The Paragon Beholder - We See What Goes On!

Kidnapping of Foreign Diplomat Thwarted

by Maura Moore

Early Sunday morning a group of meta-human criminals, so far only tenatively identified as the mysterious group known as the Lost, executed an ambush to kidnap the Japanese diplomat Shinji Mizuhara and his daughter, Manami. Working in two groups they distracted the pair of Dawn Patrol members who were escorting Mr. Mizuhara while also assaulting the diplomat's limousine. The kidnapping was barely averted by the timely intervention of two members of a relatively new and unknown hero group, the Union of Freedom. The following is an excerpt of my interview with one of those heroes.

MOORE: So tell us your name, hero, and what happened here today.

HERO: Blue Skull, Member of The Union of Freedom.

MOORE: Go on.

BS: You see what happened here was I was just walking from the police department after dropping off a few big time bank robbers when I came upon two Dawn Patrol who were under attack by a bunch of super powered hobos. Naturally I didn't think twice about charging into the battle. I took out most of the hobos while protecting the Dawn Guys.

MOORE: You, yourself, personally took out most of the assailants?

BS: Yes.

MOORE: I see. Please, continue.

BS: Thats when I saw my good friend and fellow Union member Mirus flying a couple of people away from some more hobos that were attacking her. I ran over there and kept the hobos off her to let her escape and even took one prisoner. Then the rest of the Dawn arrived and I decided to let them have some fun being the nice guy that I am. Then I found you Ms Moore.

Another costumed do-gooder who has perhaps too high an opinion of himself, the Blue Skull's comments were backed up by the representatives from the Dawn Patrol at the scene. His teammate, known as Mirus, was unavailable for comment.

Mr Mizuhara did not know why he had been targeted for attack. The purpose behind his visit to Paragon City was to study how the city's policies in regards to licensed super-hero groups affects the city's crime rate.

There is little known about the Lost other than they are composed of people who have gone down into the sewers systems only to return changed. Perhaps the most famous case concerning the Lost involved former Dawn Patrol member Shannon Price who went under the code name Starlight. The Dawn Patrol had no comments to add to this story.

Two of the Lost were captured during this attack. Both died of unknown causes while paramedics attempted to load them into ambulances for treatment.

Green to City Council: "BRING DOWN THE WALLS"

By Forrest Stevens

At a joint press conference Thursday, spokespersons for a number of local minority organizations blasted the Paragon City government for attempting to quarantine high-crime areas from the rest of the metropolis.

"The government is keeping my people in a cage," said Rev. Jeremiah Green of the newly-formed Persons of Color Action League (PCAL). "Under the current administration, entire neighborhoods full of law abiding citizens have been walled off from the rest of the city and released to the de facto control of criminal organizations and even alien invaders."

In the period following last year's Rikti invasion, the city government has designated certain portions of the city as 'blighted zones' with a high degree of criminal activity or continuing Rikti presence. In an attempt to prevent the Rikti from re-emerging and crime from spreading, the government has built barriers controlling entrance and egress from these neighborhoods. Green pointed to statistics which, he claimed, show that the vast majority of these neighborhoods are heavily populated by impoverished citizens and minorities, claiming that the city has abandoned these citizens to their fate.

Continued in next column...

Eye On Paragon: Shot of the Month

Giant tapeworm attack interrupts family portrait.

Paragon City Built on "Swiss Cheese"

by Barry Dawdle

Acclaimed geologist Herbert Griddle yesterday declared Paragon City to be "astoundingly lucky" to still exist despite being built on the rock equivalent of "swiss cheese". Dr Griddle, famous for his work as a geologist and spelunker, has just completed a preliminary investigation into the tunnel systems that underpin Paragon City and was addressing a Geologist's and Biogeologist's Conference when he made the claim.

"I've never seen such a major city built on such flimsy bedrock. It's astounding!", said Dr Griddle. "The number of caves and caverns under Paragon City is just extraordinary and given the amount of excavation that reportedly still goes on by the people that occupy the area, it's amazing there hasn't yet been a major collapse!"

Dr Griddle was provided protective services by Children of the Elements when writing his report and was glad on several occasions that they were there for him. "In between the Rikti, the Lost, the Circle of Thorns and any number of other seedy characters that operate in those caverns, I was lucky to get out unscathed many a time! I even was attacked by a giant tapeworm!"

Dr Griddle is planning to re-enter the tunnel system in the near future and hopes to be able to develop a map for other spelunkers to use. Several hero groups including the Freedom Phalanx have recommended that entering the caves at all is highly risky and should not be done without considering those risks.

"Evil" Clone Granted Child Custody

by Pere Torr

A clone has been found to be a "more suitable parent" and has been granted the custody of her source's children in a decision handed down at Justice Gardens earlier today. Miss Felicia Jefferies, a clone, was found by the Family Court to be a more stable and reliable parent than her genetic source Miss Felicia Jefferies aka Knife's Edge. The residing judge in the case, District Authority Marshell Matters, found that Miss Jefferies' superhero lifestyle was "too dangerous and random" to make her a good mother and that her clone would be able to provide more stability "while still having the necessary mother's touch".

Knife's Edge was noticably distraught by the findings and left the court in tears. "I... I just can't believe it happened!", she says. "I've always managed to balance my job and mothering duties before, as anyone who knows me will be able to testify. I work very hard to give my children a good home... and then this happens..."

"They can't just take my children away and give them to this... woman! She's evil! She has to be!"

Miss Jefferies was overcome by tears at this point, while her lawyer would only comment to say that they would appeal the decision.

Miss Jefferies (the clone) has also threatened Miss Jefferies (the source) with defamation proceedings if Miss Jefferies (the original) does not stop calling her an "evil clone". "I'm not evil and since I don't want to do anything as reckless as fight superpowered criminals, I'm a much better choice to look after Timmy and Becky" says Miss Jefferies.

Miss Jefferies was allegedly cloned in an attempt to discredit Knife's Edge's superhero reputation, but the scheme apparently backfired when the clone, Miss Jefferies, launched a custody bid for Miss Jefferies children instead of robbing the First Paragon Bank. Superhero groups are still investigating the origins of the original plot. Miss Jefferies and Miss Jefferies are helping with their inquiries.

This finding is the first of its kind and may be the source of court action by other clones in similar situations.

Continued from previous column...

"This is part of a continuing pattern of discrimination in city services, particularly law enforcement," Green stated. "When the Rikti were rampaging across town, threatening the communities in which city leaders live, it was treated as an emergency. But as soon as white folks' neighborhoods were cleared, it ceased to be such a crucial issue in their minds. At this point, it somehow strikes them as acceptable to build walls around the problem, and leave the persons of color living within those walls to a life of deprivation, degredation, and domination."

Esteban Hernandez of La Raza Unida agreed. "The barrios of Paragon City have become a cesspool. Whether at night or even at noon, one cannot walk the street without being accosted by Freakshow thugs. The city spends its resources patrolling Watkins Glen and Forest Green, getting cats out of trees, while behind the walls, the lives of Chicanos and Chicanas descend into anarchy. For the city government, the policy is 'out of sight, out of mind.'"

Police spokesman Chuck Wiggum disagreed with the allegations of bias, citing the example of Julianne Estates, a once-wealthy neighborhood which was walled off in August.

Green and others indicated support for a resolution, scheduled for discussion at an upcoming City Council meeting which will allow registered super-powered individuals to access the blighted areas as deputized crime control agents. The so-called "Beta Resolution" will be put to a vote within the first quarter of 2003, according to well-placed sources.

Nonetheless, Green and others continue to express their dissatisfaction with the city-sponsored quarantine, and hinted at a vigilante approach.

"If the city will not provide my people with the services for which we pay taxes," Green stated, "we will certainly provide those services for ourselves. My community is not without super-powered individuals of our own, and I assure you that they will not sit idly by while allowing their homes to be turned into a battlefield. The spirit of our community will not be caged by the concrete walls you have erected to keep us inside."

"One way or another," Green pledged, "Those walls will come down."

CAPE-tastrophe hits Paragon Hard!

by Jackson Kastella

At a prestigious press conference held yesterday at Paragon City Hall with the mayor, board of executives and chairperson of the Paragon Hero Registry Committee, an official announcement was made banning the use of capes in the city.

“We want to take steps towards professionalism and progress in our city. By outlawing the use of capes we will keep our heads on tighter. Heroes will be required to register his or her cape so we make sure that no duplicates are possible,” said Isabella Dugonge, a representative of the executive board of Paragon City.

Some heroes weren’t too pleased with the ruling of the city. “This is more than taking away our pride. It’s down right stripping us of our freedom to wear capes and express our creativity through the outfits we wear,” said Laser Umbra, who says that she will quote unquote “still wear my cape.”

The mayor of Paragon City Hall had made a saccharine statement however, announcing that capes would be legal in the future, but for the time being the city has too many other obligations to work on.

Antimatter Weapons Bill Defeated in Council Session

by Victoria Valance

The controversial Antimatter Handguns, Rifles and Cannons Utilisation Bill was defeated yesterday in Paragon City Hall after heated debate between council members. The bill, which would enable citizens with the correct permits to carry antimatter weapons for self-defence purposes, had been developed as a way for ordinary citizens and heroes to protect themselves from super-powered attacks.

The bill was eventually defeated after passionate argument from several groups, including the Freedom Phalanx, the Civil Engineers' Collective Union and Mothers Against Guns (MAGs). Arguments against the bill included the destructive potential of these weapons in an already heavily damaged city, the lack of training the bill required before antimatter weapons could be carried and the bad influence that seeing these weapons may have on Paragon City children.

News of the bill's defeat was met with mixed reactions. The Freedom Phalanx released a statement that indicated "although the Freedom Phalanx isn't against guns and projectile weapons per se, there must be a limit. Not allowing anitmatter weapons keeps this limit intact."

Supporters of the bill were less pleased. "This totally blows!", said The Suit, a technology-based heroine. "Not letting me carry antimatter weapons robs me of a crucial piece of crime-fighting equipment. Without it, all I'm left with is my Concussive Rockets, Energy Mines, Quantum Lasers, Phaze Particle Beams, Power Gloves, twin-mounted Gatling Guns, Radar Guided Friend-or-Foe Missiles, Sonic Shockers, Armour Piercing Vibro-knife and Knock-out Gas Grenades. I'm practically defenseless!"

The bill's supporters have vowed to see the bill pass and will seek further debate on antimatter weapons in Paragon City at a later date.

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