BOOK 1- A WORLD IN NEED

Wednesday, April 29, 1987


XERTAN SHUTTLE ONLY ONE DAY FROM EARTH, NASA REPORTS

Houston- NASA scientists have released their latest figures on the trajectory of the small craft that is believed to have originated from the great space cruiser of the Xertan alien who calls himself "Traveler." They confirm that the small ship, estimated at approximately 35 feet in length, has not altered its course and is still heading for Earth.

Communications have been repeatedly attempted with the shuttle, but there has been no reply since it was first detected three days ago, emerging from behind the planet Jupiter. The ship is being tracked by radar, but scientists cannot predict whether it will settle down into an Earth orbit or land tomorrow.

Speculation continues as to the location- or the fate- of the larger ship. Signals being transmitted by one or more of the terrestrial superheroes aboard the craft were cut off a day earlier, on April 25th, as the Xertan craft moved behind Jupiter. It has not reappeared, but persistent rumors that the ship burned up in the Jovian atmosphere or exploded in some fashion have been repeatedly downplayed by NASA.

"We just don't have the information yet to make a determination," stated John Young, newly appointed as assistant to NASA center director Forest McCarthy. He did state that it was "extremely unlikely" that the cruiser has assumed orbit around Jupiter. "We'd have detected it by now," said Young. "Even if it was in a geosynchronous stationary orbit , the immense size of Jupiter would mean the spaceship would have to be at such a huge distance from the planet that we would have been able to detect it anyway."

Major Juan Martinez, commander of UNTIL, stated all forces were in readiness in case there was any kind of "hostile reaction" from the ship as it approached Earth, but would not elaborate.

President Reagan, in a televised address on Monday, urged all Americans to remain calm, but while there has been intense curiosity over the entire incident, which began with the appearance of Traveler's cruiser over the UN building in New York, there has been little sense of general alarm. The latest Harris Poll figures show only 15% of Americans surveyed feel there is cause for "grave concern" over recent developments.


LIST OF HEROES, VILLAINS WHO LEFT EARTH STILL INCOMPLETE

New York- Five days after a number of paranormals apparently boarded Traveler's star cruiser and left Earth orbit, authorities still do not have an accurate count of exactly who may have left with the Xertan, or even if they were all true paranormals.

"It's harder to figure out than you might think," said William Gorman, the Silver Avenger based out of PRIMUS' Manhattan base. "Freelance capes don't keep to a regular schedule. Just because a given cape hasn't been seen in a few days doesn't mean he's in outer space right now. A lot of times weeks pass before there's a sighting of any given paranormal."

The latest list, released early today by Police Chief Benjamin Ward and which he stated had been cross-verified by PRIMUS and UNTIL, included the five known members of the hero group The Champions. They include their leader Phaser, Expert-X, Freedom Flyer, Brick and Persona. None of them have been seen at their team headquarters at the SuperCenter (formerly the CitiCorp Center before its recent purchase by the team).

Confusing the matter are several individuals who had been thought to join several days prior to Traveler's appearance. The Champions had made no public statements regarding new additions to their team, but those experts in the field of paranormal psychology believe that the any new recruits may have been undergoing a probationary evaluation period before being accepted and subsequently announced to the public.

Information from a variety of workers at the SuperCenter have mentioned the name "Pyro." While there are several matches to that name in current paranormal databases, none are believed to be the individual in question, according to PRMUS. "Capes change their handles all the time," said William Gorman. "Especially when they've got something to hide."

Curiously, two other individuals who were believed to be involved recently with The Champions in some way were mentioned. One was known only by the name of "Max," but was believed to be a paranormal. The other was Tony Mazeretti, owner of Tony's World-Class Gym in lower Manhattan. Police confirm that Mr. Mazeretti, an Italian immigrant who has no known family in America, was last seen on April 23rd, but they say there is no evidence, even circumstantial, that was found in Tony's apartment that points to him being a paranormal. Authorities are currently trying to contact relatives Mazeretti was reputed to have in Naples, Italy. They had no comment on the theory that "Max" and Mr. Mazeretti may be one and the same.

The remaining paranormals all reportedly are part of the so-called Veil of Darkness, a self-proclaimed vigilante group operating in the city since mid-March. Their leader, who called himself The Great Remover, reportedly has brick-red skin, and so many have assumed that he is also a Xertan, although the Remover never made any such claim himself. The other two known members of The Veil, Insectoid and Transceiver, are thought to have accompanied their leader onto the Xertan cruiser, but this is as yet still unconfirmed. Lt. Timothy Clark of the NYPD Paranormal Division has also mentioned a man known only as "Darkshadow," whom he believes was either an ally or recent recruit for The Veil, who may or may not have gone with the rest of the group.


KOCH SAYS CITY ON EDGE OF BANKRUPTCY; BLAMES PARANORMAL PROPERTY DESTRUCTION

New York- The mayor's office has issued a report stating that the cost of repairing all the property damage caused by battles between paranormals topped $6 billion in 1986, and so far 1987 seems to be on a course that will exceed even that figure.

The report again repeated the mayor's earlier warnings that insurance companies may soon stop issuing policies that cover property destruction from so-called "superhero battles" altogether, despite three consecutive years of double-digit premium increases.

"Property damage is rising faster than we can pay for it," Mayor Ed Koch stated. "It's unfair that the citizens of this great city have to suffer for the irresponsibility for a few wackos, but that's the way it is."

Thomas Sheer, head of the New York office of the Bureau Of Superhero Standards, said the report showed the need for the Paranormal Registration Act.

"Perhaps people who can't understand the human scale of the suffering we're talking about here will comprehend it a bit better when their own pocketbooks start taking the hit," Sheer said at a press conference that aired shortly after the mayor's report was released. "All paranormals need to be identified and registered, so that they- not city government, not local businesses and not private citizens- can be held responsible for the damage that results solely from their own reckless actions."

Koch called the BOSS position "nuts."

"What are you going to do?" the mayor asked. "Drive all the heroes out of business? Because that's what's going to happen if that Act ever passes. Does BOSS think all the villains are going to retire because all the independent heroes are forced to? That's wacko! BOSS has been riding this losing horse for over a decade now. They really should know when to quit."

Anthony Mills, a local BOSS arbiter, refuted Koch's comments.

"That's all subjective," Mills said. "Everyone thinks they're the good guy. The only real good guys are the normal citizens. They're the ones losing their livelihood, their health and all too often, their lives."