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In the immediate aftermath of the virus, when
no adults were left alive, Amber and Dal decide to flee the
City and to find somewhere in the country to live. Somewhere
where they could grow their own food and be self-sufficient.
This is Dal's dream.
But that's not how things work out. Whilst taking cover from
the Locos, Amber rescues a wandering girl, Cloe, and the rest
is history: Amber and Dal join up with Cloe's friends, Salene,
Paul and Patsy, and they find the Mall by accident while avoiding
more trouble from the Locos, the Demon Dogz, and a new threat,
Lex and his friends.
The sole inhabitant of the Mall at this time is Jack. Unseen,
he allows Amber's group safe entry into the Mall, because he
needs people to help him survive. Dal makes a brief tour of
the Mall to find food but finds nothing - it has all been looted.
When Lex's group shows up, still making threats toward Amber,
Jack (still unseen) lowers the two sets of grilles, trapping
the unwanted visitors within.
Before long, Jack introduces himself and shows Amber's group
around. Finding beds in the furniture store is a wonderful and
unexpected surprise.
Dal still wants to fulfill his dream with Amber, but she knows
it isn't to be. Dal chooses to remain with her, to make his
home in the Mall. |
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For the first night at least, everyone in Amber's
group sleeps in the furniture store. But before long people
start to move out to find their own space.
Dal soon establishes a rapport with Jack, working on many projects
together. Jack is the ideas man, but rather theoretical. Dal
puts the ideas into practice, being more grounded, judging what
is possible, and what is impractical.
So it is hardly surprising that when Dal moves out, he chooses
the Magazine store, right next to Jack's workshop. |
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In episode 5-6, with Trudy likely to die from
a complication following childbirth, Dal risks his life to fetch
antibiotics for her from his father's surgery in sector 15.
Then he sits with her almost constantly until she recovers,
and brings her flowers when she does!
Trudy continues to suffer from post natal depression and half
way through Season 1 she attempts suicide. Dal is stricken with
remorse, because the sleeping pills had come from his bag. Again
he cares for her round the clock until she recovers. Dal is
becoming deeply fond of Trudy, and fiercely protective. On one
occasion he even attacks Bray when he sees her driving him out
of her |
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| room wielding a knife. Jack begrudges the time Dal
spends with her, and for each of them, life at the Mall is becoming
unbearable. At the end of Ep.22 they leave together for a new life.
But that's jumping ahead. |
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| Ep.13-15. The first project comes about
when the tank on the roof leaks, and there's no more water.
Jack and Dal instal a water filtration system to make rainwater
palatable. As usual, Dal's been doing all the dirty work. He
also helps Jack instal an intruder alarm system, and booby traps
at times when they are under threat of an attack. In Ep.22 Jack
and Dal begin work on a wind-driven system to charge batteries,
but Dal is so tired and preoccupied with Trudy's recent suicide
attempt, that not a lot gets done, much to Jack's annoyance.
Before long Trudy and Dal leave the Mall together to start over
and find a new life. |
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| They find a new Tribe, the Nomads, but before
staying with them long enough to uncover the truth about them,
Trudy comes to terms with her own responsibilities and role
as a mother. In short, the break from the Mall enables her to
get over her depression, and she returns to the Mall a much
wiser, humbler and more stable person. Dal isn't so lucky. He
soon discovers the Nomads are slave traders, and they intend
to sell him at a slave market at the upcoming Tribal Gathering,
together with Sasha, a hapless traveling entertainer who falls
into their net soon after Trudy has departed. |
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| By sheer good fortune, KC spots Dal at the Gathering
and informs Amber. But other wheels are turning and it seems the same
fate probably awaits all the Mallrats. Lex takes matters into his
own hands, and with Ryan's help, they start an all-out intertribal
fight, during which Ryan frees Dal, Sasha, and Amber, for she too
has become Ebony's slave. Amid the riot and chaos, everyone sneaks
away safely from the Gathering back to the Mall. |
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Dal is welcomed back as an important member of
the Mallrats, working with Jack and KC to make Wind Turbine
MKII, that really works.
Not all of Dal's ideas work. When Jack's leg gets broken (Ep.33)
he demands "a vehicle" be constructed so he can get
around. Dal comes up with the Sedan Chair idea, which only succeeds
in ripping the arms off a perfectly good chair.
In Ep.37 Jack & Dal's latest project is a surveillance system.
Dal instals the CCTV camera while KC acts the fool and shakes
the ladder - just for a laugh. |
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When Patsy brings Glen to the Mall, only to die
days later, it becomes imperative to try and find some answers
about the Virus. So while Bray, Amber and KC search the Health
Minister's Office, Lex and Dal look through newspaper articles
at The Daily Times.
Dal soon realizes that Lex can't read. Lex blows a fuse, and
threatens to break every bone in Dal's body if he tells anyone
else. He is the second person to learn Lex's secret, the first
being KC. |
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Back at the Mall, when Dal compares notes with
Bray and Amber, it becomes apparent that an anti-aging project
was taking place at Hope Island. A project that went seriously
wrong.
The following day, Dal goes with Bray, Lex and Amber to Hope
Island. There he probably saves Lex's life, spotting a mine
in the dirt before Lex treads on it. Once inside the establishment,
Dal uses his computer skills to download files. But he doesn't
know the password, and the system goes into Security Alert mode,
shutting down life support, including the air supply. Fortunately
Dal has another idea, semiconscious as he is. He tells Bray
to short out the power supply. Bray does so, and the door opens
just enough for Lex to wedge himself in the gap. |
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In Ep.46 Tribe Circus invades and trashes the
Mall. When they are done they leave the Mallrats trapped behind
the grille with a fire raging just the other side. Lex brings
Ebony and the Locos to rescue them in Ep.47, but Ebony steals
the Antidote. This was the deal she made with Lex. To enforce
her claim she threatens Dal with Loco brutality. That's enough
to persuade Jack to hand over the box.
Not satisfied with taking the Antidote, Ebony also keeps hold
of Lex, by now very sick, to test it on. Plus she takes Bray
as a hostage, to spite Amber. |
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| In Ep.48 Dal finds a radio controlled helicopter in
the Service Area. It's broken, but he has no problem fixing it. Dal
gets the go-ahead from Amber to fly it over the Horton Bailey Hotel,
Ebony's new H.Q., to try and get some camcorder footage of Bray, who
is being held hostage there. In the end just two go, Ryan and Dal.
After overflying the hotel, the helicopter runs out of gas and lands
destructively. The noise attracts the attention of some Loco guards,
though Ryan beats them off. What matters is the camcorder, which Dal
deftly removes from the wreckage before they hightail it back to the
Mall. |
Jack and Dal search the Hope Island computer files.
Again and again Jack sees the word "EAGLE" in association
with a code number. But what can it mean? Dal comes up with the answer:
it's a map reference! And there, when they look on the map, is Eagle
Mountain, exactly at the coordinates given.
Jack cannot convince anyone of the need to go to Eagle Mountain. For
a start he has no idea what they might find there. Until.... until
Tai-San has a dream, about a mountain... and an Eagle. |
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The following day the Mallrats set off early for the
mountain, but some way out from the City the road is barricaded. They
are outnumbered and it seems they must turn back. Bray and Ebony arrive
- in a bus. Bray drives the bus through the barricade, scattering
barrels everywhere. But the bus soon breaks down, and even Dal cannot
fix it. They continue their journey on foot.
At Eagle Mountain they find a satellite tracking station. Dal and
Jack hack into the computer files and set the tracking system going.
When everyone has given up hope of anything meaningful happening,
THE satellite passes in orbit and delivers its message - a message
that will give the Mallrats a new purpose, and change the fortunes
of everyone in the City. |
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