note: this chapter is formatted completely differently from all of the other ones. parts marked in brackets [like this] are things Tony paper clipped or stapled to certain articles.

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chapter fifteen
TOP SECRET
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THE DAILY BUGLE
July 21, 2002

CATASTROPHIC EXPLOSION IN ABANDONED BUILDING REMAINS MYSTERY
By Ben Urich

This past weekend on July 18, an unexplained explosion occurred in a seemingly abandoned building and completely leveled the entire structure. The New York City Fire Department has been excavating the scene for days. They still cannot determine the source.

The incident was first made known when nearby residents called about smoke pouring into the sky from afar. One anonymous citizen claims that they weren't certain if anyone lived there, or if it was "a party foul gone wrong."

Shortly after first responders arrived at the abandoned building engulfed in flames, something inside exploded, causing the structure to cave in. No bodies have been recovered and nobody was killed. However, several firefighters and paramedics were injured and are said to be in stable condition.

More updates to come as the story unfolds.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES.COM
July 24, 2002

INFANT RECOVERED FROM FIRE IN ABANDONED BUILDING
By Sally White

Fire Chief Sampson speaks about the incident that happened last Thursday regarding a seemingly unharmed infant rescued from a burning warehouse.

"We are unsure how she didn't die. The fumes alone should have knocked her unconscious, but she was awake and completely fine when we located her. No smoke in her lungs. No burns. It was some sort of miracle— an act of God, maybe. We're just glad we were able to save her."

[Attachment: picture of Havoc stopping an armed robbery on June 23, 2017. A force field surrounds her, protecting her from the robber's bullets.]

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VOICE RECORDING
recorded by F.R.I.D.A.Y.

STARK, TONY:

"Is this on? Is it working? Okay, it's working. I'm going to ramble out loud for a few minutes and see if I can make sense of any of this.

Two scientists from the Philippines arrive in New York City in 1999 and disappear. Poof. Everyone forgets they exist. No trace of them. Except, they have a baby boy a year later. Keanu was his name, right? [...] Yes, Keanu John Santos. He disappears. There's no trace of him, either.

Neither parents possessed supernatural abilities. What if [...] Oh, God. What if they made supernatural abilities? You want powers, you have kids, and you test on them. F.R.I.D.A.Y, underline 'made' and 'test'. That's important. They experimented on their children— Jesus, and I thought my dad was bad.

That was indecent of me. F.R.I.D.A.Y, erase that last sentence.

[ERROR: MESSAGE NOT RECEIVED.]

What do you mean, Message not received? Great.

Anyway, they mess up and Keanu... dies? Maybe. It's completely possible. Infants are the worst possible choice for test subjects. Their bodies are so unstable [...] These people suck. Is it bad I'm glad they exploded, along with all of their equipment?

Back on track. Child 1 failed, so they try again. No more documented children exist before Keanu and Lena, so it must be her. They give her the powers somehow, possibly early enough for her to be able to start exhibiting them on her own without realizing. Again, infants, unstable.

The lab catches fire. Fire department comes, rescues Lena, who has potentially built a force field around herself to protect her body from the flames. No smoke inhalation, no burns, perfectly fine baby. Of course, there aren't any known super-weirdos at this point, so everyone thinks it's a miracle, an act of God, whatever. Lab explodes. All equipment is lost in the rubble. The site is deemed toxic and blocked off, so they can't excavate any further.

And, since the experiments were never complete, the energy inside Lena is never stabilized. She's left with constant movements as a side-effect. Doctors assume it's ADHD and give her meds that don't work, because, of course, she doesn't have ADHD at all.

Jesus. Oh, God. But why would her parents want powers in the first place?"

RECORDING ENDED.

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VOICE RECORDING
recorded by F.R.I.D.A.Y.

STARK, TONY:

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., did you make me my coffee?"

[SIR, THIS MUCH CAFFEINE INTAKE IS DAMAGING TO YOUR HEALTH.]

"A vast majority of the things I do are bad for my health. It's 4 a.m and I can't rest until I've cracked this case.

[...] Thank you. Whew, that's strong. It's perfect. Okay, here we go.

Our two favorite mad scientists want powers to take over the science world. A family of self-created super-weirdos would probably earn them every medal and prize, like, ever. That's my first theory.

I'm not even liking the sound of my second one.

Weapons. You hear that, F.R.I.D.A.Y? Underline that. Weapons. W-E-A-P-O-N-S. I just won the spelling bee.

Lena has been using these energy manipulation powers for good, but they can also be very, very destructive. Imagine never being able to capture a criminal because they always block you out with a force field or move too fast. Imagine getting blasted with energy. Imagine being pushed in front of a train, or an airplane going down, or a boat sinking.

From what I've seen, Lena is already powerful as it is. Think about her potential if the lab hadn't exploded and her abilities had been not only stabilized, but built on. Energy manipulation can branch off into so many things— maybe things Lena is able to do but hasn't figured out yet.

Those are my two conspiracy theories, if you will. I need more coffee. [...] Pepper, honey, go back to bed."

POTTS, PEPPER:

"Not this again."

RECORDING ENDED.

[Attachment: picture of Havoc and Spider-Man attempting to stop an alleged heist on a Staten Island Ferry]

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THE DAILY BUGLE
April 25, 2014

MASKED FIGURE SAVES MAN WHO FELL 15 STORIES
By Eddie Brock

The entire city of Queens is buzzing about the work of an unidentified person who saved a man who was pushed out of his office window on Tuesday. She is described to be female, with "medium-length blonde hair that's slightly curled, a black jumpsuit, and a black mask over her eyes."

Witnesses claimed that this woman encased the man in a bubble and brought him down to safety. Although her actions have mystified the people who saw the event, it is clear that she is no ordinary person. She, like the previous occupants of Stark Tower, possesses supernatural abilities. The nature of these so-called "powers" is unknown.

Mark Gaten, the man who was saved, testified, "I was falling toward certain death, when, suddenly, I wasn't. There was this bubble surrounding me. It was bluish, but a bit transparent, so I could see the people on the sidewalk gathered to watch. She lowered me onto the concrete. The bubble disappeared. Then, she was gone before I could muster up the words to thank her."

[Attachment: a photograph of Mark Gaten encased in the bubble outside of his office building]
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THE BULLETIN
June 14, 2015

A NOTE ON SPIDER-MAN AND HAVOC
By Karen Page

With the sudden influx of "supernatural" beings that have come to light in the past decade, there have also been many criticisms marked toward these people. Some call them menaces to society. Others refer to them as scoundrels, criminals, or freaks of nature. The reality is we should be calling them heroes.

It's no secret that the number of these powerful beings has increased exponentially in the past two years. First, Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, joined the infamous group of heroes known as the Avengers. The next year, James Buchanan Barnes was the world's most wanted man and Prince T'Challa Udaku was revealed to be the Black Panther. Most recently, two local vigilantes known as Spider-Man and Havoc have joined the scene.

Though their true identities remain a mystery, it doesn't take much thought to recognize the difference these two have made on not only Queens, but the state of New York as a whole. They do what the police won't and/or can't. They're the first to arrive at almost every crime. When a boy's bike is stolen, they find the culprit. Where would we be without them? The Avengers don't stop these mundane crimes. The cops aren't always fast enough.

Whether sparked by fear or common sense, the chance of being involved in a crime has gone from 1 in 74 to 1 in 90, an impressive feat for such a short time of them being on the scene.

The truth of the matter is: no matter what you believe about superpowered beings, they have done an extreme amount of good for this state and will continue to do so whether you shake your fist at them or not.

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S.H.I.E.L.D DATABASE
October 17, 2002

SUBJECT NAME: Lena Marie Santos

PARENTS: Lilabeth and Rasalan Santos (deceased)

BIRTH DATE: April 15, 2001

SIBLINGS: Keanu John Santos (deceased)

LENA was adopted by JOHN and JESSA RIVERA on October 14, 2002. The subject has exhibited bizzare behaviors such as excessive shaking and emitting a blue-tinted light occasionally. It was soon suggested that her chances of being adopted in these conditions were low. A special serum to hide them was injected and is expected to last until LENA is at least five years old.

Subject stayed in S.H.I.E.L.D care for two weeks before being transported to Miracle Adoption Center in New York City. While under supervision, recordings were made about her peculiar abilities. No source has been determined.

DIRECTOR NICK FURY did not want her to grow up in the facility and ordered her to be sent to live with a normal family. LENA will grow up supervised by S.H.I.E.L.D agents at all times to ensure she will not be harmed. AGENT EARL ANGSTRUM has been assigned next door to their apartment and will update the facility frequently on her evolving conditions.

[Attachment: piece of plain paper with Tony's handwriting in Sharpie, saying, Fury, how do you only have one eye but manage to have eyes everywhere?]

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fun fact: i actually uses a font that's as similar to rdj's handwriting as possible! i also included people who actually worked at the daily bugle, as well as a daredevil/punisher easter egg with karen aka my mom.

^ these are the images i based the font off of (not sure if the index card is really his handwriting, but still)

this chapter was pretty short because it's just articles and photographs, but i hope it was able to give enough information for you guys to understand more about ray and lili!

—kristyn