Giant Octopus Kills Power Heroes

Special report by Augustus Merrifort, Paragon Times

INDEPENDENCE PORT - Over a dozen heroes died today during a battle to drive back an enormous octopus. This monster had previously been spotted in the Justice Quay district in the south part of this large shipping area of Paragon City.

"I just couldn't believe it," said Jason Arbiget, a dock worker who witnessed the terrible event, and who was still visibly upset. "It took four waves of heroes to beat the giant beast back into the depths of the bay, but the ones in that first wave never had a chance."

Only four heroes have been recovered from the scene, and they were all members of the infamous supergroup Power, Incorporated. They are: Shadow.Lass, Infectious Lass, Princess.Sonix and Iciee. All from the same graduating class of the Paragon City academy, they had just recently buried another classmate -- the heroine Accupuncture.

Though the octopus is clearly dangerous, the locals have affectionately dubbed the octopus "Luska" -- and there is a strong likelihood that it will return (see related Paragon Times story).

Dr. Johnathan Smith, a noted authority on cephalopods, which include octopi and squids, was dismayed by the official statement given by the port authorities.

“This was no accident. This photo…what you have here appears to be a member of the genus Enteroctopus—a giant octopus. They’ve been known to grow up to thirty or forty feet, but this one is…it’s some kind of super anomaly and it’s way off its usual south Atlantic feeding grounds.”

When asked why it might be here in Independence Port, Dr. Smith could only speculate, saying “It's possible drove it here. Competition. Disruption of its normal environment. If this is truly a massive Enteroctopus, then we have a problem. It’s extremely intelligent and highly carnivorous. It has to eat at least 2 percent of its body weight every day.”

"At this time, it can only be speculated how it achieved such an enormous size. But the volume of contaminants and pollutants in the bay water as well as the proximity of the Terra Volta may be responsible somehow," he concluded.

Services for the fallen heroes will be announced soon.

Power.Woman, the supergroup leader, had this to say during today's press conference: "We are saddened by the loss of these important heroes and teammates. We appreciate your support and hope that you'll allow us privacy during this solemn occasion"