Helicopter Disappears Over Downtown

February 5th, 2057

Seattle, UCAS: Yesterday's mysterious disappearance of a Renraku owned Ares Dragon cargo helicopter has both Lone Star Air Traffic and Renraku officials completely stumped. The Dragon was carrying unspecified cargo from the temporary landing structure at the top of the as yet unfinished Renraku Arcology to SeaTac when, inexplicably, it seemed to simply vanish. Sources from Renraku Air Control and Lone Star Air Traffic confirmed that the helicopter ceased all communication before disappearing completely from all radar and sensor screens. Visual confirmation on the Dragon then became impossible as the 600,000 nuyen helicopter simply vanished from sight, along with its mysterious cargo.
According to Seattle Lone Star Air Traffic Chief Michael DiMartino, the disappearance is "completely outside of the norm for Seattle. It's usually very safe to traffic people and equipment over the city. We have our best men working on the Dragon case. Obviously, magic was involved, and we have mages on the job. We've also got Wasps scanning the surrounding areas looking for wreckage. " So far, says DiMartino, no wreckage has been found.
Renraku officials, other than a prepared statement that, indeed, the helicopter has been lost, have remained quiet about the disappearance. Top brass at the Arcology have been avoiding reporters since the incident. Rumors of proprietary computer technology on board the Dragon remain unsubstantiated.
"We have our own people working on this,"Renraku Security representative Annie Togusa told NewsFax, "we'll take care of it."

Yucatan Rebels Attack Aztlan Medical Convoy

February 3rd, 2057

Oaxaca, Aztlan: Violence in the Yucatan today as the Yucatan insurgents attacked an Aztlan medical aid convoy en route to Tepich. The convoy, consisting of unarmored and undefended trucks and ambulances, was bringing necessary medications and vaccines to the underprivileged of the peninsula when the insurgents attacked. Roadside explosives and spirits were used to disable the convoy in the deep jungle. Insurgents then stormed the ambulances, shooting unarmed civilian doctors and volunteer nurses.

After stealing numerous vehicles, as well as vaccines and medicines that will be kept for the insurgency, and out of the hands of the besieged citizens of the region, the rebels covered their tracks by bathing the entire area in napalm. The resulting forest fire is still burning, threating the farms and livelihoods of local farmers. The burned bodies of twenty-four volunteer medical staff have so far been identified. Several of the convoy medical staff is, as yet, unaccounted for, and it is believed that they may have been taken to insurgent breeding camps.

Aztlan military officials condemned the attack and the barbaric tactics utilized by the militant Yucatan minority, giving this statement to NewsFax: "Aztlan will not allow such horrific and inhuman attacks within its borders. The Yucatan murderers will be brought to justice. We will use any means neccesary to stop the senseless killing of innocent people by this maladjusted group of sociopaths."

Not Just Golf: The Candidates Talk Leisure Time

February 2nd,2057

Newsfax reporter Carlene Danvers recently caught up with the major presidential candidates and asked the question that's foremost on the mind of all UCASers: What's your favorite way to spend a weekend off?

Arthur Vogel (One World Democrat): "Well, I rarely have an entire weekend 'off,' but optimally? I quite enjoy hiking, camping, and enjoying the great outdoors. Of course I haven't been able to do that in some time. When I can't get out to the wilds, I like to try out new restaurants; it's my little hobby."

Rozalyn Hernandez (New Century Party): "My weekends are usually spent in seminars and meetings. Were I to have a complete weekend off, I would likely spend it catching up on some reading I've been meaning to get to. I have a book on metaplanar transfixion that I'm quite curious about."

James Booth (Technocrat): "One word: golf. I'm a fearsome golfer. I also like to watch Urban Brawl. My daughter Kiara and I catch games on the trid, and we to go to arena brawls whenever we have the chance."

General Yeats (Republican): "I haven't had a weekend 'off' since the Chicago Containment Zone went up, and I'm retired. I live in Chicago. Any leisure activities I might want to pursue are trapped behind the containment wall. Weekend off? That's a goddamned inane question. If I had a weekend off, I'd spend it trying to fix the unacceptable mess this country is in."

Kenneth Brackhaven (Archconservative): "I go to church every Sunday. Prayer is more important today than ever before. If more people spent their Sundays in church, perhaps our nation wouldn't be the fractured, liberal remnant that it is today."

Dunkelzahn (Independent): "What a strange question for a political candidate. Ah well, I suppose a great many UCAS citizens are curious as to the daily dalliances of a dragon. Firstly, Carlene, you must understand that, as a dragon, I am capable of a high degree of multitasking, so it is not uncommon for me to work and 'play' simultaneously. Were I to devote an entire weekend to leisure, I would likely play around in the matrix for a bit, then spend the rest of the day listening to music and reading. I've recently acquired some rare comic books that I'm anxious to go over. I suppose I might also fly over and watch the Mountain Dragons, my urban brawl team, practicing. I find their tenacity inspiring."

New "Meat Puppet" Brothels In Seattle? 

February 2nd, 2057

Seattle, UCAS: Vice division detectives from Seattle LoneStar have told Newsfax that street level rumors indicate that new "bunraku" brothels may have been set up around the Seattle metroplex. "Bunraku" is the word for the puppeteer in traditional Japanese puppet theater. In bunraku brothels, the sex workers have specialized cyberware installed in their brains. These implants combine a neural cutoff--known on the streets as a "shunt"-- with a direct-feed for posonafix BTL chips. While the shunt is operating, the subject is unconcious--totally unaware of what's happening around him or her, or to him or her. Meanwhile, the personafix BTL controls the subject's body, letting him or her act in as normal, or abnormal a way as the client desires.
 
Norman Takamura, a headware specialist at Mitsuhama Seattle, informed Newsfax that the bunraku technology, though reprehensible, is "the ultimate advance in next-generation prostitution. While an old prostitute can attempt to act out a fantasy, you will know it is an act. With bunraku prostitutes, there is no act. They believe they are your fantasy: blushing virgin, dominatrix, celebrity, whatever you can imagine. Of course, it's all very bad that this is out there, but with bunraku, your fantasies are reality."
 
LoneStar vice division claims that they have no leads as to the locations of any of the bunraku parlors said to be operating in Seattle, and have no information whatsoever on any possible clientèle because the parlors are so skillfully hidden from prying eyes. However, due to the bunraku parlor concept originating in Japan, many in Star's vice department believe that these state of the art pleasure houses are likely run by the members of the Seattle Yakuza crime syndicate. As such, Star believes, potential customers are likely to begin searching for the parlors in Yakuza run areas and businesses.