Location: Winstone International, Lost Haven
“Are you ready Miss Winstone?” A voice called from behind Alexa as she stared out of the window of her office inside Winstone International.
While the building did not provide the view of the city that was afforded those in the higher levels of the Chambers or the Midas Industries buildings, her office still provided a grand view of the East Side of Lost Haven. As she looked out over the city, she thought of all the good that she had done, both in her role at Winstone International and as the masked hero Radiance. She also thought of all the good that she would do in the future, and what that would mean to the people of this city. One of the initiatives that she was undertaking was the subject of the press conference that she had called today. It was a small step, an opening salvo in the war against homelessness within the borders of Lost Haven, and secretly she hoped, would prove to be a template to eliminate the scourge from the entire country.
“Miss Winstone?” The voice called again, this time it was more of a plea. “Ma’am, they’re ready for you. The press conference begins in five minutes.
“Oh, sorry Tina. Yes, I’ll be right there.” Alexa said with a hint of surprise in her voice, almost as if she had been suddenly pulled from a daydream.
Alexa took several moments to gather her thoughts, then looked to the note cards that she had prepared for the speech, and after a moment of contemplation, she left them on her desk. She didn’t need them, she knew what she wanted to say. It was one thing to go out day after day to fight off the Dr. Diplodocs and the Hounds of Humanities of the world, but did any of that really matter if the most vulnerable members of our society are constantly overlooked and left to fend for themselves? Realizing that time was getting short, Alexa glanced at her watch.
12:57 PM.
“Alright, it’s showtime,” Alexa said to herself as she left her office and made her way to the elevator, which would bring her to the press conference which had been set up outside on the front steps of Winstone International.
24 Hours Earlier...
Location: Unknown
Alone in a room, several computer monitors flashed in various places. Each screen, black panels that hold the LED screen in place, flashed various points on a map. With most of the screens seemingly going through complex algorithms to find something, one had bullet-point notes and two images. One of the images was an international company profile picture of a brunette woman with two words underneath it: ALEXA WINSTONE.
Rumors reached the underworld grapevine that one of the senior figures of Winstone International, Alexa Winstone, was to give a press conference. As the lone figure, hunched towards the screens to examine the screen with Alexa’s profile. They studied every word of the business woman's profile down to the individual letter, getting to know the specifics.
It was then that the figure’s dark blue eyes shifted slowly from Alexa to the second picture. The image was of a man with black hair and blue eyes. His shoulders suggested a muscular physique. Much like Alexa’s profile, the man also had a profile attached to the image and two words underneath the image: SCOTT HUNTER.
Before the figure could examine the profile of Scott, the other screens began to flash. Turning away to see the other screens, they confirmed their suspicions. On each of the maps on the seven screens, red flashes pinged on the screens. Each screen had one red outline, indicating a building location the algorithm was determining for some mysterious variable. The figure’s eyes scanned at the locations and stood up from the chair. Then, in one fluid motion, the figure motioned to walk out the door. A minuscule moment later, the figure vanished from the room.
Present Day…
Location: Plaza outside Winstone International
Scott Hunter moved among the crowd that had gathered in front of Winstone International in anticipation of Alexa’s press conference in which she would announce her new initiative to combat homelessness in the city. As he looked at the large crowd that had gathered, pride swelled up within him. For all that he had done, not just for this city, but for the entire world, this just felt different.
Alexa had been very excited about her plan when she had first told Scott about it, and he shared her excitement. Now, as he stood amongst the crowd that had come to hear her speak, a whole new excitement began to take hold.
He was excited for her. He knew just how much this meant to her, and to see this many people come out to support her vision, or at the very least, hear her out, gave him a new optimism not only for Alexa’s project, but for the future.
There was a sudden movement at the front entrance to Winstone International, and Scott could see a small entourage make their way from the glass doors at the front of the building to the podium which had been set up right at the top of the granite stairway leading to the Winstone International headquarters. There was a momentary hush that fell over the crowd, before being replaced by a slight buzz as Alexa took the podium.
From his place in the crowd, he looked up to his love, and almost as if by some kind of extra sensory magnetism, she found him among the throngs in the crowd. They locked eyes, and exchanged smiles before she turned her attention to the crowd at large and began to speak.
Location: Unknown, Lost Haven
Click.On a building site in Lost Haven, one floor down from the top, the lone figure studies the single bullet in the clip. Satisfied that the bullet would be enough to do the job, the clip is loaded into an Accuracy International AX50 sniper rifle.
Snap! Chkchk!With the gun now loaded, the figure turned to the radio that was placed near the rifle. With a deft hand, the radio starts ringing out of the speakers into the abandoned building site. The voices were audible, talking about the upcoming press conference Alexa Winstone was giving and that it was about to begin.
Then, slipping the futuristic lenses of the goggles over their eyes, the figure shoulders the rifle. In position and ready to fire, the crosshair hovers over a speaking Alexa.
Alexa was almost taken aback by the size of the crowd that had come out to hear what she had to say. Reporters from a number of local and national news outlets were among those in the crowd, as was Scott, who she was glad to see hadn’t been delayed by some Earth shattering catastrophe somewhere halfway across the world.
You’ve made it to the big time Girlie, don’t blow it now. she thought to herself as she stepped up to the podium. As she looked out at the crowd who were eagerly anticipating what she had to say, for a brief moment a wave of panic began to creep over her. She had never really been one for public speaking, however, she reminded herself of the things that she had seen and done in her time as a superhero, and she managed to force that panic back, and with a clearing of her throat, she leaned into the microphone which was mounted to the podium and began to speak.
“Thank you all for coming.” Alexa began. “I know that you’ve all been wondering why I called this press conference, so unlike my father, I won’t keep you in suspense.” She said, eliciting some laughter from the gathered press.
“We have a major problem in Lost Haven. However, this problem is not just an issue for our city, it is a blight all across this country. It is a problem that up until now, very few people have come together to eradicate.” Alexa said, her voice raised slightly as she spoke.
“Until Now.” She let her words hang in the air for a moment before continuing.
“It seems as if no matter where you go, this problem is there, looking you in the eye. However, because it doesn’t directly impact some of us, we choose to ignore it, hoping that it will move on and be someone else’s problem. But I have come before you today to say, ‘no more.’” Alexa paused for a beat.
“In Lost Haven, and around the country, for too long we have ignored the plight of our most vulnerable citizens. Though some efforts have been made to legislate the symptoms, nothing has been done to cure the problem. For too long, far too many people have been living their lives day by day, meal to meal, from shelter to shelter with no way forward. Today, I am here to announce that Winstone International is changing that. Today I am here to announce that Winstone International, under my direct supervision is going to be introducing a new initiative to eliminate homelessness in Lost Haven, and it is my dream, that once this initiative proves successful, that it becomes a model nationwide to eradicate homelessness altogether.” Alexa said with conviction, as if all the nerves that she had been feeling prior to coming to the podium had simply washed away, her passion for the initiative was unmistakable.
“We will be addressing the issue with a two pronged strategy. First, we will be developing housing for the homeless currently living within the city. We have recently purchased the property on which the former Silver Galleria Mall stood. We will be rebuilding and renovating that structure, and converting it into dormitory style housing. We are also building a tiny house community on property owned by Winstone International, for additional housing.” Alexa was cut off by applause.
“We will also be providing educational opportunities, counciling, as well as occupational workshops for the residents of these facilities. It is our hope that with these programs, as well as networking opportunities that we hope to provide, we can give these people the resources they need to turn their circumstances around.”
The radio echoed through the building site with the words that came from Alexa’s lips. The talk of eliminating homelessness, while admirable, is a foolhardy pipedream. Not only would changing the circumstances of the unfortunate to pick them back up, but a change in society was needed in order to stop those people from falling again. It was the conglomerates such as Winstone International, Midas Industries and the like to give those opportunities to the less well-off people of society. Something like that could not be done. At least, that was what the lone figure concluded while listening to the speech.
As the press conference carried on, the figure hovered the scope of the rifle over the crowd. With pinpoint focus, it hovered over one individual in particular. The figure mused that this must be Scott Hunter, the man that was deduced as the hero Icon, with the puppy dog look of admiration up at Ms Winstone. The figure grunted with disdain at the sight before focusing back on Alexa once more, finger now moving to touch the trigger.
With a steady squeeze, seemingly with a mysterious force, seven thunderous claps from seven buildings around Winstone International erupted into the air. As with the surprise of the shot, seven figures were struck down with the bullets of seven rifles. The targets’ fates were unknown, but the resulting message was clear as the figure stood away from the rifle and stared in the direction of Icon.
As Alexa spoke about the challenges facing the people who were affected by the blight of homelessness not only in Lost Haven, but all over the country, the crack of gunfire split the air. Multiple shots rained down on the crowd that had gathered for the press conference.
From his spot in the crowd, Scott watched in horror as Alexa was suddenly and violently jolted backward as one of the rounds pierced her flesh. With every fiber in his being, he wanted to leap skyward and fly to where she now laid on the makeshift podium bleeding out. He knew that doing so would not only expose him as Icon, but it would also expose Alexa, and put everyone that he loved in danger.
There was a part of him that didn’t care. All he wanted was to get to Alexa’s side as fast as possible. However, despite this, he was able to maintain his composure as he pushed his way through the crowd to get up to where Alexa lay. He walked past several lifeless bodies which laid sprawled on the ground, each one had been shot. As he took the final torturous steps up the front stairs to where the podium had been erected, his imagination began working in overdrive, and when he finally got to Alexa, who was laying just behind the podium, he imagined the worst.
Before he reached her, he looked just beyond her, and found her assistant, Tina, laying just feet from Alexa, a bullet had pierced her skull between her eyes. The young woman had just completed an internship at Winstone International, and Alexa had taken quite a liking to the young woman, and hired her as her personal assistant. Scott had met her several times himself, and always was impressed with the young woman’s resolve to do her job better than anyone. He had liked the girl, and he would make whoever had done this pay.
Relief washed over him as he knelt down at Alexa’s side and found that she was alive. The bullet had hit her just under the right clavicle. Though she was in pain, she would live. As relieved as he was, something told him that this was just the beginning. As he kneeled at her side, putting pressure on the wound, he looked around the area looking for a clue as to who could have done this. He looked through the crowd almost as if by instinct. However, given the angles of the shots, he knew that the attack had come from above.
He scanned the rooftops of the nearby buildings and found no sign of the assassins. However, he did notice something in a nearby building almost directly across from the Winstone International building. Standing in a window on the 14th floor he could see a hooded figure in all black, save for a pair of goggles that glowed in a purple hue. The figure was staring directly at him, almost as if trying to make it known that this figure was watching
him. “Sc...Scott?” Alexa said weakly.
“I’m here babe. I’ve got you.” Scott told her, his voice cracked slightly as he took his eyes off of the hooded figure and locked his gaze on his fallen love.
“Go.” She said. “Get the son of a bitch.”
With that, Scott looked back up to the window, only to find that the hooded figure had vanished.
The figure watched as chaos erupted on the plaza below. Remaining unmoved by the chaos, the figure remained where they were, staring at the podium that Scott Hunter seemed to climb up on stage to tend to Alexa. While the other people’s fate were undetermined, they made sure that Ms Winstone was alive to drive the upcoming message home.
Then, as if they knew, the eyes of Scott and the figure locked onto each other. While the mask and goggles didn’t betray anything underneath, the intent of the gaze wove the message in.
3…Slowly, the figure took a step back, away from where the rifle was. From the distance, the figure saw the quarry look back at his beloved.
2…The figure’s diminutive frame slowly sank back into the umbra of the building site. Parts of the body that had merged with the shadows dissolved into nothing, as if becoming one with it. It was then, under the cover of the mask, the figure smirked.
1.Taking the final step back, the figure vanished into the shadows. Their presence was gone. The rifle, left behind by the figure, remained on its perch. The only other thing that remained was a single sheet of paper, rooted in place by the butt of the rifle.
As security rushed the podium to lock down the area, Scott, doing as Alexa had suggested, slipped away from the chaos. He moved through the crowd and down an alley next to a nearby building. He took a glance around to make sure that he was alone. Once he was satisfied that there were no people or cameras in the alleyway, he tapped the nanite activation switch on his bracelet. The nanites quickly covered his arm, then spread over his entire body, until he stood there in the familiar costume of the masked hero, Icon. The entire process took only seconds, however, he had precious few of those to waste. He needed to get up to that window and get the monster that had done this. So he lifted off from the alleyway and raced to the window that he had seen the hooded figure.
Crashing through the window, Icon immediately saw that he was alone. Whoever had done this was long gone. Most likely, escaping just after he had locked eyes with the assassin. Furious, Icon began looking around the room, desperately hoping that the shooter had simply hidden somewhere inside the room. Unfortunately, Icon soon realized that this was not the case. Whoever the shooter was, they were gone.
”DAMMIT!” Icon spat venomously as the realization that this murderer had escaped him. Then, something caught his eye. A piece of paper tucked under the butt of the rifle. Icon went over to the weapon and removed the sheet of paper, and upon inspection, he realized that it was a note.
A note for him.
WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE…
WE ARE COMING…
YOUR RETRIBUTION IS NIGH…
A cold shiver ran down his spine as he read the content of the note. Then, something suddenly became crystal clear. The hooded figure who had done this was staring at
HIM after the shooting. He had assumed that the assassin had been admiring his handiwork, however, it was clear now that this was not the case. He was letting Scott know that this was all a message.
A message for him.
Somewhere out there, someone had somehow figured out who he was. They had just declared war on him, and they wanted him to know that no one in his life was safe.
Location: An unknown building, somewhere in Crown Ridge, Maine
In a room, the TV blared out the news of the recent shooting that marred the Winstone International press conference. Banners on the bottom of the TV state that in total, 4 people were killed and that Alexa Winstone was injured. Besides that, not much information was revealed about the work Anput had done. Watching the TV, Dullahan watched with the glowing red eyes. He knew of Icon’s identity through Anput and with the message sent, a wicked smile crept across his face as he motioned to move a chess piece on the board in front of him.
”Your move, Icon.”
Member
Shienvien
