City Runner, Day One Edition

Explosion at Prescott Industries

By Poppy Patel
[The picture displayed here is of the utter devastation of the Prescott building and plaza. All the windows are blown out]

Last night was supposed to be a celebration of a technological advancement the likes of which the world had never seen. Prescott Industries spared no expense for the unveiling of their new self-sustaining energy source; a device they called PRISM. All major shareholders were on site, including Silas Prescott , his son Grayson Prescott and the board of directors for this most prestigious of occasions.
  The appointed hour came for us to listen and watch as Mr Prescott spoke of the future, of free energy and savings for all. Indeed, his speech was a self-congratulatory monologue that, had the night gone differently, would have been heralded as a great speech on philanthropy, doing the right thing and providing for those less fortunate. Instead, it heralded the death knell for the event and, quite possibly Prescott Industries itself.
  At precisely 10pm, the speeches died down and the lights went out for the unveiling of the new power source. This is where everything changed. When the switch was thrown, nothing happened for approximately 10 seconds; just long enough for those in the spotlight to start looking around nervously, whilst Mr Prescott was seen speaking angrily into a cellphone. Then, without further warning, a rumbling was heard from within Prescott Tower, after which, the glass of the building shattered outward as several waves of energy washed out of the building. The injuries at the site were many and varied, though the majority appeared to be from shattered glass. At the time of writing, there were 10 fatalities from the incident. Prescott Industries has not yet accepted a request to speak with The Runner on the incident, or its aftermath. City officials are keen for an explanation on the incident and its repercussions.
  Something that had onlookers baffled was the brief appearance of what appeared to be a man, surrounded by an aura of energy, flying around the top of Prescott Industries shortly after the incident. It is believed that this was Star, Scott, the leading actor in the new series being created by Gold Leaf Productions. They, and Mr Star , have yet to respond to requests for interviews.
 

Starr's career literally takes off

By Lauren Lindermann
[The picture shown here is of Scott Starr, an aura of energy surrounding him, shooting off into the sky, leaving a comet-like trail behind him. Also in the shot is the helicopter he was ejected from, spinning out of control behind him]

As if yesterday couldn't get any stranger, it appears that, after the explosion at Prescott Industries, a helicopter containing a number of cast and crew for "What Darkness Brings", the science fiction/fantasy series by Gold Leaf Productions, was caught in the air and buffeted violently by the resulting energy wave. This caused one of the cast members to be violently ejected from the aircraft whilst in flight. The cast and crew, along with members of the public and media on the ground watched in abject horror as the lead actor, Star, Scott, fell towards the earth with nothing to stop him. As he neared the ground, an unbelievable phenomenon occurred. Mr Star seemed to suddenly be surrounded in an energy glow and shot up into the night sky like a rocket. It took a short amount of time for him to gain control of his momentum and, realising the helicopter he had originally been a passenger in was still out of control, attempted to assist. He was seen flying towards the stricken craft, where he took hold of one of the skis and tried to use his momentum to slow the spin of the rapidly falling helicopter.
  When they reached the ground, which was a miracle in and of itself, the ski Mr Star was holding on to landed on him with the full weight of the craft. Seemingly uninjured, he extricated himself and, as one might expect in these circumstances, seemed to be in shock. He was last seen shooting off into the night sky over the city, leaving a comet-like trail behind him. The City Runner has contacted both Mr Star's agent and Gold Leaf Productions for comment, neither of which have yet been acknowledged.
 

UPNB vault emptied

by Mohammad Al-Bizani
[The picture here is of the front of the United Principalities National Bank building in Downtown Millennium City - It is a stock photo]
We have received reports that the UPNB building in Downtown Millennium City was robbed last night. Authorities are examining the crime scene with a fine-toothed comb in order to ascertain how the perpetrators gained access to the building and the vault without the security systems being aware of the intrusion. According to a source within the bank, who wished to remain anonymous, none of the logs for access or security show any signs of entry or exit and there is no visible damage to the building to show forced entry. The source also noted that the timing of the theft was fortuitous as they were awaiting a currency delivery which hadn't yet arrived. The estimate of the theft is in excess of one point two million dollars. We will have more on this story as it unfolds.
 

Samurai Ghost leads rescue workers to trapped victims

by John Jefferson
[The picture here is of an ethereal Japanese man in traditional samurai garb of ancient Japan, the green trim and stenciling in stark contrast to the pure, white clothing. His face is covered with a half mask, leaving his upper face exposed. A traditional samurai top knot completes the look. The figure is half way out of a building and appears to be directing a firefighter to go further along the building]
  Last night, shortly after the explosion at Prescott Industries, strange phenomenon started to be reported throughout the city. None more strange than the seemingly ghost-like form of a samurai of feudal Japan stalking the streets, offering aid to those in need. He was seen in the Northbridge district shortly after 10.15pm and proceeded, without a word, to venture into unsafe buildings and fires and either lead firefighters and rescue crews in to retrieve people safely or to lead those within out safely. No-one knows who this strange man is but more than one person owes their life to the kindness and quick thinking of this individual. We'll have more on this as we find it.
 

Actor of "What Darkness Brings" missing

By John Jefferson
[The Picture here is a stock photograph of Peter Pendle, actor on the show]
  In another breaking story, this office has learned that Peter Pendle, one of the stars of the new Television Series, "What Darkness Brings", has gone missing from his hotel room in Downtown Millennium City . The case has been handed to the Millennium City Major Crimes Unit for investigation. We'll have more on this as it's uncovered.
 

Prison Break at The Andersen Holding facility

By Mohammad Al-Bizani
[The picture here is a long view shot of the side of the prisoner holding centre on the outskirts of the city. The side of the building has been blown in]
About 8.45pm yesterday, a group of individuals, wielding some form of advanced weaponry, invaded the Andersen Holding facility on the outskirts of Millennium City. A number of prisoners escaped and it's not entirely certain who the intended jailbreak was for. Recovered footage has one man entering the facility, having fired this weapon to destroy the outer wall, before making his way into the building, destroying more walls in the process. A list of escapees is being compiled by the MCPD and will be available soon. The one saving grace of this attack is that it appears that none of the Law Enforcement personnel within the facility were killed.