The Paragon Independent


Techbot Alpha

 

Posted

Issue 1, 1st June 2009

THE STREETS OF PARAGON


Paragon City, Rhode Island. The shining jewel of freedom and justice the world over.
Or so you might think.

Reality, it seems, is a lot different. I certainly had my own assumptions when I got off the jet a few days earlier. It's certainly true that Atlas Park is a fantastic place to start. There is nothing quite like the sight of the towering statues, and especially the centrepiece that is the Atlas Monument. City Hall itself is no small afair, but it's limelight is somewhat stolen by the towering titan in front.

It is a wonder, however, if the same could be said of the streets. While travelling, it has been necessary to employ a few little gadgets for saftey and self defence, courtesy of the D.A.T.A. engineers. Of course, not everyone gets so lucky.
Even on the main streets of Atlas, supposedly one of the cities safest zones, crime is very much a factor. A number of citizens were seen being taunted, intimidated and sometimes even mugged by street gangers, most prominantly from the group know as the Hellions.
"There's not much you can do," one citizen said, "You don't want to cross them, that's for sure. Sometimes, though, you can get stuck, praying like crazy that a PPD officer is around, or Longbow, or one of the Heroes."
While it is true that the PPD and Longbow have a street presence, one would have thought that the cities greatest defence would be it's Heroes. There were cases of spandex clad individuals (some not so clad, and others even stranger) diving to the rescue, but far fewer than expected. Has the ongoing fight against crime and foes such as the Rikti started to take it's toll?

Distracting Devices
One place where Heroes could be found was the 'Architect' building in Atlas. Architecht Entertainment is a revolutionary system, which utilises advanced software and programming. But, despite finding use as a training and simulation program, it can also be used to simply kick back, a fact not lost to this paper. When further researched, the fact that Architecht Entertainment is the brainchild of Crey Industries, long the focus of various legal standoffs and dark rumours, and none other than one Doctor Aeon, a scientist from the Rogue Isles that works for the dictator Lord Recluse. It makes the mind boggle, that such a system is in such widespread use. One can only wonder if there isn't something more serious afoot than simple 'Entertainment.'

DIVERSE DIMENSIONS

The Pocket Dimension is home to, arguably, one of the most powerful Metahumans around, the 'DJ' Zero himself. The man who created 'Pocket D', Zero opened up his club as a neutral ground for all comers. Temporal doors open to both Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, making it a true hotspot for all sorts of activity.
Strange, then, that Zero's interior decorating very closely mimics a warehouse. Perhaps a bit more gritzy, for that 'Rave' mentality, but in some places it realy does show. For a man who can create an entire dimension, surely an occasional makeover is cake? And this reporter wonders wether the 'DJ' is deserved, as there was no sign of any disks, no jockeying, and, for the time spent there, only one track. On a loop. The staff at least seem to enjoy it or are paid well enough to, but, as one clubber said, "I would have said just stupid, myself."
The two saving graces are most likely the Tiki Lounge, with its variation in theme and setting, and the dancefloor. Loopy the music may be, but the seethrough flooring and extra dimensional view are definately 'Far Out'.

-Jennifer Kerringer, Paragon Independent


Quote:
Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain_Photon View Post
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.