BASED ON THE GUMSHOE ONE-2-ONE SYSTEM BY ROBIN D.

LAWS

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BY MICHAEL DUXBURY

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 ALTEREGOMANIA

CREDITS
Publishers: Simon Rogers and Cathriona Tobin
GUMSHOE One-2-One System Design: Robin D. Laws
Author: Michael Duxbury
Art Direction: Chris Huth
Cover Art: Chris Huth

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Interior Art: Chris Huth
Design & layout: Chris Huth
Playtesters: Jay Godden, Simon Rogers

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Copyright © 2022 Pelgrane Press Ltd.

GUMSHOE One-2-One is a trademarks of Pelgrane Press Ltd.
2 Pelgrane Press is co-owned by Simon Rogers and Cathriona Tobin.
 CONTENTS
NEW OLYMPUS: SUPERIOR CITY 4 UNMASKED AVENGER PROBLEM CARDS 25
Life Under Plutocorp 4 30
Being Superior 5
The Heroes of Superior City 7
UNMASKED AVENGER EDGE CARDS 31

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The Resistance 7

KLARA KOENIG 8 GUMSHOE ONE-2-ONE  36

Klara’s Sources 8 Rules Summary 36

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Klara Koenig, Investigative Journalist 8 Character Card  36
The Pedestrian 9 Choosing Your Starting Problem  36
Klara Koenig, Investigative Journalist 37
Investigative Abilities  37
UNMASKED AVENGER 10 Investigative Ability List  38
The Story So Far 10 Investigative Ability Descriptions  38
Cast10 Pushes  40
Scenes12 Sources  40
Ground Zero 12 General Abilities  41
Justice Unserved 13 General Ability List  41
Know Thy Enemy 
No Angel, No Devil
Lord of the Land
Meteor Strikes
Woman Scorned
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General Ability Descriptions 
Tests42
Challenges42
Quick Tests
Countering Problems
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Crisis of Conscience 17 Taking Time 43
The Sinking Ship 18 Antagonist Reactions 43
Only Heroes Fall 19
Care to Comment? 20
Friendly Advice 20
Lawyering Up 21
Act of God 21
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Not Part of the Plan 22

The Byline 24
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 ALTEREGOMANIA
T he skies above New Olympus are
patrolled by caped crusaders, but
these superior beings are far from heroes.
crimes they have committed to the world,
can a fairer society be reconstructed.
You are Klara Koenig, investigative
They wield their powers with reckless journalist for The Pedestrian newspaper, and
disregard, serving the interests of corporate exposing manufactured falsehood is your
overseers, and silencing those who oppose highest calling. Together with the common
their will. Most diligently they disguise citizens of New Olympus, you intend to prove
their civilian identities, to avoid facing the privileged superhuman elite do not yet
accountability for their corruption and hold a monopoly on truth and justice.

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brutality. Only by revealing the faces Welcome to Alteregomania: the newest
behind these masks, and announcing the setting for the GUMSHOE One-2-One system.

NEW OLYMPUS: SUPERIOR CITY

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There was a time when the city of New The secondment of superior police
Olympus struggled with the same problems officers is only the most obvious respect in
as other metropolises on America’s west which Plutocorp has begun privatizing the
coast. In the shadow of towering skyscrapers, protection and government of New Olympus’
a rising wave of crime preyed upon urban citizens. Public surveillance, utilized by
communities and visiting tourists, seemingly superior officers to aid their crimefighting
undeterred by attempted police crackdowns. efforts, has become an omnipresent

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Now, the city council boasts the lowest violent
crime rate in a century, all thanks to the
generosity of Plutocorp Security Solutions.
Since Plutocorp relocated its company
fact of modern life. Mobile phones and
other communications devices now come
installed with Plutocorp security software
by default. These new technological devices
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headquarters and main laboratories to New are manufactured by prisoner labor within
Olympus, a new wave of superpowered Plutocorp’s privately-owned incarceration
individuals have joined the city’s population. centers. Keeping their labor costs low is a
Their formidable powers are at the disposal simple matter of continuing to arrest, confine,
of the city’s police force, the first generation and disenfranchise alleged criminals.
of “superior” law enforcement officers. Now Plutocorp responds to accusations of
the city bows to the reign of the supermen, its corruption with a multi-media publicity
citizens living at the mercy of superior beings, offensive. They pay exorbitant sums to
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who hide behind masks and secret identities advertise heavily through local news media,
to avoid the consequences of their actions. discouraging journalists from digging too
deep for fear of biting the hand that feeds.
In this new post-truth reality, Plutocorp
LIFE UNDER PLUTOCORP protects itself with propaganda and deliberate
misinformation, much as their superiors
In many ways, the life of the average law-
protect themselves with masks and costumes.
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abiding citizen has changed little since the

Whilst many citizens resent the
arrival of Plutocorp. Stories of thwarted
imposition of Plutocorp into their lives, most
robberies and brave rescue attempts by
begrudgingly accept it. They may consider it a
superiors have become a common feature
reasonable trade-off for the feeling of being
of local news. Occasionally a New Olympus
sheltered from crime (“If you’ve nothing to
resident might catch sight of a speeding or
hide, you’ve nothing to fear”). Others simply
flying superior. Such things have little impact
feel powerless to fight back (“I’m just one
on the normal work-sleep routine, except
person, what can I do?”). Individuals with
to make a certain class of citizen feel safer.
the bravery to defy a megacorporation, their
Only those with the instinct to look deeper
superpowered allies, and the full force of
and ask the right questions might detect the
the New Olympus police department are a
4 insidious danger of corporate overreach.
  the streets of new olympus
Like most American cities, the districts of New Olympus are harshly stratified
between urban ghettos and playgrounds of the rich, residential enclaves and tourist-
trap high-streets. Investigators with City Knowledge, like Klara Koenig, will be well
acquainted with the neighborhoods below and their well-deserved reputations.
hh capitol zone. The highest fare price on all kinds of public transportation

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delivers a traveler to the city center, where one can find city hall, police
headquarters, and the Plutocorp company skyscraper. Law enforcement is diligent
in forcefully relocating vagrants caught sleeping or begging in this area.
hh bomont. Promoted as the melting-pot of the city’s artistic and creative

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minds, this desirable borough has been heavily gentrified over the course
of a generation. What galleries and theatres remain have been aggressively
commodified for mass-market appeal or exclusive oligarchic clientele,
whilst independent artists struggle to get by on the outskirts. The Pedestrian
newspaper offices are based here, though most reporters work remotely.
hh dockside. This expansive quayside of container parks and moorings
processes a constant stream of shipping from across the Pacific. It is key
to the city’s continued prosperity and its workers know it, battling to
preserve their way of life with community spirit and collective action.
hh cape connolly. This raised, southern peninsula commands stunning

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views of the west coast, driving house prices to ludicrous extremes. In
gated communities, the rich and famous enjoy their rule of the city from
a position of relative seclusion. The name is ironic, since many superiors
reside within Cape Connolly only when assuming their alter egos.
hh sinclair terraces. Colloquially known as the “sin-streets” of New Olympus,
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this impoverished district houses much of the city’s economically-disadvantaged
black population. It has suffered repeated over-policing as part of the new
regime’s commitment to obliterate crime in New Olympus, and its residents
bear the physical and psychological scars of battles against superior officers.
hh city limits. Beyond the inner-city, one can find other districts common
to most modern American cities: the New Olympus University campus
in the north-east; Patriarch International Airport in the north-west; and
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the ever-expanding borders of suburbia to the south and east.

rare breed – but when such a person does details of the procedure are hidden from the
take a stand, they often find allies to help public, it is known to be ruinously expensive,
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them. The hardest part is being the first ensuring only the richest citizens can ever
to stick their head above the ramparts. experience the thrill of godlike power.
Even after the cheque is cashed, a superior
remains in Plutocorp’s debt. Conditions of
BEING SUPERIOR their deal with the devil indenture a superior
to Plutocorp for the rest of their working lives
Acquiring superpowers isn’t something that
– usually as a private security contractor or
happens by accident in New Olympus. A
emergency service worker in New Olympus,
prospective superior must subject themselves
though exceptions exist for superiors whose
to the care of Plutocorp’s super-scientists,
powers are too unmarketable. Superiors
accepting the risk of injury, death, or
too entitled to submit to this condition
“undesirable transformations”. Whilst most
invariably come to an unfortunate end within 5
  origin story
As far as the world knows, the ability to confer superhuman power is technology unique
to Plutocorp Security Solutions. Patents and non-disclosure agreements protect the
company’s secrets, leaving citizens to speculate wildly about how these superpowers
are conferred – theories include drugs, biological tampering, and magical ritual.
It is beyond the scope of Unmasked Avenger to investigate the source of superior

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powers, but players embarking on a full Alteregomania campaign might seek the
truth, as leverage to wield against Plutocorp. GMs may select any of the explanations
below as a starting point of a conspiracy, or choose to invent their own. There may
even be multiple distinct sources of superpower in your game, each greedily obtained
by Plutocorp through hostile acquisitions, to protect their tidy monopoly.

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hh For decades Plutocorp have worked on the development of a super-serum, conferring
superhuman gifts by intravenous injection. Before going public, they tested their
early prototypes on unwilling test subjects, disfiguring many with debilitating
transformations, before quietly disposing of the witnesses. Where were these
experiments conducted? Could any subjects have escaped the trials? And what
incriminating information could they reveal if persuaded to come forward?
hh The first superior beings were naturally occurring evolutionary offshoots, before
they were detained by Plutocorp’s scientists in the world’s first “super-prison”.
Now those scientists harvest genetic material from the originals, implanting

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them in new hosts to artificially accelerate the process of natural selection.
Where are the captive originals now? Are there other originals walking the
earth who were never ensnared by Plutocorp’s hunter teams? What assistance
could they provide, in return for help rescuing the rest of their kind?
hh The discovery of the millennium happened in secret: proof of extraterrestrial
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intelligence. Plutocorp has been reverse-engineering alien technology
for years, and their superpower bestowments are just the tip of the
iceberg. What new alien-derived technology does the corporation have in
development? What have they gleaned of its culture of origin? And what
plans do the corporation have to extend their dominion into the cosmos?
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months of their contractual breach. Without publicly demonstrated telepathic control over
regular check-ups from medical personnel humans, or an ability to control the flow of
at Plutocorp headquarters side-effects of time, but that is not to say they don’t exist.
their superpowers can suddenly manifest in Despite Plutocorp’s best efforts, the
all kinds of surprising and horrifying ways. science of superiority is still in its infancy,
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The range of powers demonstrated with no proven guarantees. Many aspiring

by superiors run the full gamut of four- superior has emptied their savings in hopes
color comic book conventions. Enhanced of becoming a teleporter or shapeshifter,
strength, resilience, and perception are only to acquire the ability to talk to fish.
relatively commonplace. Most superior law More worryingly, all superiors acquire
enforcement officers employ some kind of vulnerabilities to specific materials or
“blast” power (telekinesis, heat vision, freeze sensations as part of their enhancement
breath, acid spitting, etc.) to give them an procedure, a fatal flaw which allows ordinary
edge in the field. Highly desirable powers, humans to turn the tables on them. Perhaps
such as flight, super speed, invisibility, this Achilles heel is a feature not a bug, the
and bulletproof skin, are the province of a ultimate insurance to prevent the superiors
6 select, prestigious few. No superiors have ever turning on their corporate overseers.
 hh Diversity Kid. Both the first black
THE HEROES OF SUPERIOR CITY superior and allegedly first queer
superior was expensively promoted as
A common complaint of New Olympus’
part of Plutocorp’s Pride Month stunt
elder citizens is that new superiors seem
last year. Rumors circulate the superior
to appear all the time – only the most
hopes to use his powers of illusion to
obsessive fans can keep track of them all.
transition from law enforcement to a
Despite the constant appetite for novelty,
spectacular show business career.
a few superiors retain everlasting affection
hh General Helios. The fastest flying superior

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in the popular consciousness, the elite of
on Earth has set her eyes upon other
superior society. These first-among-equals
worlds, and is Plutocorp’s answer to
are renowned for being the earliest superiors,
the ongoing billionaire-space-race. As
wielding the most impressive superpowers,
a member of the United States armed
or some combination of the two.

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forces, she puts in regular appearances at
hh Patriarch. The World’s Greatest Warrior TM New Olympus high schools, encouraging
is reckoned the most powerful superior children to enlist when they graduate.
on the planet. His flight, indestructibility
and super strength have been evident
since his first public appearance, with a THE RESISTANCE
new power seeming to manifest every few
months. He is the righteous figurehead of Even as Plutocorp becomes a more
the superior law enforcement campaign, omnipresent feature of daily life in New
and his public relations team burn through Olympus, there are those who organize to
fight back. Street protests conducted by local

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millions paying off witnesses who might
tarnish the reputation of their golden boy.
hh Dark Money (aka Marcia Marshall). The
chairwoman of Plutocorp is the wealthiest
woman on the planet, and one of the
activists achieve a profile online, highlighting
instances of injustice and corruption that
Plutocorp struggles to suppress. Through
their efforts, conversations about superior
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few superiors to not conceal her secret corruption and unaccountability have
identity. In her second job, she enjoys inched their way to becoming a nationally-
terrorizing the criminal underclasses discussed political issue. Even so, progressive
from the shadows, with her invisibility politicians remain split on the issue, with
and apparent omniscience. Many of some calling for the unmasking of public
her abilities are not true superpowers, officers, and other defending their right to
but achieved through her wealth, privacy in recognition of their service.
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technology, and illegal surveillance. Where unambiguously free journalism

hh Colonial Man. This flamboyant superior still ekes out an existence, principled
models his clothing on the anachronistic reporters battle to expose the unvarnished
dress of pioneering European settlers. truth, wading against the current of
Despite his impressive strength and misinformation. In the dying days of print
telekinetic powers, Colonial Man is best media, this may be the last chance for local
known for his outspokenly conversative newspaper writers to make a difference.
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political beliefs, which have earned him

as many loyal devotees as detractors.

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 KLARA KOENIG
ALTEREGOMANIA

KLARA’S SOURCES
In a city of short memories, Klara Koenig
has been round the block often enough to
remember a time before the Plutocorp era. Klara works with a great many witnesses,
She’s worked as an investigative journalist at informants and experts to verify her work,
The Pedestrian for most her adult life, scraping and find the clues she can’t. Of those, the
her way up the ranks with diligent reporting, Sources she returns to most regularly are:

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compelling writing, and good instincts for a
hh Dante Rubio, former cop and jaded
snappy headline. In that time, she has fallen in
whistleblower (Investigative Abilities:
love with New Olympus, and cultivated a wide
Blast Analysis, Bullshit Detector,
range of contacts amongst its inhabitants.
Evidence Collection, Forensics, Law)
Though she could be making far more money

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hh Lateefah Jordan, civil rights activist
working for a better-funded media outlet, she
(Investigative Abilities: Humanities,
sticks with The Pedestrian out of a stubborn
Languages, Protest, Social Media)
(some would say naïve) sense of loyalty.
hh Amanda Wozniak, city hall archivist
In Alteregomania, Klara is the viewpoint
(Investigative Abilities: Accounting,
through which the players will experience
Archive Research, Bureaucracy,
the city of New Olympus, along with its
City Knowledge, Gossip)
mundane and superpowered citizenry. Unlike
hh Naomi Abrams, lab technician
many roleplaying characters, she lacks much
(Investigative Abilities: Craft,
talent for fighting her way through problems
Forgery, Science)

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physically, especially when matched against
superior police officers. But her skills leave
her well-equipped to slip her way into
trouble, and after discovering what needs to
be found, slipping her way back out again.
hh Wallace Hector, drug dealer
(Investigative Abilities: Intimidation,
Locksmith, Notice, Streetwise)
More details for these Sources, and Klara’s
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relationship with them, can be found on p. 40.

KLARA KOENIG INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST

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investigative abilities general abilities

Art Review Athletics
Bootlicking Cool
Bullshit Detector Driving
Charm Escaping
City Knowledge Fighting
Electronic Surveillance First Aid
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Impersonate Hacking
Interview Hiding
Negotiation Mechanics
Notice Preparedness
Online Research Sense Trouble
Photography Shadowing
Reassurance Stealing
Superior Fandom Writing
Textual Analysis

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  personalizing klara
To provide the player with a sense of ownership over Klara as their character,
ask them to answer the following questions before you begin play:
hh Klara is already a veteran reporter, well-known and respected in her
field. What was the story that her won her such renown?
hh Klara is Jewish by descent. Does she practice Judaism as a religion,

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and how orthodox does she consider herself to be?
hh Years in the field have resulted in Klara picking up some idiosyncratic habits. What tic or
fidget always indicates to Klara’s colleagues that she’s on the verge of cracking a story?
hh Klara already has good reason to distrust Plutocorp and their superior police officers.

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What has she witnessed or experienced to cause her to suspect their motives?

special accommodation. Yet Finnegan

THE PEDESTRIAN battles just as hard against the budget
cuts and executive meddling from
The Pedestrian is a local and regional
The Pedestrian’s owners, shielding his
newspaper publication, with a self-declared
reporters from the fallout. On a good day,
agenda to speak truth to its readers without

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smear or sensationalization. Its publication
history stretches back to the 19th Century,
and in that time it has fostered extraordinary
journalistic talent, including future Pulitzer
Klara and Finnegan enjoy a productive,
if combative, working relationship.
hh Ethan Lopez, copy editor. A former
“rewrite man”, Ethan has worked for The
Pedestrian even longer than Klara, and
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Prize winners. Despite the quality of its
struggles to keep up with the changes
output, and its enviable position reporting on
made to his deskbound role in the age
the foremost concentration of superpowered
of mobile working. He is a diligent and
beings on the planet, The Pedestrian
detail-oriented proofreader, forensically
struggles to remain relevant in the modern
exposing the gaps in a reporter’s
era. It is threatened by social media “citizen
story to illuminate where their hunt
journalism” on one front, and big-budget
for the truth must take them next.
corporate-owned media empires on the
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hh Dominique “Dom” Obasi, up-and-

other. Fears of layoffs, buyout, or closure
coming reporter. Dom is a young, plucky,
are never far from its reporters’ minds. They
reporter-of-color, whose enthusiasm
go above-and-beyond in pursuit of their
sometimes exceeds her patience
stories, partly out of a sense of duty, but
for fact-verification. Klara serves as
also in hopes of protecting their jobs.
Dom’s unofficial mentor, tempering
During her long employment at The
her impetuousness, and sharpening
Pedestrian Klara has fostered a close
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her journalistic instincts. Helping her

relationship with her co-workers, not
protégé to overcome investigative
all of whom have since left the paper
dead ends often provides Klara with
to pursue more gainful employment. In
the spark of inspiration she needs to
her day-to-day work, she most regularly
push forward with her own stories.
exchanges correspondence with:
hh Lawrence Finnegan, managing editor.
An uncompromising loudmouth,
Finnegan rides his reporters hard with
constant demands for story updates
and publishable material, with little
patience for excuses or requests for 9
 ALTEREGOMANIA

UNMASKED AVENGER
THE STORY SO FAR and the ability to radiate a circle of
fire. Perpetrator of the destruction
Patrick Vulpeton has expensive bills to pay, of Arden Court, and the murder of
and Plutocorp is not a company you want Toby Gonzales, as part of an ill-
to be indebted to, even when you have conceived insurance fraud scheme.

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superpowers. The millionaire property hh Toby Gonzales, 18 (deceased), the
developer and slumlord went all-in to victim. A troubled youth with gang
afford the procedure transforming him connections, whose misdemeanors
into the superior police officer “Meteor”, were used as pretext for Meteor’s

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and now he’s paying the price. intervention at Arden Court. Murdered
His old life as the majority shareholder by Meteor, supposedly in self-defense.
at Rampart Development could provide a hh Maria Gonzales, 42, the victim’s mother.
creative solution. After years of neglecting Traumatized, angry, a woman with nothing
his tenants, one of the apartment blocks he left to lose. After witnessing Meteor’s
owns in Sinclair Terraces has so depreciated actions at Arden Court, she is determined
in value that his best financial option is for to find justice for her son at any cost.
the building to collapse, insurance to pay out, hh Sophie Cuthbert, 28, the mistress. After
and the land to be sold to another developer a passionate but brief love affair with
for gentrification. Crime is so prevalent Vulpeton, she is now pregnant with his

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amongst the “sin-streets” that finding an
excuse for a superior to “intervene” in the
slums is not difficult. And as long as his secret
identity remains undiscovered, his insurers
child, and desperate for his attention.
One of the few individuals outside
Plutocorp who knows his secret identity.
hh Melanie Wright, 39, PR representative.
A beautiful, smiling, devil in high heels,
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will ever learn of his conflict of interest.
The destruction of Arden Court is about she despises her client Meteor, but
to become front page news, and Meteor’s Plutocorp pays her good money to
PR team are struggling to get to the bottom keep him out of trouble. Has a team
of their client’s terrible decisions before of legal advisors on speed dial.
anyone else can. Their first concern: silencing hh Kathy Cheung, 25, PR assistant.
the witness Maria Gonzales, who alleges to Works directly for Melanie Wright. A
have witnessed the superior kill her son, successful graduate of the Plutocorp
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plant evidence and deliberately start the fire internship program, she’s having
which destroyed her home. Maria knows the second thoughts about the people
police will never help her get justice, but is she’s taking money from.
determined to speak the truth regardless. hh Alan Ducaine, 60, Vulpeton’s number
She just needs to help her tell her story… two. Has worked for Vulpeton at
Rampart Development for decades,
somehow roped into providing remote
CAST
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support for his new superior career.

Just about sick of Vulpeton’s bullshit.
hh Patrick Vulpeton, 45, slumlord turned hh Ronald Wellington, 36, property
superhero. Rich, entitled and cruel, his developer at Wellington Properties.
wealth is built upon the backs of his Prospective buyer of the land at Arden
tenants, whom he houses in deplorable Court, who made the fatal error of pre-
living conditions. His secret superior submitting plans to redevelop it from
alter ego is Meteor, a new hero whose ruins before the catastrophe actually
powers include flight, super-strength, happened. Desperate to cover his own ass.

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