The growth of public awareness of Sparks, and the increase of discrimination against them, have their roots in one particular event from thirty years ago. Known as 'The Fallout' (or sometimes 'The Blast'), this tragedy has left Citropolis' body and soul scarred in ways it still hasn't recovered from. The following is the version of events that was strongly pushed by the media and government immediately following The Fallout, but Sparks and their allies with an interest in history suspect that it isn't accurate…

A Spark, calling themselves 'Nuke', announced themselves in a dramatic fashion before the city; this was taken as a terrifying threat, and mass panic ensued. The police attempted to apprehend them, without realising quite how dangerous a Spark’s power could be. Cornered, Nuke used their power. In the spur of the moment, one of the officers, Wallace Udarnik, revealed his own spark of invulnerability as he jumped on top of Nuke, shielding the city from the full effect of the explosion. It devastated the District now known as the Redevelopment Area, but left the rest of the city intact (at least, physically).

Wallace - honoured with a statue on the spot The Fallout began - led the charge against such dangerous Sparks in the aftermath. Setting the standard for the responsible, law-abiding Spark, Wallace now works closely with the city government to ensure another Nuke will never happen again. He lives in a well-guarded compound, does not distinguish between his public and private identity, and fights Spark threats to the law and peace of Citropolis wherever they occur, both physically and pre-emptively (through a variety of advertising and public safety initiatives).

Though the blast has settled and repairs have begun, The Fallout continues on, in the suffering of all those who lost loved ones… and in the falling-out of trust between the Sparked and non-Sparked.

- Quotes from various news sources