Fully alive
More than most
Ready to smile and love life
Fully alive and she knows
How to believe in futures

~Fully Alive by Flyleaf

Viper looked down at the people of her hometown, Animalia.

The city mostly centered on the multiple zoos, pet stores, and any other business that featured animals. My father worked part time as a security officer in a neighboring city for a weapons plant, but also worked with the snakes at many of the zoos. I had often gone with him to the zoos. There I became fascinated with vipers.

To me, they were more than just snakes. . .they were what my mother told me I should be. Dangerous and beautiful, vipers were just the inspiration I needed. When her father finally figured out who my mother was, he threw me right back to my mother, who let me live in one of her "bolt holes" in Steel City. That was when I started her late night "play dates" with the cops.

My mother was a thief, so getting the snake skins was no problem. All I had to do was stitch them together. The result was a loose jacket, patterned after the leather jacket Marlon Brando wore in the 1953 movie, "The Wild One". It was a bit bulky, but it produced the sizzling sound that the Echis produced as a warning sound. It was a good trademark

Under the jacket, I sometimes wore Kevlar padding. But most of the time, my "jobs" didn't involve people with guns, so I usually wore a form fitting tan tank top and black bellbottom jeans.

My other trademark, a belt, I had gotten from a popular clothing store. It was a recycled seat belt from a Dodge Viper. On the buckle, there was the logo in silver with a black background.

My mother, Catwoman, encouraged all of my "play dates". She saw herself in me, despite the animal differences.

Viper shook her head. She was here to get the past out of her head, not to dwell on it.

She saluted the blinking lights, "Good bye, Anamalia."

She turned and jumped onto an elevated train that read "Steel City".

"Hello Steel City, my new future."

I was ready for my future adventures...whatever they may be.

I am ready to smile and dream again.