Phantasma Found Dead In Cell - Military Struggle to Explain
June 29, 2618
Written by Nataly Richard
This past week, the notorious Phantasma was finally arrested. Known mostly for an attack on Achilles on April 22 earlier this year, she has been on the run from the military ever since.
According to military sources, Phantasma's real name was Olivia Hahn, 28 years old. Hahn was arrested in 2617 in connection with several thefts and was serving her prison sentence until April 3 of this year. She then escaped prison through means that were unknown at the time, but now are attributed to her Miracle.
Just over two weeks later, on April 19, her partner, Xavier Orozco was found dead in his home. No foul play was suspected, but Hahn was wanted for questioning in relation to that case. She continued to elude officers until April 22, when she attacked Achilles and used her Miracle to terrorize civilians until Jumper - wearing a popcorn bag - put a stop to her plans.
Hahn then disappeared until June 19, when she attacked Achilles once again. Her Miracle nearly killed the hero, and she was narrowly stopped by fellow Achilles' Legion members Jumper and Lightning. Military officers were then able to arrest Hahn and she was placed in solitary confinement to await trial.
She was then found dead in her cell on June 26. In the following days, the military privately discussed releasing the information with various media outlets. Journalists were granted an interview with military General Kyrie Jordan on Wednesday with the understanding that the information would be given to the public in the coming week.
Arx Nubibus News journalist Alondra Frederick led the interview with General Jordan. She questioned the general on the decision to put Hahn in solitary confinement, the history of Phantasma's crimes and the circumstances under which she was found.
"We chose to put Olivia Hahn in solitary confinement to minimize the risk of her escaping with the use of her Miracle again. Her ability allows her to manipulate the perceived reality of anyone she makes eye contact with. By limiting her interaction with our officers, we made sure she wouldn't repeat her previous escape. This decision was made with the safety of our officers and the public in mind."
Critics continued to question the decision to put Hahn in solitary confinement - a punishment that has not been used since 2543, when it was deemed inhumane and discontinued. Victims of solitary confinement were shown to exhibit serious mental health problems even after short periods of isolation. Solitary confinement is illegal according to the laws passed in 2543, yet it was used here.
One journalist questioned if there wasn't another way to restrain Hahn. According to General Jordan, Hahn's abilities could even work on masked individuals like Achilles and Jumper, making it difficult to ascertain whether or not protective eyewear would work. In addition, using multiple personnel to keep watch on her at all times - using, say, groups of three officers - would be difficult based on testimony from Jumper and Lightning, who nearly lost to Phantasma even with the pair of them teaming up against her.
General Jordan also refuted the idea that Hahn could have been kept in earshot of others while kept out of sight. "The current cells we have are not built for that. With such short notice, we were unable to reconstruct the prison to accommodate that plan. The bars are made for sight lines, so our officers can keep an eye on prisoners in case of emergency. Blocking one in a way that would not allow Phantasma to easily thwart it would have taken more time than we had." He cited cloth as one such potential method they could have employed on short notice.
Critics were not fully satisfied with the general's explanations, but moved onto the second big issue - how did Hahn die in her cell without medical assistance?
According to General Jordan, "Olivia Hahn died in her sleep with no indicators of medical distress. She was kept under surveillance 24 hours a day by our officers, and there was no sign that anything was wrong until after her next meal was delivered when she didn't wake up. I do not believe there was anything the military could have done that would change this outcome. My deepest condolences go to the family and friends of Olivia Hahn."
An investigation into Hahn's death will be launched. Autopsy results will be released on Tuesday, according to General Jordan. He hopes to use this information to better serve the people of Arx Nubibus, and improve the state of the prisons.
As other Miracle bearers appear one after another, unease continues to spread. Some, like Achilles and his Legion, seem to be here as heroes and saviours, while others, like Paris and his new group, seem intent on spreading fear and chaos.
We will continue bringing the important news to you as this story and others develop.
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