Power, Incorporated Role Call: May 2006

Here's a quick check-in from all the active heroes in Power, Incorporated for the month of May, 2006. Check back during the month, as we will be adding more updates from other members not listed here as they check in.

Dora.Dementia (Controller, 20)
One of Power, Incorporated's more wacky members, Dora is also one of the most effective in battle (she and L'il Horfrost are still arguing over who's holds are better). She's often spotted with Power.Man as she works her way towards level 30.

Fawkes (Blaster, Deceased)
Poor Fawkes. She never really had a chance. Shortly after joining Power, Incorporated, Fawkes was kidnapped by Fire.Widow, a most horrible villain and long-time enemy of Power.Woman. It was reported that Fire.Widow used her extensive magical knowledge to strip Fawkes of her phoenix-like abilities before destroying her permanantly. Power.Woman refuses to comment on the subject.

Gravity.Gal (Controller, Deceased)
A childhood friend of Dora Dementia, Gravity.Gal was one of the heroes who tried to save Fawkes (see Tyronix) from the evil villain Fire.Widow. She, too never had a chance against the powerful magic that caused her gravity powers to crush her instead. Power, Incorporated owes a great debt to our fallen members, and we are thankful for all they've done.

Judo.Lad (Scrapper, 20)
Sometimes undercover, sometimes without a shirt, but always hot, Judo.Lad continues to be one of the main ass-kickers for Power, Incorporated, often fighting alongside L'il Horfrost, Power.Boy, Mason Shura and Kitten With a Whip.

Lava.Lad (Tanker, 30)
Last seen in the murky swamps of Croatoa, it is the understanding of Power, Incorporated that he remains an active member. Although our resources cannot confirm his exact whereabouts, we are confident that he will return.

L'il Horfrost (Controller, 22)
The spunky l'il coldster continues to fight his way towards level 30. His older and larger counterpart, Horfrost, just celebrated reaching level 20. And L'il Horfrost doesn't care what Dora says, he is the better controller.

Power.Gal (formerly Power.Lass) (Defender, 25)
The mysterious Power.Gal has not been seen a lot lately. She recently was seen chatting with White.Witch at the green line station in Independence Port. What she's been up to is a mystery, although it's been noted that her looks have changed back back to the Power.Lass days.

Power.Lad (Blaster, 30)
Aside from myriad costume changes, battles in Striga Isle have dominated Power.Lad's time of late. He was recently seen fighting alongside White.Witch, who was sporting strange new cloaking armor she has been using to fool the Freakshow.

Power.Woman (Tanker, 31)
The current supreme leader of Power, Incorporated, Power.Woman has recently taken a backseat in heroics, preferring instead to manage the supergroup base, provide guideance to the new members, and protect the media reputatation of the supergroup and its members. She plans to rejoin the fight once the younger members hit their thirties.

Tyronix (Blaster, Deceased)
It was Tyronix and Gravity.Gal who tried to save Fawkes from Fire.Widow's clutches. They, too never had a chance. Fire.Widow not only kidnapped Fawkes, but she had clearly done her homework. She turned Tyronix's sonic waves against him, shattering his skull. He never even made it to level three.

White.Witch (Defender, 29)
She's Power, Incorporated's top healer (Power.Boy and Mason.Shura may dispute this, but it's true!). She was most recently seen fighting with Power.Lad and Lava.Lad in Striga Isle (see related article) and Independence Port.

Long Jack: The Struggle for Striga

by Tabiltner Jones, Paragon City Times

STRIGA ISLE - Famous shipping port and former home of the Fifth Column command base, the lost isle of Striga is now the home for The Council, a terrible army of medically enhanced soldiers bent on world domination.

Accessible only by ferry from Talos Island, the small strip of land off the coast is also dominated by members of The Family, Banished Pantheon zombies, Sky Raider soldiers, and members of the Warriors gang, all jockeying for space, and more importantly, control.

Thankfully, the heroes of Paragon City keep these villains in check -- but not without the help of several important contacts embedded throughout the troubled island.

I recently interviewed Long Jack, a long-time hero liason in Striga Isle, to learn more about recent rumors that two of the city's most cherished heroes had been captured and tortured by The Council.

"I've seen a lot of heroes come and go," sighed Long Jack. "Everyone knows I got a big problem with the recruitment tactics of these lowlifes, and the hero missions help slow The Council's expansion."

He grimaced, then turned and spat, tobacco splashing onto his faded boots.

"Like that recent mission that White.Witch and Power.Lad did for me. Simple. Just break into one of The Council's hideouts, rescue a scientist who'd been kidnapped, then get out."

He dug into his pouch and jammed more tobacco into his lip, flicking the extra bits from his fingers.

"And it worked, too. Well, for the most part, anyways. Sure, they got torched with a Council flame gun. I've seen them pictures too , you know. But it looks a lot worse than it was. That's not torture, not for those two." He grinned. "It probably tickled!"

He spat again. "But I met with them afterwards, and they were just fine, nevermind what the photo looked like. I mean, White's a healer -- they were never in any real danger."

He frowned, his eyes locking onto a couple of thugs from The Family shaking down a scared looking Warrior.

"Look, I gotta get outta here." He climbed into his boat. "Thanks for the interview, but you'd better get lost, and fast!" He unhooked his mooring rope and pushed off the edge of dock with his foot. "I'd offer you a ride, but..."

Well, this reporter did make it back safely, thanks to a teleport to the Talos ferry by Power.Boy, who was just passing through.

As I stood on the deck of the departing boat, watching the setting sun cast its shadows on The Council patrols marching in perfect unison in greater and greater numbers through the sandy streets, it became more clear than ever that the struggle for Striga Isle is far from over.

Oh My! What’s That Smell?

by Terry B. L. Paine, Paragon Tattler

STEEL CANYON - A typical, gorgeous day in Paragon City.

Or was it? Do we in the media keep too much information from the public? Are we ourselves scared to look deeper? It's a question that troubles me every day, dear readers.

Especially last Wednesday.

As usual, I was taking my midday walk around the building where the Paragon Tattler is located (it’s far too dangerous to walk there in the evenings or early in the morning, you know). It was a beautiful day -- the sun was shining, the air was clear and warm and all of the seemingly three birds left in the entire city were singing their asses off.

I had just made it about halfway down the block when I began to smell something rank coming from up ahead. Well, you know how it is in the city -- bums, trash, dead bodies, etc. -- but this was different somehow. Just as nasty as those other things, but somehow a bit more rank, similar to something (or someone) rotting. You know, like unwashed feet and ass, but worse.

Well, dear readers, you know me; I can’t just pass up anything interesting. Killer cat-like curiosity and all. I sped up my pace a bit, staying very close to the side of the building. I didn't want to get caught in some crazy mess, but I just had to take a peek at what could be causing it.

The waves of smell got stronger and stronger as I reached the corner of the building where a rather dark alley began. I cautiously approached the mouth of the alley and slowly took a peek. But before I could see anything, I heard a loud groan, and a colossal figure stumbled out of the alley shadows looking deathly ill.

I plotzed when I saw who it was, dear readers -- it was the one and only Horfrost! He looked just awful, his face a pale green with flies buzzing around his immense frame, eager for the feast. I could almost see the fumes of funk rising from his back.

Poor Horfrost stumbled to the curb and well... let’s just say he felt better afterwards. I started towards him, hoping I could be of some help. But he quickly looked up, raised his hand and told me to back away, which I did gladly as the wall of smell emanating from him was beginning to overwhelm me.

TP: “What happened to you?” I yelled from a safe distance. “Do you have the flu or something? I thought heroes couldn’t get the flu.”

HF: “It’s not the flu. I’ve been infected by the Vasilock Wasting Disease (WVD). Don’t get any closer or you might catch it and turn into one of those mindless, rotting zombies.”

TP: “But why aren’t you a zombie?”
HF: “Because I’m a hero.”

Then he burped, his embarassment barely showing through the green, then slowly flew away surrounded by a cloud of buzzing insects.

What bravery, ladies and gentlemen! What sacrifice! But our hero flew so slowly, so painfully that I decided it would be best to keep up with him and find out where he was going in case he needed help. I followed Horfrost to one of our city-wide science factories, hid myself and watched him enter the building. I quickly followed, eagar to learn more.

And I did. Let’s just say this, dear readers -- horrible things are being kept hidden behind our city walls that the general public doesn’t know about.

Anyway, I trailed our sick superhero for the next couple of hours, watching him kick zombie butt. Then, mission completed, Horfrost evaporated right before my eyes. I ran to an outside door and exited the building only to see him slowly flying away. I again followed him, this time to a scientist who gave him the antidote he was seeking.

Now I’m not one to gossip, ladies and gentlemen, but I still can’t believe that a virus of that magnitude doesn’t have everyone running scared. But I guess if you have heroes like the members of Power, Incorporated, you needn’t worry too much. In fact, after what I saw today, I’m not worried at all.

Interesting, though, that it's not the first time a member of this infamous group has come down with VWD.

This is Terry B. L. Payne, curious as a cat and sneaky as one too, signing off. And just remember, if you smell something bad, be extra careful! It may be a member of a Vahzilok zombie squad.

Or, maybe -- just maybe -- it's that guy in the cube next to you with bad case of VWD.

What We Know About Horfrost: Born in the icy heights of the Himalayas, little John Michael studied ancient ruins with his father, a former superhero called "The Ram" who recently turned to archeology. When the curious young man stumbled into a hidden spring inside an ice cave he'd been exploring away from his father, he was pulled from near death by a lone mountain goat he'd never seen before. Unbeknownst to both goat and child, the strange spring was filled with liquid radiation that slowly merged the ice and cold of the cave with each of their DNA. When John Michael finally woke, he learned that he had gained superhuman powers. Excited about this new discovery, John Michael changed his name to Horfrost and joined the ranks in Paragon City. Rumors that his father nor the goat were ever seen again have yet to be disproven.

Spotted: Power.Lad Sports Look Number Five

by Hedda S. Mint, Paragon City Tattler

STEEL CANYON - We've seen him hither, thither and yon, saving our citizens left and right. We've learned about his background and his taste for clothes. But he's ours, and we love him -- and we've never seen him look better. He's Power, Incorporated's Power.Lad -- and our tattlers tell us that he's been sporting a new look, courtesy of our favorite couture queen, Serge of ICON Tailor Shops.

"I spotted him when he went in," reported a friend of Serge's, who didn't wish to be identified. "He'd been sportin' a very dark look recently -- all this black and silver with this sort of blood red lining in his cape. But when he came out -- Dude! He was all heroic looking, standing tall and proud. I don't what he did in there, but the lad looked happy."

Indeed.

Well, naturally curiousity killed this kitty, so I excitedly dialed him up to find out more.

That was three days ago. When he finally did return my call, Serge was unusually brief -- well, brief for him.

"Well, of course he was in here, darling. He only comes to me, you know. I had just gotten back from Milan (oh what a terrible, terrible story -- but that's for another day, mon dieu)."

He sighed into the phone, then continued:

"Anyway, I had an inspiration, darling, a divine inspiration. All these heroes today, they look so garish lately, no style, nothing that screams HERO. He snorted in disgust. "People want a hero, not a trainwreck, you know! Wait, where was I? Ah oui. So I have this marvelous inspiration, and I know that it can only be for one hero -- Power.Lad! A bold dash of yellow was just what his red and blue look needed. Something classic, powerful. But uncommon, darling, uncommon. Then, voila! The next thing you know he flies through our doors like the dear angel that he is, and landed right in my personal fitting room."

He paused dramatically.

"It was almost telepathic."

He paused again before continuing.

"And the results? Well, of course, darling they are fabulous! But you shall see for yourself!" he crowed triumpantly before disconnecting the call.

Surprisingly, calls to Power.Lad have not yet been returned. Odd, he usually loves the press.

And how does look number five stand up to previous costumes? Heroic? Definitely. Fabulous? Not so sure. Trainwreck? That's for you to decide, dear readers, for you to decide.

But personally, I wouldn't care if he were naked -- he's that adorable.

Always impartial, always on alert, and always yours dear readers.

-- Hedda