Editing News from Session Two 10-21-04

Following services held in Redmond, Washington, Bill Gates announced an aggressive campaign for recruitment to the Microsoft superhero organization Vision. “We believe that Vision has an important role to play, in bringing light to the world and being available 24/7 to deal with disasters and help the weary to rise to their feet after them.” Pressed further as to how he planned to conduct the recruitment, Gates declined to answer, stating only that the campaign was being worked on and would be rolled out within the next several weeks.  

Chicago city officials confirmed negotiations and general acceptance of a new superteam today after several days of sustained questioning. Mayor Richard Dankin stated that following the Zero Moment incident they had been contacted by an independent group offering to assist the city with its notorious Anarch situation. “We have tentatively accepted the offer and hope for the best,” was the limited statement the mayor would make on the record. Representatives of the new group, to be known as the Untouchables, gave a small press conference without the members present. “We have spoken with a number of city officials and worked out most of the details for our operations here in Chicago. They’ve given us tremendous cooperation and we looked forward to living up to their expectations.” Pressed as to the identities of the members of the group, the representative avoided answering. “Right now, we’re getting our operations in order, once everyone has had a chance to settle in, we’ll let them speak for themselves. I can tell you, they all have tremendous talents with a devotion to doing what is right.” A-SWAT commander, Karl Rhody, spoke briefly to the press following an Anarch related incident in which the Untouchables were involved (see below). “We’re curious about how long these Untouchables will last. They almost didn’t last they day, since our department wasn’t informed until just before go time that they were not Anarchs. With so many of these freaks on the streets you can never tell, and especially not in Chicago.” Asked to elaborate on his remarks, the commander declined.  

Witnesses and officials have confirmed the first known action involving the new local independent superhero group known as The Untouchable. The team-- only hours after the Zero Moment-- managed to foil a bank robbery and dispatch the Aanarch group known as The Enforcers. Shortly before closing a well armed gang entered into the 4th National Bank on Rosemont, taking dozens of patrons and workers hostage. Within minutes, the Untouchables arrived, shattering the bulletproof front windows and taking the robbers by surprised. Within seconds, all had been dispatched easily. However, the Anarch group The Enforcers, apparently intending to rob the robbers arrived soon after and were engaged by the Untouchables who took them down quickly. Property damage was minimal and apparently only one of the superhero team suffer any significant injuries. A-SWAT arrived on the scene soon after and took the Anarchs into custody. Details are sketchy about the identities of the Untouchables, but witnesses confirmed the presence of the veteran hero Cruel Butterfly. This hero has not been seen in public since his mysterious collapse on the floor of the Tokyo Game Show several month ago. Fan sites across Japan buzzed with the news of his return. In a related story the law firm of Sorrentino, Church and Laquedem agreed to take on the case of the Enforcers. This firm is well known for representing accused “Anarchs” in court. Lead attorney Gilbert Sorrentino gave a brief statement outlining his defense. “Our clients admittedly have some warrant out for their arrest, though in several cases we can show that those warrants are in bad faith or stem from mistaken identities. Following the Zero Moment, my clients realized the errors of their ways and were determined to keep the situation from becoming chaotic. Accordingly, when they saw a group which they believed were Anarchs outside the site of a bank robbery they took action.” District Attorney Jacob Weisphaut’s response to Sorrentino’s stated defense was unpublishable.  

Scientists from dozens of countries today decried China’s entry into the group of countries working in cooperation with South Korea’s World Stem Cell Hub. The Hub was founded by Chosun University professor Song Chang-hun when he uncovered a way to artificially created custom-made human embryonic stem-cell lines. Soon after they created a consortium aimed at giving researchers wider access to these lines. The Hub has been praised but at the same time there have been questions about the distribution of scientific techniques and proprietary genetic information.. China, who has long had an aggressively proprietary stance towards any and all genetic information, is viewed with suspicion by many of the current partners of the Hub. One high ranking member stated, “We know that China’s genetics program involves forced labor, torturous experimentation and the assassination of those who cross “The Nursery” as it is called. By allowing them access to this work, we make ourselves party to their horrors.” It has been suggested that the US’s isolation from the project has given China room to invest more heavily. Because the World Stem Cell Hub conflicts with U.S. policies that have limited scientists' access to stem cells only a few US private firms have been able to do business with them.