that he was given by the chimp back in the project with the assurance that it would grow into a useful pair of organic shorts.
He stands below the seven commandments, written in his erratic handwriting in paint on the wall. Silently he picks up a paintbrush and ascends the ladder, where he crosses out all but one of the commandments. Then he writes two words and steps down.
'All animals are equal. Including men'
He turns and walks away, tears stinging his eyes, and the gun still gripped in his hand. The animals watch him as he turns from pig to man and man to pig.
And already it is difficult to tell which is which.
"Don't worry, you can get out all right. You've been voted off."
Snowball holds his ground a moment and stares incredulously at the policeman.
"Me? Voted off? Before John?"
The policeman chuckles. "Sorry pig, the public were interested in John because they reckoned he'd start a fight with one of the rest of you. Oh and they kept Guppy in because of that half day he spent refusing to wear the shirt that called him labrat 8. You just... well you just weren't interesting enough."
"What will happen to him? And the others?" Snowball asks, trying to ignore the snub on his seriousness.
"We've arrested the professor this morning. Turns out the guy faked your consent for the project. Fans started calling us when they managed to spot a few of your signs on the walls. Oh and they'll need questioning over the shooting. We're only letting you go because you clearly couldn't have held a gun. Now get on with you, we have work to do."
He shoves Snowball into the simulator and slams the door.
"Oh yeah, and find the cheese." he calls after the pig.
***
Snowball creeps forward, noting the smell of farms. He recognises his home immediately, and nearly jumps out of his skin when a large shire horse nudges him on the back.
"Comrade Snowball? It is time for the meeting. Are you all right?"
Snowball blinks, then nods and follows the horse into the great barn. Napoleon is in front of him, but does not attack him. He is younger. Snowball recognises the scene at once, and for a while bides his time, talking about the windmill as he remembers, and waiting. Finally he calls out to another horse at the back.
"Comrade Clover, please lock the door. I have something to say that I do not wish to be interrupted." Clover shuts the door. "... by the nine ferocious dogs that Napoleon has been training to rip me to shreds."
A gasp of horror goes around the room, and Napoleon immediately dives for Snowball's throat. Simulation or not, Snowball fights with the heavy pig, rolling across the barn to where the gun stands.
He reaches out, pushing a trotter into a hand, and takes the gun. Somehow he manages to twitch one of his previously immobile fingers.
The gun fires. Silence lingers as Snowball gets up and goes to the end of the barn. Human. Naked, not even putting on the stretchy green plant that he was given by the chimp back in the project with the assurance that it would grow into a useful pair of organic shorts.
He stands below the seven commandments, written in his erratic handwriting in paint on the wall. Silently he picks up a paintbrush and ascends the ladder, where he crosses out all but one of the commandments. Then he writes two words and steps down.
'All animals are equal. Including men'
He turns and walks away, tears stinging his eyes, and the gun still gripped in his hand. The animals watch him as he turns from pig to man and man to pig.
And already it is difficult to tell which is which.
