Gaia 9 Action News, Cindy Donovinh reporting on the Events of 2005.
Anniversary '05
FAMILY TENSIONS DISTURB GALA EVENT; GAMBINO STRIKES BACK WITH TOWER
By Cindy Donovinh
With the Gambino Mansion disgraced and destroyed by the recent Halloween fiasco, the wealthy Von Helson family stepped up to host the gala Gaia Anniversary Ball at the stately Von Helson Mansion. Though the event was suitably lavish, it quickly exploded into inter-family feuding with the arrival of Johnny K. Gambino and his son Gino, with whom he was recently reunited.
The Von Helson sisters, worried that the flamboyant Gambino would steal the limelight, demanded that he and his son leave the party. When Gambino refused to comply, the sisters captured young Gino and threatened to harm him if Gambino did not leave the party. Gambino was allowed to reclaim his son only after promising to leave, and never return to Durem or attend another Gaia event.
Furious, Gambino set to work rebuilding his fortune. Gambino supporters offered him donations of large sums of gold, which he used to build a fabulous new Gambino Mansion on the Isle of Gambino. Not content with a mere mansion, Gambino kept building and building until he had constructed a massive tower, so tall that it cast an imposing shadow over the Von Helson residence in Durem.
Not to be outdone, the Von Helson sisters have begun a public campaign of protest against what they see as Johnny Gamino's insane hubris. Gaians are taking sides; some support Gambino's ambition to reclaim his throne as the most powerful man in Gaia, but others are sympathetic to the Von Helson sisters and their hatred of all that Gambino stands for.
The source of the tensions between the Gambino and Von Helson families is unclear, but a source close to the Gambino family hinted that there is more to the feud than mere business competition.
April Fools '05
BILLIONARE INDUSTRIALIST JOHNNY GAMBINO SHOT; FEARED DEAD
By Cindy Donovinh
At what might should been his greatest moment of triumph, prominent Gaian businessman Johnny K. Gambino was shot by an unknown sniper. As the shot rang out, Gambino plummeted from the majestic skyscraper that he had only recently completed.
Gambino's son, Gino Gambino, was also atop the tower; witnesses claim that, moments before the fateful shot, Gino had regained his memory and addressed Johnny Gambino as "father" for the first time since his disappearance six months ago. As Johnny Gambino fell from the tower, Gino leapt after him, apparently sacrificing himself to join his father in death.
At the very moment when the Gambinos fell from atop the tower, the structural integrity of the massive edifice began to crumble; the tower toppled upon the neighboring town of Durem, destroying the Von Helson mansion and apparently killing Gambino's main rivals, the devious Von Helson sisters.
The bodies of Johnny and Gino Gambino have not been recovered from the wreckage, but they are presumed dead.
Gino Returns
GINO GAMBINO DISCOVERED ALIVE
By Cindy Donovinh
Against all odds, Gino Gambino has been found alive. Gaian shopkeepers Ian and Sasha, who were enjoying a day trip to the sunny coast of the Isle de Gambino, discovered the injured youth amid the waterlogged wreckage of the ill-fated Tower of Gambino. Gino Gambino was presumed dead after witnesses reported that he had leapt from the top of the tower as it fell, apparently distraught over his father's shooting at the hands of an unknown sniper.
Gino, who is still fragile from injuries sustained in the fall, has been take into Sasha's home to rest and recuperate.
Click [Return of Gino|here for a full account of the event.
Halloween '05 Pt. 1
BITTERSWEET HOMECOMING FOR GINO GAMBINO
By Cindy Donovinh
After a short period of recovery in the care of shopkeepers Ian and Sasha, Gino Gambino has announced plans to return to his father's mansion and continue the Gambino legacy. Gino intends to reopen G-Corp, this time in full public view; LabTech 123, one of the few survivors of last year's Halloween fiasco at the old Gambino Mansion, has been named as the new head of G-Corp research.
Gino Gambino's commitment to carrying on his father's work comes as a great shock to many G-Corp investors, who have long murmured that Gino may be too timid to be a successful heir to the Gambino empire. However, with the once-struggling G-Corp rebuilt, refunded and operating at full capacity for the first time in a year, it has become apparent that Gino Gambino is truly his father's son.
Click Gino's Recovery|here for a full account of the story.
Halloween '05 Pt. 2
HALLOWEEN TERROR HAUNTS GAMBINO MANSION ...AGAIN
By Cindy Donovinh
The Gambino family has ended a year of bad luck with yet another disaster: the annual Halloween party at the Gambino Mansion has once again been ravaged by G-Corp's own highly unstable G-Virus project. G-Corp security chief Bucho explains that a disgruntled former employee known as LabTech X broke into G-Corp's test facility and released hundreds of test animals, which poured into the Gambino Mansion and attempted to attack partygoers. To combat the threat of infection, Bucho enlisted the able-bodied attendees to catch and neutralize as many animals as possible.
The Gambino Halloween Party once again ended with a bang, as a mysterious fire broke out in the G-Corp lab and the Gambino Mansion, burning both buildings to cinders.
In yet another tragic parallel to last year's Gambino Halloween disaster, Gino Gambino is once again missing and feared dead; witnesses claim that Gino became trapped in the burning mansion after saving the life of Sasha, the young woman who discovered him unconscious on the beach after his near-fatal fall from the Gambino Tower.
Unconfirmed reports in Gaian gossip magazines indicate that Gino may have been romantically involved with Sasha, although these reports have been strenuously denied by Ian, a friend of Sasha's and the owner of the Barton Boutique.
A full account of the story can be found here Halloween '05 Part 1|(Part 1) and here Halloween '05 Part 2|(Part 2).
Xmas '05
MASKED HERO SAVES XMAS
By Cindy Donovinh
After a bitter altercation between former comrades Jack and Santa, a masked hero stepped in to put an end to the violence and save Xmas for all.
The tensions between Jack and Santa stem from an incident on November 7th in which Santa, dressed in a massive robotic suit, appeared in Barton and began to taunt and insult Jack. Santa accused the pumpkin-headed mascot of ruining Halloween. Jack, furious with these accusations, unleashed his mighty wrath upon Santa, destroying his robotic suit and reportedly killing him.
An account of this event can be viewed Jack vs. Santa 1|here.
Santa's lifeless body was resurrected by a mysterious organization known as S-Corp, which was staffed entirely by Santa's elfin helpers. The resurrected Santa returned to Barton, where he found Jack gloating about his plans for next Halloween; a massive battle between the two holiday figureheads ensued, destroying several Barton buildings; the G-Team attempted to step in and put a stop to the destruction, but they were quickly dispatched by the two superhuman combatants.
As Jack and Santa geared up to deliver tremendous punches to each other, a mysterious masked hero descended from above on black wings and caught their fists, preventing them from causing untold destruction to each other and whatever unlucky bystanders happened to be in proximity.
"He was amazing," said Sasha, who was dangerously close to the raging battle. "I would have been smashed between them if he hadn't swooped down and saved me... he's like a dream!"
Eyewitness coverage of this event can be seen Jack vs. Santa 2|here.
In a televised press conference, the hero, known only as The Masque, announced his plans to hold a New Year's Ball at the Gambino Mansion. He also made it clear that he would expect Sasha to appear at the event-- Gaian gossip-mongers have been abuzz with speculation that Sasha and the Masque might be romantically involved, although these reports have been angrily and vigorously denied by Ian, Sasha's closest friend.
Footage of this press conference can be viewed The Masque's Press Conference|here.