Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Jovian Products - AP

Dr. Jan Hallister of the the new joint venture of US Minerals and Cromwell Industries - Jovian Products - introduced six revolutionary inventions which have arrived from the use of Event Alloy (EVA) these include - flexible LCD screen (thin and flexible as paper), a mini-rail gun (capable of moving 100 grams at 1000 mps) with 110 volt power source, ballistic cloth (stronger and lighter than Kevlar) as flexible as wool or cotton, but instantly strengthens when a high kinetic energy impact occurs, vacuum-inductor engine (low speed ram jet), quantum-effect memory chip (4ghz computer chips), wire-batteries (No description given).
Hallister indicated that the first public test would be done later this year, the first commercially availible products to be rolled out early next year. Both US Mineral and Cromwell are major contractors with the US Government and military, so it is likely that some of their products may be sold exclusively to them.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Super soaker interrupts gangwar - Dean Fastow

The watery Super who appeared last week in China Town to capture the Bull Demon along with known Superheroes Jack Flash and Marduk, appeared again, this time solo, to quell violence between rival gangs in China Town. Members of the "Nui Mo Wang" (Demons) gang, were facing off with the "Iron Tigers" another local Chinese gang, in what police called a "territorial dispute," on the 3400 block of 12th avenue. Shortly after they began to fight, the area was deluged by a flood of water. Wave after wave knocked the gang members down and sent them fleeing the neighborhood. By the time police and emergency crews arrived, the streets were clear of gang members, and the water had disappeared into the storm system.
Local citizens praised the woman, who they call "Torrent" for standing up to the gang member and cleansing the streets with her powers. Police have yet to offer an official declaration, but Lieutenant Seth Sanders warned citizens against vigilante action, both for their own protection, and to preserve law and order.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Electricuted bodies wash up on Carolina shore - UPI

The bodies of seven unidentified men, all Korean, washed up on shore off Manteo sometime last week and were discovered by duck hunters Saturday morning. The bodies all possessed electrical burn wounds as though caught in a spot welder, or struck by lightning through their chests. Autopsy results have yet to come in, but preliminary reports indicate time of death as sometime Thursday or Wednesday. Beaufort country coroner reports they were all in garbed in light industrial wear, the kind worn by seafarers on cargo or tanker ships. However, no vessels of Korean or Asian origin have reported men over board.
The wounds are unusual, and were it a natural lightning strike, the odds of seven men being hit in roughly the same place, in one strike are astronomical, but not impossible.
When asked, investigators said they had not ruled out Super involvement.

Autistic Dr. Dolittle - Dean Fastow

Emma Lange, a 15 year old autistic girl who has not spoken a single word has begun speaking to the animals. On a visit to the Claremont Farms, a work farm designed for children to visit and learn about farming, she began smaking noises to the sheep and horses. The child care workers were please and arranged for more visits to farm hoping to bring her out of her shell. Animal therapy is not unusual for austistic people. What is unusual is that the animals appeared to respond to her in unusual ways. They appeared to dance about, move in formation, and jump and run seemingly at her command. The farmers reported scenes right out of the movie Babe.
Although, there is no official test for Event related super powers, this seems to qualify.
Lange's parents gave her up for adoption early in her life, and she has been a ward of the state ever since. On word of her new found powers, numerous requests to adopt her have been made. Officials for child services say that they are applying unusual scrutiny to these petitions for fear she might be exploited.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Thomas Moore petitions the JREF $1 million prize - Dean Fastow

Skeptics at the Jame Randi Educational Foundation have found themselves confronted by the strange circumstances of the Event. For twenty years JREF has offered $1 million to anyone who can prove that they have supernatural abilities. But, with all the reports of Supers in the news from around the since the event, many members have urged Randi to suspend the contest until the scientists can evaluate the effects. For now, the prize still stands. Thomas Moore, aka the "Ghost Whisperer", a television show based in Franklin that features Moore communicating with departed souls. The show took a hiatus after the Event, but returned to face controversy by connecting victims with the families this month. Moore claims his powers have been amplified by the Event, and he feels he can prove even the most skeptical person of his powers.
Randi has not responded to the petition.

First Commercial Uses of EVA - Dean Fastow

EVA or Event Alloy, the strange metal discovered at Impact Site One, has been mystifying scientists for monthes. Its strange magnetic, and other properties have caused metalurgists and chemists to scratch their collective heads.
Leave it to the engineers at Cromwell Industries and US Minerals to discover some marketable uses of the material. Working together the venture has proposed to unveil six products using the material in a joint presentation at the Academy of Science and Technology (Freedom University) August 29th. Rumors in the high tech community are that they will introduce: a new high speed, low heat super conductor (which may revolutionize the semi-conductor industry), a low weight ballistic fibre (similar to kevlar) for use in bullet proof armor, malleable/shapeable metal, useful for airplane surfaces, and other uses, High Energy Batteries, and other exotic ideas. The venture has yet to release any official details.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Super spotted in Malasia - Dean Fastow

Considered the epicenter of Event related strangeness, Franklin City has been home to all of the known sightings of supers. That changed today if reports from Kuala Lampur, Malasia are confirmed. A group of pedetrians crossing between the Petronis Towers (by some accounts the tallest buildings in the world) on the sky bridge were shaken by an earthquake in the city. Several bolts securing the bridge broke and glass fell from the ceiling, at least one victim who fell between the cracks of the broken bridge was caught and rescued by a flying man. Dubbed "Flying Tiger" by the Malasian press, the costumed super rescued the victim and assist crews and securing the bridge until the remaining people were evacuated.

Roomba Rumpus - Dean Fastow

Another entry on the lighter side of superdom, three separate reports of Roomba(TM) brand robotic vacuums loose in the streets of Franklin City. Whether this was the prank of some hacker teens, or something Event related has not been determined. The vacuum cleaners were on the street, and no operators were present. The robots were moving in purposeful ways (not the random bumping movement owners are familiar with), suggesting remote control, but Roomba manufacturers indicate the range of the remote controls to be somewhat limited (less than 20 feet) and easily blocked by obstructions.
One of the Roomba's was discovered and no modifcations were found to it. Police would not report the contents of the dust receptacle. In this reporter's opinion, there are somethings we don't want to know, what you'd get vacuuming the streets of Franklin is one of them.

Super Man(drill) - Dean Fastow

In the lighter side of Superdom, the (ironically named) Freedom City Zoo has announced strange behavior from one of its primates. The 6 year old Mandrill by the name of Aurelious has begun acting strangely. "It began with his mimicking our behavior, he would walk around his enclosure and pretend to fill out forms, jot down notes, frown or smile. Then one of the staff gave him some crayons and paper, and he began drawing shapes similar to the signs around the enclosure. " The zoo keepers report that Aurelious's behavior extended to other areas. He began walking upright, a feat not unheard of for the Baboon-like animal, but not common. He also began to construct small, simple machines, such as levers and wedges. Although simple by modern standards, engineers have long held that those simple devices form the basis of modern engineering.
Specialists were brought in and continue to study the mandrill. The theory is that the Event may have affects some mutation in his genetic structure enhancing his intelligence.
Event related incidents involving animals have mostly been limited to death and illness, but the prospect of super-animals has only now been considered. Member of PETA have joined with the ACLU to demand access to the testing done on Aurelious. ACLU representative Kelly Busby: "If Aurelious is exhibiting human level intelligence, we must consider whether he has rights, and whether he wishes to remain in the enclosure or not."
Charleton Heston could not be reached on the prospect of intelligent Apes running free in the world. As of the printing of this article, the Statue of Libety was still intact.

Super Villain Nabbed by Super Heroes! - Dean Fastow

In a surprising turn around, police report that a group of "supers" captured another "super" in China Town after a brawl which left three buildings and at least one motor vehicle seriously damaged. The police claim to have evidence linking the suspect "Charlie Wang" to an attempted robbery there, and the ATM robbery of the previous day. One of the "supers" who assited in the apprehension of Wang, was a water wielding woman who might be the suspect from the ATM crime. Witnesses identified two other "supers" one incredibly fast, moving almost instantaneously from place to place, the other very strong and resistant to damage. The descriptions match those of the two "supers" who were spotted at the conflict at the Teller Nuclear Power Plant three months ago. Witnesses heard the names "Marduk" and "Jack Flash" used for the two known "supers." It appears that, like the comic book super-heroes they resemble, these people have taken codenames to perform their heroics. The representative of the police denied that those people were suspects of any crime, but they were wanted as witnesses and are dubbed "persons of interest."
Wang was removed from the scene in one of the Police Department's new Special Perpetrator Vehicle, designed to hold and transport super powered suspects.

Super Bank Robbery! - Dean Fastow

Late last night polices arrived too late as a so-called "Super" criminal fled the scene with thousands of dollars having robbed an ATM from a bank in China Town. A witness claimed the woman was able to shoot blasts of water which knocked him down. Police urged the city's population to show caution. These super-powered beings, or "supers" possess abilities far in excess of normal people, and should be treated as armed and dangerous.
The mayor's office indicated that two special vehicles had been commissioned, and a squadron of police had been given special equipment and training to deal with this 'super' menace.