Note: Don't want to spoil anything, but from this chapter onwards, I recommend that you read the Viper's scenes carefully in case you miss anything.


''The Viper?'' Dawson repeated.

''You mentioned him yesterday, William,'' Olivia said thoughtfully, ''during your depression over not finding a clue at my house.''

''Yes, and now that Olivia mentions it, I believe I recall hearing you say that name a few times before throughout the years, Basil,'' Dawson added.

Basil nodded as he put the voodoo doll of himself down on the table, while still holding the Viper doll.

''Basil, why don't you tell us about him?'' Dawson suggested. ''What kind of villain is he?''

Basil narrowed his eyes and held up the doll. ''He's a genius, Dawson!'' he said in the same awed, dramatic voice he used when first telling his comrades about Ratigan nine years ago. ''A genius twisted for evil, just like Ratigan, also the Napoleon of Crime! Just like Ratigan, there's no evil scheme the Viper wouldn't concoct, no depravity he wouldn't commit! And just like that contemptible sewer rat, the Viper would always elude the authorities. His crime spree started eighteen years ago when he killed an aristocratic rat, Ronald Mortimer, who always donated money to good causes, along with his wife Diane and their daughter Ruby, no doubt for their enormous sum of money. Despite having ran his criminal career for only six years, he made a big impact on both Mousedom and the criminal world!''

Olivia and Dawson were listening intensely at Basil's story about their new enemy.

''He may be small in size, a few inches shorter than myself, but he made everyone fear him with his deep, sharp, hissy voice. In fact, that's precisely why he's called the Viper, because of the quality of his infamous snake voice – once you hear it, your blood runs cold.''

''There's no way that can be the Viper's actual voice; real snakes make hisses in high pitches, not deep ones,'' Olivia pointed out.

''Quite right, Olivia. It has always been my firm believe that the Viper uses that as a disguise to make him unrecognisable.''

Dawson took the doll from Basil and examined it. ''And I'm guessing he's a mouse since he only has four fingers.''

''Yes, doctor, but that much has ever been known about him.''

''What do you mean?'' Olivia asked, tilting her head. ''Exactly who is the Viper?''

''That's why not much is known about him, my dear. He has always been shrouded in literal mystery, because –'' Basil pulled down the doll's hood, and Olivia and Dawson stepped back in surprise to see there was no head '' – nobody has ever seen his face! Every attempt by myself and Scotland Yard to deduce his identity had been futile,'' he added in frustration. He then turned the doll around so Dawson and Olivia could see the back. ''The only clue was the fact he lacks a tail, but any tailless male mice apprehended were a dead end.''

''But, Basil, how did you know the Viper is our enemy?'' asked Dawson.

''When Hiram said he saw someone spying through the guest bedroom window, I noticed both he and Mr Mitchell wore hooded cloaks, and the Viper is the only villain I know who has all of his henchmen wear hoods.''

Olivia narrowed her eyes. ''I take back what I said this morning. The Viper is as bad as Ratigan, and certainly just as smart if he has always been careful not to leave a clue to his true identity.''

''As I said earlier, the Viper is the craftiest villain ever,'' Basil said, in a tone of admiration for the Viper's intellect. ''Even Ratigan could not outshine him.''

''Did Ratigan actually try to fight him?'' Olivia asked curiously.

''Surprisingly, no,'' Basil replied. ''Ratigan was furious when the Viper first appeared in the criminal underworld and quickly made a name for himself, snatching half the crown from him, but there was never any known rivalry between them whatsoever. They left each other to get on with their own schemes.''

Dawson and Olivia looked at each other, stunned. ''That doesn't sound like Ratigan,'' Dawson said.

''He always liked to be viewed as the most superior mind ever,'' Olivia agreed, ''so surely he would've wanted to rid himself of any competition for the top criminal prize?''

Basil shrugged. ''I would guess he knew it would be futile, he and the Viper were too evenly matched. The closest thing they had to a feud was that most of the Viper's insane plots were actually inspired by Ratigan's, but whether it was to mock him or because he idolised him is debatable.''

''William, you're obviously already familiar with the Viper, but how come Dawson and I've never heard of him until now?'' Olivia asked. ''He doesn't seem to have made himself known for a while.''

Basil took the Viper doll back from Dawson. ''You see, Olivia, the Viper suddenly vanished without a trace three years before your case, and Scotland Yard were later sent a note by him, saying he had decided to retire. However, I always knew we hadn't seen the last of him, and now my prediction has come true.''

''I bet Ratigan was ecstatic to hear of this,'' Dawson said, rolling his eyes.

'Indeed, he was. While committing his first big scheme following the Viper's retirement, he made a big speech about how he had now won back the Napoleon of Crime crown and boasted: 'That insufferable pipsqueak Viper was a criminal worthy of my genius, I'll admit, but I always knew I would eventually scare him off – not the other way around – and I would be the victor.' ''

''That slimy rat would say that,'' Olivia murmured, and Basil chuckled.

The detective then became serious again and pulled out his pipe, lighting up the tobacco inside. ''The question is,'' he said, frowning deeply in thought, ''why, after twelve years of complete inactivity, has our Viper friend suddenly resurfaced? I mean, as I said, I always knew he would one day, but why now?''

''William,'' Olivia said suddenly, taking the voodoo doll of Basil into one hand, ''I hate to ask, but what's with the dolls?''

The young woman looked from the voodoo doll of Basil to the doll of the Viper. It was rather creepy and made her shiver.

''Ah,'' said Basil, ''that is the Viper's signature move. He would often leave behind at the crime scene a doll, either a normal doll or a voodoo one, or sometimes a note with a voodoo doll drawing. It was his way of mocking his victims. Personally, I always found it rather disturbing,'' he added in a repulsed tone.

''This Viper is certainly messed up,'' Dawson said.

''And has a very warped sense of humour,'' Olivia added, before turning to Dawson. ''But, Doctor, when you first saw the doll of William, you seemed to recognise it.''

Basil and Dawson looked at each other. ''Well, my dear,'' Dawson said, ''just days after you and your father left, Scotland Yard came by and told us they had cleared out Ratigan's lair.''

''They had even returned the human-sized Crown Jewels to Tower Bridge, from where he had stolen them,'' Basil said. ''The only things that remain there to this day are an old throne, curtains and an old wine fountain, but they will have rotted away and moulded by now. When Scotland Yard visited, they showed us a voodoo doll Ratigan had of me covered in needles, to emphasise how much he wished me dead. It looked identical to this one.''

Olivia looked at the Basil doll and ran her fingers over it. ''And you think the Viper had a hand in creating it?''

Basil was impressed Olivia could read him but took care no to show it. ''Exactly. The moment I saw it, I suspected it was the Viper's doing; it was his craft style and dolls were his form of mockery and hatred. Ratigan was never really one for craftsmanship, hence why he had your father build that mechanical robot for him, and no doubt had his henchmen construct that 'overkill' trap for Dawson and I. That fiendish rat must've approached the Viper to make one, and the Viper agreed since they shared a common enemy in me.''

''You sure have a habit of forging rivalries with deranged villains, William,'' Olivia remarked with a grin.

Basil grinned back at her. ''I'm a detective, Olivia, it's my job,'' he said proudly. ''Yes, the Viper and I had a bit of a feud during those six years. I tried to capture him, but just like his fellow criminal the Viper always narrowly evaded my grasp.'' He held the Viper doll up to his face and glared at it while shaking a fist. ''And since he has made his move, we will start looking into his motives for returning tomorrow. Now that the dastardly Viper has returned, who knows what evil scheme he is plotting against me?''

The whole time the trio had been talking, little did they know that the small, hooded figure from before had been watching them through the window. As soon as Basil started telling Olivia and Dawson about the Viper, the figure left, having seen enough to inform his master. He hopped a few houses from Baker Street, climbed up a house and hope from roof to roof, his peg-leg hobbling with each jump.


In another part of London, there was an old abandoned opera house that no-one had set foot in for years. It went bust and was forced to close down. The human version of the opera house was a ghost-town, but down in the rodent section, there was life. Backstage, there were two large identical male mice that looked like bodyguards playing poker in one of the dressing rooms. Butch Mitchell, the newest addition, was wandering around in awe, having never be inside an opera house before. He then heard the back door creak open and saw the individual coming in.

But it was the theatre section where life truly shined. Although the chairs were covered in dust and cobwebs, the stage was lit and there was a background made up of light-blue features, as if it was the sky and sea mixed together. Sitting right at the front of the stage however, was the main attraction: a fine gold throne engraved with a large black circle with the letter ''V'' in the middle in bright blue on the headrest. In the seat was a tall and slender figure, calmly smoking his cigarette attached to his gold holder. He was about the same height as Charlie, and was wearing a long, very loose black robe with the large hood pulled over his head, making his face a mystery. On his small hands were white gloves with gold cufflinks. It was the infamous Viper. He stared out at the empty audience and smiled.

''Oh, I do love opera,'' he said, as if they were speaking to someone invisible. ''I used to come here all the time until it closed down. Of course, no opera singer or dancer could ever match up to your theatrical talents, my dear. Don't worry, my dear, once my plan is complete, I will reopen this place up in your good name.''

The Viper giggled at the thought. He lifted up his left arm but slightly winced in pain. This left arm still bothered him sometimes.

''Mr Viper?''

The Viper looked over his right shoulder and saw Butch standing by the exit stage. ''Sorry to disturb you,'' he said quickly, for the Viper gave him the creeps and he didn't bring about his wrath, ''but, uh, the bat has returned.''

The Viper grinned from under his hood. ''Send him in, Butch.''

''Right away, sir.''

Butch disappeared and a moment later a newcomer appeared, with the hood now down from his head. He was a small bat with large pointy ears, wearing black robes identical to the ones the Viper and the rest of his crew wore. One of his wings was crippled and where his right leg should be was a peg-leg. It was Fidget, Ratigan's former right-hand bat. He walked onto the stage and bowed nervously. He hoped the Viper wasn't still mad at him for the other night.

''Ah, Fidget,'' the Viper said in a friendly, welcoming voice, putting out their cigarette and tucking the holder into their pocket and clasping their hands together. ''I was wondering where you'd got to, my friend.''

Fidget swallowed. ''I – I –''

''Don't worry, Fidget, all is forgotten about that toymaker possibly glimpsing you. You were wearing your hood so he didn't recognise you. Besides, Basil would have known tonight anyway that I'm the one behind the Flavershams' trauma, so what does it matter if he possibly figured it out earlier thanks to Hiram seeing you?''

Even though the Viper was talking cheerfully and calmly, Fidget could tell he was going to punish him later when this was over and hunched up small. The Viper strongly reminded him of Ratigan.

''How is Miss Flaversham doing, after Butch's little visit?''

''She's determined to find out who maimed her father and is assisting on the case. I didn't see her father there so I assume they moved him somewhere else.''

''Of course they would. Basil would never risk anything happening to Olivia or her father. And I underestimated her,'' the Viper added in annoyance. ''I was hoping Butch would succeed in killing her father. Oh, well, he got the job done and that's the main thing. Besides, that girl was always different so it's not really a surprise she's turned out the way she has.''

''Uh ...''

''And how's our old friend, Basil, Fidget? Does he remember me?''

''He's doing pretty well. After receiving your present he told the girl and the doctor all about you, so I think he does remember you.''

''Good. No-one forgets about the Viper, or they regret it,'' the villain said, cracking their knuckles. ''Don't you agree Fidget?''

''Yes, uh, sir,'' Fidget said meekly.

''Now the million-pound question: what is going on between Basil and Olivia?'' the Viper asked eagerly.

''They're not together just yet, if that's what you mean, but they are getting closer so I think it's only a matter of time, boss.''

The Viper grinned. ''As I thought,'' they said triumphantly, laughing. ''So far, everything is going exactly the way I anticipated. Now, I want you to keep a close eye on them from afar – but whatever you do, don't get caught, or better yet, leave anything behind that they could use to follow you,'' he warned, as Fidget shrunk. ''If you do, it will ruin everything.''

''Why me?'' Fidget asked in an almost whine. ''I thought your inside man was doing that?''

''My inside man has so far done an admirable job in gaining access to Olivia and will continue to do so, but it will make Basil suspicious if it's all the time. You, my dear friend, are a safer bet. After all, you are the most experienced with spying on Basil, are you not, Fidget?''

''Yes, but ... do I have to?''

There was an intense pause. The Viper slowly stood up from the throne and Fidget was frozen with fear as his boss sashayed gracefully towards him.

''Am I detecting a hint of reluctance?'' the Viper asked in a soft and dangerous voice, their hooded-face right in Fidget's, and the bat cringed. ''Are you disobeying my orders?''

''N-n-n-no, of course n-n-not,'' he stuttered.

''You had better not be. Don't forget that you owe me, you ungrateful little runt. If I hadn't sent Spike and Cliff to retrieve you from the river that night, you wouldn't be here. And if it wasn't for me, you would have gone to jail along with the rest of Professor Ratigan's goons. Don't make me remind you again – you know I hate repeating myself.''

Fidget swallowed ''Sorry, boss,'' he gabbled, throwing the Viper a military salute.

''That's better. Now, tomorrow Basil and his friends will start investigating into my sudden resurrection, and I very much look forward to this game. I will start dropping hints in due time, but I want him to run around like a headless chicken for a bit before I do. That will be fun, seeing the Great Mouse Detective struggle with his pride over his smarts.''

''Yes, sir,'' said Fidget. ''He is no match for you.''

The Viper chuckled, before leaning down and putting their palm under the bat's chin to frighten him, which worked. ''Indeed. Your master was the only one who was worthy of my genius. Now, I wish to be alone, Fidget.''

The Viper let go of Fidget's chin and the bat scurried away from the stage. As soon as he was gone, the Viper stared out at the empty audience once more. ''Honestly, that bat,'' the Viper scoffed, resuming his conversation as if he was speaking to an invisible friend, ''sometimes I wonder if he actually has a brain at all, like the Scarecrow. How did you put up with him, Padraic?''

With a huge sigh, the Viper then left via the exit stage right toward a dressing room door that had a large sheet nailed to the door with the words: ''VIPER'S ROOM. ENTER BEFORE KNOCKING OR ELSE''. The two large bodyguards from before were now standing at either side of the door, and with a nod to their master he stepped aside.

The Viper opened the door and entered the dressing room. It was bright and lit-up, as if the Viper had stepped into another world, and there was a small box of make-up on the desk in front of the mirror. But that was all there was. Tacked to the actual mirror, covering the entire glass frame, were newspaper articles of Basil, the detective's face crossed out. On the desk with the make-up box were two voodoo dolls covered in needles: a doll of Basil identical to the one the detective himself received earlier, and another doll dressed in a blue coat, scarf and hat with a red bobble. On either side of the dolls were life-sized versions of the deerstalker cap and the blue hat, a small magnifying glass and a red bow.

In the dressing room was another hooded figure: he was tall and gangly and had brown fur on his hands, which were very wrinkly. ''Master,'' he said in a gravelly, elderly voice, bowing. ''I have kept your room in order.''

''Thank you, my faithful subject,'' the Viper said in a grand tone. ''I can always count on you to keep things exactly the way I want them.'' The figure nodded and pulled out the chair for his boss to sit down. The Viper cradled their left arm. ''Still bothers you, master?'' the elderly figure asked sympathetically.

''Marginally,'' the Viper said scornfully. ''The thought of doing away with that scrawny runt of a detective is the only reason why I still use this left arm. My body temperature is also reasonable.''

''Glad to hear. Don't worry,'' the elderly man said, putting his hands on his master's shoulders in a fatherly fashion. ''He will soon pay. They both will.''

The Viper then giggled and picked up the two dolls. ''Yes, they will,'' they said, grinning like lunatic. ''Don't worry, Padraic, I will succeed where you failed. Basil and Olivia will both suffer my wrath. They will bow down before me.''

The Viper picked up the Basil doll so it was level with their face, produced a needle from their pocket and ferociously stuck it right into the doll's stomach, then proceeded to do the same with the Olivia doll. ''I guarantee it ...''

The Viper then let out a loud, maniacal laugh, one that was heard from all over the opera house, all of the henchmen feeling chills down their spines.


There we go! Our mysterious friend the Viper formally introduced, and seems to be a little insane, like most Disney Villains.

Despite what Basil thinks, it appears the Viper does have some sort of connection to Ratigan, but what? Is that the reason behind the sudden return? Or is it something else? And what did Basil do the Viper's left arm?

Did you guess Fidget was the small figure?

If you're wondering about the Viper's large bodyguards, Spike and Cliff, they don't talk. They are the strong, silent type.

See you soon!