VIPER

Date Formed: 1947?
Estimated Membership: 5000 - 9000
Headquarters: Unknown
Area of Operations: Global
Leadership: Unknown.
Sponsor: The organization appears to be intensely independent, but it is suspected that it draws support from various powerful corporate organizations.
Objectives/Target Audiences: * Undermine and circumvent the political systems of the worlds nations by means of financial manipulation, assassination and terrorism.
Background Viper is organized to place the control of the worlds governments into the hands of an as yet unknown financial elite. They believe that the world and it's population would be better off being the property of the "Cartel" and having all it's important decisions and plans made by experienced, qualified managers and executives.

Viper is thought to have begun as a small organization, formed from a core of financial magnates in the later part of the 1940's to use criminal activities to further their business interests. They supported the activities of several established criminal organizations and funded numerous terrorist groups whose goals were beneficial to them.

In early 1970 they experienced an upsurge in their membership, and it was learned that the nucleus of the organization had also grown. Their activities increased from passive support of other organizations to active assaults and covert operations, using their own agents and personnel.

Viper began using superhuman operatives on operations in mid 1975. They were used to support assault agents for the most part, until late 1984 when they began to use superhuman operatives to conduct missions in place of agents.

Viper's operations in the past have mostly been against federal targets, to obtain access to advanced technologies and set back federal projects. Typical acts include raids on research and storage facilities, bombings, and kidnapping. Hostages are usually scientists which have made recent advances of some type. The return of hostages in the past has usually been obtained through swift tactical action, not negotiation.