The Zodiac Project (#Wattys2017)

The tiger

"Rat, Ox, come over here." Tiger demanded from where she stood with Rabbit. Her bright orange hair and cat like yellow eyes resembled the fire that burned inside of her. Her hair was down to her shoulders, and though she often complained about its length, no one could do anything about it.
The scientists had us all wearing different colors, though I didn't know why. We weren't difficult to tell apart. Ox wore brown sweat pants and a brown long sleeve shirt, similar to mine. Tiger wore a shirt with shorter sleeves and tighter pants. It was all an annoyingly bright shade of orange.
Rabbit stood next to her, bouncing up and down like this training session was something to be excited for. Her hair was bright white, and her skin was pale, which contrasted he dark, excited brown eyes. Though her long, untamed hair nearly covered them, anyone within a few feet of her could tell that her ears were abnormally large. She wore a long sleeve shirt and sweat pants like Ox and I, which were dyed a light shade of pink.
I got up and headed over to the pair. They were seated on one of the white block, that was close to a second empty one. Tier motioned to the second block and sat down. From underneath me, I felt a small cushion deflate, letting out a loud farting noise. Monkey erupted into fits of laughter a few feet away.
"I got you! I put that balloon thing under you, so when you sat on it, it made a fart noise!!!" He exclaimed between fits of laughter.
"Yes, that is rather hilarious. It was also hilarious the last time. And the time before that. And the six hundred and eighty four times before that." I sighed.
"I know!" Monkey exclaimed, erupting into more laughter. I rolled my eyes. No matter how intelligent they claimed to be, not one of them understood the concept of sarcasm. I exchanged an exasperated look with Ox as I removed the cushion and threw it at Monkey and Ox sat down.
"I still don't know how he got his hands on that." I sighed. "Have you seen Dragon?" Aside from Ox, I was pretty close friends with Tiger, Rabbit and Dragon, as they had all been created in the same year. I had been born a year prior to them, and they were born a year prior to everyone else.
Tiger merely sighed and pointed at the ceiling.
"Hi guys." Said a voice from directly above us. Dragon hovered there, head nearly touching the ceiling. His hair was naturally red, but not the red hair color you're used to. His hair was the color of fresh blood, and his eyes looked reptilian. Unlike the rest of us, with either pale skin or very dark skin, his resembled the workers in the lab. Well, aside from his eyes and his hair, obviously. He wore a sleeveless top with a bit of a collar, which we were told was what people looked at as traditional Chinese attire, though I assumed by how regal it was that it wasn't.
I could feel the glass shard digging into my skin, but I gave no indication that I had it. I knew that, just behind the one way glass, people were watching. And, with what was at stake, I couldn't risk it.
"Alright, experiments to the back of the room. Backs to the wall, hands visible." A voice over the speakers boomed, startling us.
We lined up in order. I was at the right side of the room, Ox towering next to me.
"Today, you'll be exhibiting your abilities. We'll start with the pig." The mans voice boomed. I recognized it as the emperor. Though I couldn't see through the glass, I could imagine him. He was short, but still slightly taller than me. His hair was grey and he had thick, round glasses. He always wore a pristine white lab coat that matched the pristine white walls, doors, one ton blocks, etc, etc, etc.
Pig stepped forward. His hair was naturally pink, and his skin was always slightly pink, as if he was blushing.
He took a few steps away from the rest of us. Then he closed his eyes and started growing at a tremendous rate. The pristine white ceiling was about ten feet above Ox's head, but in mere seconds, pig had to crouch so that his head didn't touch the ceiling.
Then he began to shrink. First to normal size, then smaller, until even I could squish him. At only a few inches tall, even I felt giant next to him.
"Thank you pig. That was truly excellent." The emperor's voice boomed over the speaker. I could hear the lies in his voice, but Pig was so trusting that he just smiled, returning to his normal size and stepping back beside dog. I knew that the emperor found Pig boring. He was the final experiment to complete the set, and nothing more.
Dog was next. The emperor sent in three guards, two of which were wearing thick metal helmets. The third was there to be a test dummy.
Dog stepped forward. Her golden hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes showed the sheer excitement to show off. A patch of skin around her left eye was darker than the rest of her light skin. She wore a yellow shirt with short sleeves and a yellow pair of jogging pants. She stepped towards the first guard.
"Sit." She demanded. Despite her gentle, kind appearance, Dog could control the thought and actions of a man as if he was an obedient mutt.
The man sat down on the ground.
"Lie down and roll over." Dog demanded. The man did so without hesitation.
"Do a backflip!" She commanded, the excitement in her voice growing. The man, in all his bulky armor, did so. Dog began to shake with anticipation as she looked up to the one way glass for approval.
None came.
It took a few minutes, but suddenly a voice came over the speakers.
"Thank you, Dog. Guards, you can leave. Experiments, stay in formation." Someone's voice announced. It wasn't the emperor, which made me suspicious.
"Rooster, it's your turn." The scientist announced. Rooster stepped forward. His dark red hair resembled Dragons, but instead of being bright red, it was as dark as a sweet, dark cherry. He wore a fancy looking purple shirt that was as dark as his deep blue eyes. His skin looked like he had a nice tan, which was deceiving, as none of us had ever seen sunlight.
As Rooster prepared to show off, as he so loved doing, we all put our hands to our heads, blocking our ears.
Rooster faced one of the pristine white blocks and let out a loud, shrill scream.  Within seconds, the block shattered.
Rooster stepped back, giving a dramatic bow as he did. It physically hurt for me not to roll my eyes, but I managed.
Monkey was next. He simply lifted one of the blocks with his mind, moved it to the other side of the room, and stepped back. I could tell he was quickly growing bored, as he toyed with his long brown hair. His large brown eyes still held some enthusiasm, as always, and the dark brown and bright white stood out from his warm brown skin.
Sheep stepped forward timidly. Her bright white hair was pulled back into two braids. Her deep brown eyes were the only thing that stood out against her pale skin and bright white turtleneck that she always wore.
She began pulling strands of her fluffy hair out of her braid. It would grow back almost instantly, we all knew. She began sculpting what she had pulled out. She sculpted a cloud that she tossed up, and that floated back down into her hand. She sculpted a wall that no one could break through, then tore it down to sculpt something new. She tied nooses that she would never use, a sharp blade that she was too scared to wield.
Horse stepped forwards. Sheep handed her a few miniature horses she had sculpted. The horse disappeared for a moment, her dark chocolate colored clothes, ponytail, skin, and eyes becoming a blur. Within seconds, the horses were sitting on every block in the room.
Snake was the most difficult to test. A scientist and a guard entered the room, and snake spit into a test tube they had prepared. Then they left, and we waited. We knew that they were testing the powerful venom he had produced.
"Dragon, go ahead." Announced a voice over the speakers. The emperor remained silent. Either that or he wasn't watching at all.
Dragon took a single step forwards and launched himself into the air, his feet hitting the high ceiling moments later. He pushed off and floated down toward the floor a little. And then he let out a breath of fire that hit the glass. The glass didn't move, but the message was clear to the rest of us. He was tired of listening. If there was anyone who hated the rules, the cages that this lab had provided us with our whole lives, as much as I did, it was Dragon. Well, Dragon and Tiger.
The scientists never noticed his little rebellion. They simply thought he was showing off.
Rabbit was next. She leapt to a ledge near the ceiling with ease, and then back down. She weaved her way between a cluster of blocks with incredible speed, her petite form allowing hers to get through the tightest spaces, before returning to her spot.
Tiger stepped forward next. Ox grabbed a training dummy from the corner, setting it in the center of the training room and returning to his place. Tiger stepped forwards, unsheathing her sharp black claws. She aimed one well aimed blow at the dummies neck, and its head was sent flying. It hit the one way glass as she stepped back.
Ox stepped forwards, begging two tons worth of the blocks and transporting them across the room.
I stepped forward, the last of my friends to do so. I looked at the block closest to me, shattering it with ease.
Then I looked at the window. The scientists and guards were somehow being protected, but our esteemed guests were not. I closed my eyes and broadcasted a message directly into their minds.
Have you no regret, as you watch us live our lives like fish in a bowl. Intelligent beings being forced to dance and do tricks like circus animals. Have you no mercy, watching this abuse? I demanded. You disgust me. You believe that one day, when your country is in need, that we will save you. That we will fight for you. Well, you are mistaken. We are your slaves, not your heroes. And the second we are free, we will take the side of your attackers. And then, once we have destroyed you, we will destroy them as well, until there is nothing left but us. And then you will feel our pain. When you're locked up like caged animals, and we are free to gawk at you, then you will know.
"That's enough!" A voice boomed over the speakers. "Experiments, take your positions. We will be escorting you back to your rooms shortly."
By rooms, he means cages. We have been imprisoned for being created. Don't kid yourselves. I sent the message into their heads before I stepped back into line.
And we waited for the guards. We waited for what seems like hours, but they did not arrive.