[b][i] Sherman Square, Lost Haven, 10:06PM[/i][/b]

Detective Jason Allen cursed to himself as he climbed from his car. The bright lights of Sherman Square shined behind him as he made his way to his destination. He had been on his way home when he got the call over the radio. Some junky had found a body in a dumpster behind The Bangkok Café just off of 53rd Street. Reluctantly, he headed in that direction. 

This was the last thing that Detective Allen wanted to do. He had already worked a sixteen hour shift, and his girlfriend had made it clear that she had big plans for him when he got home. However, the city had other plans for him. 

“What’ve we got?” Allen asked a uniformed officer as he crossed the yellow police tape.

“You might want to take a look for yourself.” The officer replied. 

Allen pushed past the officer and went toward the group of other officers and crime scene investigators who were gathered around the dumpster in the alley. [i]Useless prick.[/i] he thought to himself as he approached the dumpster. As he walked up to the large green receptacle he spotted one of the few cops on the force that he actually liked. 

“Jones.” He greeted the man with a nod. “Talk to me.” 

“Detective.” Jones said in response. “It’s one of [i]them.[/i]” he said looking up to the sky and pointing. “A cape.” 

“Awww Jesus.” Allen said as the realization that his lady’s plans would most definitely have to wait. “Alright, show me.” Allen sighed as Jones obliged. The taller middle aged man pulled open the top of the dumpster, revealing the corpse of a young woman in star spangled attire. 

Allen had seen a lot since he transferred to LHPD from San Diego, but nothing quite like this. The woman had suffered multiple stab wounds in the chest and stomach, and her neck was visibly broken, with her head twisted around 180 degrees. From the looks of things, she’d been there for awhile.

 But none of that had prepared him for what he saw before him now. He knew the victim, a lot of people knew her. She had been around for decades, yet somehow looked to still be in her early 30’s. She had been a member of a group of heroes in the 1940’s who had fought against the Nazis, but hadn’t really done anything since. While the group had their fans, Detective Allen always thought that they were highly overrated. They were more or less living propaganda, figures that the people could rally behind. In fact, according to Allen’s great grandfather, who actually fought in World War II, their roles in the conflict were greatly exaggerated. The fact that they did absolutely nothing following the war was all the proof that skeptics needed that they were nothing more than frauds.

“Jeezus…Is that…Is that Lady Liberty?” Allen said as he felt his dinner threatening to force its way up out of his stomach. “When did this happen?”

“That’s the weird thing.” Jones said. “According to the coroner, she’s been here for at least a week.” 

“Bullshit.” Allen said. “I saw her on TV tonight with Icon and the Super Friends as they were getting ready to take on those Pax Metawhatsits earlier tonight.” 

“Well, apparently, whoever that was, it wasn’t her. Lady Liberty is deader than shit, and she’s been that way for days.”