3 September 2015 – Astoria, Oregon
by Jimmy Lane for the Daily Astorian
A construction crane at the site of Álvaro de la Vega’s new headquarters building suffered a catastrophic failure today, but was prevented from total disaster by the sudden appearance of a mysterious silvery-gray material. Witnesses claim the material simply appeared from thin air and “grew” up the sides of a crane, forming a structure of braces that kept it from plunging some 30 stories to the ground.
Crane operator Luis Gonzales, 34, suffered only minor bruises, and was rescued from the crane’s cab by Astoria’s resident armored hero, Scion. The hero was then able to lower the damaged crane safely to the ground, at which point the mystery matter seems to have simply disintegrated, leaving behind no trace. When asked afterwards if the substance was something of his own devising Captain Astor denied any knowledge of it.
“It’s a complete mystery to me,” he told reporters in his customarily brief remarks before excusing himself to debrief with arriving OSHA officials. “But I’d love to know who did create it… the little I could glean from my sensor readings was… fascinating. It seemed to be some sort of carbon nano-fiber, but whether it was technologically made or the result of a meta-human power I couldn’t say.”
An AzTech spokeswoman also denied any knowledge of the miracle material, assuring the press that it was not an invention of Mr. de la Vega’s laboratories. Authorities say they plan to review security footage from the construction site and surrounding areas for any clue as to the nature and identity of the mysterious benefactor, whose actions potentially saved as many as a dozen lives. They emphasized that any such individual is not wanted, and no foul play is suspected in the crane’s collapse
Construction on the building has been halted while OSHA and the APD conduct their investigation, and is not expected to resume before the weekend. The as-yet unnamed tower broke ground in June, and on completion will be Astoria’s tallest building at 80 stories, surpassing the current record holder, the 62-story Medallion Insurance tower…
CLIPPING ADDENDUM: The first public act of a new superhero? Aside from Captain Astor we haven’t seen one of those in years, as I should know. I’ve been reconsidering my position on this matter for some time now… maybe it’s time to set my new strategy in motion? Maybe it’s time for a new generation of local heroes…