The Cat who Gained Claws

Grunt. Kick. Punch. Punch. Sweep the feet.

One blow after another the challanger attacked her enemy relentlessly and viciously.

knuckles red from the effort, brow arched and sweaty with aggression, limbs aching from the repetition of her agonising assaults, back slippery and sticking to her dark purple exercise suit.

Finally she gave up; one final high kick and then she left the punching bag to swing on its squeeky hinges like a bat. a Batman.

She sat down on a wooden bench besides a rack of dumbells, she wiped her brow with a white cotton towel then through it over her sweaty shoulders.

"So quiet these old, abandoned gyms," she thought "so stupid to leave so much equipment here all for me". She got up and looked back at that swinging bag, then at her hands, palms and wrists covered in white bandages, knuckles sore and aching. "it's still not good enough," she rose up and started pacing around the room, "If there are people who can scatter buildings with one hand, and others who can control the very elements and still be defeated by Batman, what chance do I have?" stopping she spied herself in the huge looking-glass that covered the whole of the east wall and then looked over the same thing on the west side. 17 going on 18 years old and this was it; broard shoulders with muscles on either arm, average height, curvy, square shaped hands with delicate looking fingers.

"Weight lifting and gymnastics can only get me so far, i've nothing to worry about when cunning is concerned, and gloating always comes before the fall, so that's the last thing i'll worry about, but still it'll take more than that to take the dignity, and a good laugh, out of the Bat without being arrested. My face doesnt exactly scream fear or danger." a heart shaped face with small pouty lips, dark purple lipstick like the tips of her short spiky hair, the rest of her hair a lighter purple, hair styled as a simple Richard Ward only with a spiky fringe that almost covered her eyes and the two long, thick strands infront of her ears reaching down to her shoulders like ears or whiskers. And eyes so emerald green, so sweet, so innocent. She was anything but inoccent in her mind, and soon everyone else will think so too.

sighing she slumped back down into her seat and grabbed a newspaper from behind her foot, mindlessly she flicked through the pages, "I need to train my body and my mind even harder now. Perhaps i could *invest* in some kind of gadgets like Batsy's, or a makeover of sorts, there's loads of good bargains if you look in the right places, ask the right people."

CRASH HA HA HA

She dropped her paper; casually she walked across the room and looked out the window with little curiosity, she sighed "i'm trying to think, what's going on? oh," little to her suprise there at the bottom of her three story window was a band of Jokerz, "single minded twips" she said to herself whilst observing them each. "stealing from a tech shop, original but not beneath standards like theirs," she smirked. a large one in a pink suit was holding a two handed gun whilst the others were inside causing a riot. After a moment the others climbed out the broken glass window with bags of money and goodies in tow.

"Unique bunch, I'll be surprised if they get away at all," She leaned on the windowsill like a bored cat swaying her hand from side to side like a tail. a couple of girls in matching outfits pulled out identical weapons out of their bags and pointed them at the people inside the shop, a spliced hyena/man assisted them by snarling and laughing insanely while the fifth man, a tall, lanky young man dressed like some kind of halloween story character, examined the spoils from his jack-o-lantern pot with evil glee.

"The brains of the operation" She concluded watching him with more respect and interest than his cohorts, "with a face an' frame like that i doubt he's suited for anything else, poor thing. atleast he has style, clown inspired gimmicks are so...derived." she sighed a little, then a cheeky, playful grin spread across her lips.

"Hey there handsome!" he raised his head like a startled dog, he looked around bewildered, "Up here!" he looked up in confusion to see the purple haired young lady with her glittery eyes firmly on him, he stared at her and she returned with a grin wide enough to put the Joker himself to shame.

"what'd you want?" he shouted back unfriendly-like which just made her grin grow wider.

"O Romeo, Romeo thou art too friendly i see,"

He raised an eyebrow,

"come on, dont you know this game",

"What game?"

"what's a good looking ghoul like you doing in a neighbourhood like this?

"I'm working. who told you my name...i mean what do you care what i'm doing?"

she looked at him as though what he said had offended her deeply, "i so sorry for interrupting you at work," her honey inoccence then switched back to dipsy playfulness, "but you captured my eyes, you see? i'd like them back seeing as they're the only ones i've got... to fall for you with." she chuckled seductively.

That was it; she had him completely baffled by what she said, he looked at his feet rubbing the back of his neck, truly embarassed, or flattered, he just didnt know, "Well you... i mean i...we...umm..." he mumbled on, she could sense him blushing like a peach under all that grey.

"and now to turn him to jelly," she winked and was about to blow him a kiss which worked many times before but then the sirens started sounding and they both realised he had to catch up with the others who had left without him.

"O, dost thou think we'll meet again?" she called in an over the top acting voice, she then turned away from the window in hopes of returning to her thinking.

"I doubt it not," he replied with a sly smile and a wink, then he darted down the alleyway out of sight.

"Jokerz, always want the last word," she sat back down looking up at the ceiling in hopes of an idea to her dilemma, then it hit her, " Hyena-boy looked quite useful with a makeover like that". she picked up the newspaper, the front page read "Splicing Illegal?"

"Chimera Institute threatened by District Attorney."

"Well, better now before its too late."

...

"Can i help you?" the receptionist asked with faulse interest, her striped face glue to her computer monitor with boredom.

"Yes i want to get spliced. Now."

She looked up, it was plain to see she what she was spliced with, that many stripes you'd mistake her for a bar-code. " Do you have an appointment?"

"no, i have credits," she pulled her hands out of her her custom made purple-pink striped hoodie with cuts at the shoulders, rumaged through the pockets in her black trousers with neon green belt hanging off her hip, she then picked out a handful of credits and threw them infront of the woman, "lots of them." the woman eyed the money in awe, scrapped them into an open draw then locked it with a key.

"follow me and we shall begin" flashing a smile she led the younger woman to a seat infront of a big simuation screen. "now what do you think you're looking for, zebra is quite popular and i think you'd look dazzling in stripes." pressing buttons on the keyboard the screen showed the girl chalk white with black stripes all over her face and black hair flowing like a mane.

"I'd like to keep it subtle, powerful, fear inducing... but subtle. real subtle."

"OK, lets try snakes, you like snakes?"

"I had a snake once, i keep its skeleton on a shelf in the livingroom for decoration." the tigress slightly recoiled from her answer put continued typing information into the system. Faint green skin with black and green eyes and potruding fangs. she shook her head. "too much green. Got anything along the lines of cats?"

"Sure what kind, Lion, Puma?"

"Cheshire," she chuckled dryly.

"I'll put you down for Bombay, Black Cats." once more she entered the information and this time it was perfect, almost puurfect. green eyes once so innocent so calm were now sleek and seductive like bittersweet with a single slit pupil in either socket, fangs that would make her famous grin more so with fear and list besides the simulation included, speed, agility, reflexes, retractable claws and faster than human healing. This was it. This is her new face. a mixture of docile and aggressive, nurturing and vicious.

"I'll take it."

The list of information was then printed out and she was told to wait outside Dr Cuvier's operating room with it, for the transformation. Five minutes or so and the door opened and a pair of teenagers walked out, one of them had horns protruding from his head and a ring through his nose, the other was covered in the skin of a snake, they looked at her with sick satisfaction.

"welcome to the top of the food chain, sweetheart," the snake boy hissed.

"Thanks. My what a nice little purse you'd make." before he could say anything back the door opened again and Dr Cuvier peared out, which was enough to send them off.

"I assume you're my next appointment?" Dr Cuvier looked down on his next splicer-to-be, "and your name is...?"

"Cheshire." she handed him the list and vanished behind the door.