The viper's eyes flicked open much later in the afternoon. The change had tired her and the cold dampness of the basement had lulled her into a temporary state of rest. She heard the sounds of somebody moving in the basement and sensed the heat of a creature much larger than herself. She eyed her coiled body and took quick stock of herself, noting that it seemed the change was permanent. She was still three feet long and fully intelligent.
Carefully, silently, she left the shelf of the desk and slithered onto the cool concrete floor to get a look at whoever was down there with her. To her delight, it was Rick, who had returned from his lecture to clean the lab. He began sweeping the floor gently with an old corn broom, and it was clear he was deeply lost in thought.
Vipress carefully approached her creator and began climbing the old steel desk he was sweeping in front of. As she reached the cold and sterile top of the work station, she was staring at Rick's backside. She waited for her moment, letting him continue sweeping until he finally took a break. As she had hoped, he turned toward the desk. Rick stopped in cold disbelief as he saw the long dark blue snake coiled in the desktop. Still and staring at him.
"It wasss not a failure." Vipress said softly, hissing her esses in a calm and emotionless voice.
Rick's eyes widened in total awe and he simply stared for a moment. He was not a stupid man, not by far, and his immediate response to the intelligent reptilian was appreciation followed by fear. "My apologies for confining you, ma'am. That must have been a troubling way to enter your new life." He remained perfectly still, nervously so. "I hope you know that I meant you no harm and I certainly mean you no harm now."
"I know..." The snake considered, cocking her head to the side gently. "You needn't be ssscared of me, creator. We need not be adversssariesss... I acccept your apology. You couldn't have known."
"May I approach you? Uh, so we might talk face to face." Rick asked gently.
Somewhat won over by the human's polite and healthy concern, Vipress nodded gently. "Of courssse. I am eager to talk."
Rick pulled up a rolling office chair and sat calmly before Vipress, staring at her evenly but without suspician. His fascination was obvious. "You've grown."
"Yesss." The snake offered a slight hint of pleasure in her voice. "I am ssstronger than I was before."
"Yes, I see that." Rick looked over the viper's coils, observing. "Larger in size but much more muscled than before. You are a lovely and capable serpent, now."
"Thank... you." Vipress paused, taking the compliment in with just a subtle nod of appreciation. "You are... much more pleasssant than I had expected, creator. Now, may I asssk you a quessstion?"
"Yes, please! By all means!" Rick said excitedly, leaning forward in his chair.
"What do you intend to do with me? Now that I am thisss?" The serpent asked bluntly.
"I intend to do nothing with you." Rick said just as matter of factly. "The process of grafting human level intelligence and cognition onto your form has left you, in my eyes, more than a mere animal. You are your own person, er, snake."
Vipress visibly relaxed at that, almost melting into her own coils in relief. "Ssso I am not to be a pet or a tessst sssubject to you? Or a curiosssity to be paraded around?"
"Certainly not!" Rick said emphatically.
"Then I am free?" Vipress raised her head excitedly, the tip of her tail swaying in delight.
"I had promised myself that if the formula ever worked, I would ensure that the resulting creature would be treated as an equal to man." Rick took a deep breath, almost breaking into tears. "I had never expected to reach this point. You are free, my lovely creature. I do not own you."
The snake considered this carefully and looked around the basement in sudden overwhelming terror. Her tiny reptilian eyes seemed to approximate concern and she looked back to Rick in almost submissive embarassment. "What... what ssshall I do, creator? Do you wisssh me to leave now?"
"Of course not!" Rick almost instinctually reached forward to rub the top of the reptile's scaly head in comfort. The serpent seemed to respond favorably to his touch, her eyes lidding slightly and a soft hiss of delight escaping her mouth as she scented him.
Rick withdrew his hand and Vipress stared at him with deep appreciation. "Then... we mussst consssider my current sssituation." She said calmly. "It... will be dangerousss for me out in the world. You will keep me safe. At thisss point, it ssseems foolisssh to expect I could sssurvive out there. I am, asss you sssay, no longer a mere animal."
"A sound assessment." Rick agreed. "More to that, you would be considered dangerous by humans and possibly harmed or captured. I cannot guarantee your safety on your own, but if that is what you choose, I will do what I can to help."
"Ah, yesss." Vipress nodded. "But should the need arissse, I am free to explore?"
"Of course." Rick nodded suddenly. "This can be your home while we figure things out."
The snake paused and looked Rick in the eyes. She struck a charming and genuine grin that took up the corners of her snout. "You... really care about me, creator. Don't you?"
"Yes." Rick gulped softly. "I do. You are the living embodiment of my life's work. To assist the evolution of animal kind. In order to put a check on the destructive power of human beings. To make things balanced. And right."
"You mussst teach me what you know." Vipress hissed enthusiastically. "We could work together! Perhapsss that isss my purpossse!"
"I would be honored to be your teacher, if that is what you wish, my lovely serpent." Rick leaned in close to the reptile and they touched gently, Vipress placing the end of her snout on his nose and Rick gently stroking the top of her head.
When they drew away, there was a genuine connection formed between them. "Thank you." Vipress began. "For giving me thisss gift. And ssshowing me kindnesss. I will never forget thisss moment."
"It is my pleasure." Rick said lovingly. "Uh, do you have a name for yourself?"
"Vipressss." The snake hissed. "A feminine iteration of my type speciesss."
"I'm Rick." The chemist smiled softly, extending his hand. The snake knew to take it, gently extending the tip of her tail and coiling it around his wrist. "Please stop calling me your creator." He chuckled. "I don't like the religious connotations that has."
The serpent smiled once more and shook her tail, thus shaking the human's hand. "Very well, Rick. Where ssshall we begin?"