8FOLD: Daylighters # 9 (Annotations)

[Tom Russell]

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              |___/     |___/  ANNOTATIONS

      # 9 - ROBOT DUPLICATE


[1] Alistair

Back in early 2007, the United States was invaded by Apelantis (JOLT
CITY # 11). Apelantis is essentially ruled as a corrupt dictatorship
with such lovely features as mandatory military service, frequent
executions of perceived threats, and a general distrust of
intellectuals and academics. When the ill-advised invasion was quickly
and soundly defeated, many soldiers were executed for "cowardice"
(failure) - though not family members of wealthy and powerful elites.

Alistair was part of the invasion force, and a reluctant one at that.
Knowing that he would likely be executed if he returned to Apelantis,
he sought and received refugee status on the strength of his
scientific genius. He has worked alongside Dr. Fay ever since.

[2] Vegas

The destruction of Las Vegas in late 2008, as recounted in MIGHTY
MEDLEY # 1 and JOLT CITY # 23. Pam is apparently the sole survivor of
this mysterious tragedy, hiding in an underground shelter until New
Years Eve 2014 (DAYLIGHTERS # 1).

[3] the night her mother tried to drown her

This is going way, way back, to the first-ever Eightfold story, 2005's
JOURNEY INTO # 1, a collaboration between myself and Eightfold's
original genius, Jamie Rosen. Rereading it not too long ago, there's a
lot about my contributions that I wish I had handled differently - a
lot that's clearly reaching for something just beyond my grasp.

The gist of it though is that Kate was the target of abuse - physical
and emotional - by her mother, who did at the story's climax tie her
up and try to drown her in a bathtub. Kate was rescued by her piano
teacher - the retired villain Dr. Metronome. Both he and Kate's mother
died, leaving Kate to take up the Metronome mantle as a heroic figure,
and leaving Kate to raise her two younger siblings.

Those younger siblings were not targets of their mother's abuse. Cal
in particular would have been about seven years old when her mother
died, and as alluded to in DAYLIGHTERS # 6, didn't really understand
or conceptualize what Kate went through, and even doubted it at times,
no doubt contributing to the friction between them.

[4] the last time

This is a bit of MANCERS continuity (# 5-6, specifically). Suspecting
that David Collins was the leak that led to Maile Akaka's escape (he
was), Claire suggested to Lydia Black that they leak real intel
through David to confirm the leak. To make that intel something Maile
would risk going after, she suggested they feed the secret circle
information on Sarah Avery, an extremely powerful mancer. When the
circle went after Avery, Company agents would be on hand to capture
Maile. Maile ended up getting away with Sarah, and her would-be
captors were killed or sucked into some kind of demonic realm.

What Caracalla doesn't know of course is that all of this was
orchestrated by Claire to ensure that Avery was placed within the
circle, in order to further the blue lady's agenda of maintaining
balance and deadlock between the circle and The Company. Claire was
able to pin the fiasco, and many of her own misdeeds, on Lydia Black,
resulting in Black's termination in MANCERS # 8.

[5] FEVER knowing who you are

Back in DAYLIGHTERS # 3, the assassin Flintlock, working for The
Company, mentioned that he knew the secret identities of Darkhorse and
Shimmer. This "slip" was planned to make the Daylighters paranoid
about Medusa being compromised, leading of course to Medusa actually
being compromised in DAYLIGHTERS # 6.

[6] had your life saved by Rainshade

Rainshade is the one who ultimately brought Kate back to physical
reality in DARKHORSE # 3. After Kate suffered life-threatening
injuries aboard the Prolix, Rainshade stabilized her (at some personal
cost) and had Trinity Tran heal her (DAYLIGHTERS # 5).

[7] Flintlock

The assassin who tried to kill Darkhorse in MIGHTY MEDLEY # 9-10 and
DAYLIGHTERS # 3.