Appearing in "Lifelines"
Featured Characters:
- Alpha Flight
- Box (Madison Jeffries) (Joins)
- Diamond Lil (Joins)
- Guardian (Heather McNeil) (Joins)
- Northstar (Joins)
- Puck (Joins)
- Sasquatch (Joins)
- Vindicator (James Hudson) (Joins)
- Windshear (Colin Hume) (Joins)
- Beta Flight
- Persuasion (Kara Killgrave) (Joins) (Leaves Alpha Flight)
- Shaman (Joins) (Leaves Alpha Flight)
- Talisman (Elizabeth Twoyounmen) (Joins) (Leaves Alpha Flight)
- Witchfire (Ananym) (Joins) (Leaves Alpha Flight)
- Gamma Flight
- Aurora (Joins) (Leaves Alpha Flight)
- Box (Madison Jeffries) (Joins)
- Sasquatch (Joins)
- Talisman (Elizabeth Twoyounmen) (Joins)
- Witchfire (Ananym) (Joins)
- Vindicator (James Hudson) (Joins)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- In Aurora's Flashback
- Alpha Flight
- Llan the Sorcerer (Only in flashback)
- Loki (Only in flashback)
- In Windshear's Flashback
- Windshear (Colin Hume) (as a child)
- Martin Freeman (Colin's grandfather) - (Only in flashback)
- Jacqueline (Colin's mother) - (Only in flashback)
- Franklin (Colin's stepfather) - (Only in flashback)
Locations:
- Canada
- United Kingdom (Only in flashback)
Items:
Synopsis for "Lifelines"
Aurora enters a church in Toronto seeking advice. In confession, she says that she has sought to conform the ways of others to her own through violence. She explains her life up to this point and her discomfort at using her ability in a violent way. The priest tells her that if she wishes to use her ability to give serenity, she should, though only in the way she wishes. Later she finds several homeless asking for money. She says she can't give them all money and instead uses her power to give them hope.
In Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, Colin Hume visits the grave of his grandfather, Martin Freeman. He recollects Martin pleading with his daughter Jacqueline not to take Colin and leave Toronto with her new husband Franklin, who Colin would learn to hate. Martin didn't approve of the marriage to begin with, but he believes that Jacqueline and Colin are leaving everything they've known for Franklin, whose diplomatic job has called him back to London.
Windshear further remembers playing basketball at school in England when his mother and Franklin appear to inform him of his grandfather's death. They fly to the funeral in Canada the next day, but Colin stays for an exam and basketball match. In the present, he apologizes for his absence and not realizing what losing Martin meant at the time. He resolves to stop avoiding truth as he has done and hopes he will finally be accepted as a member of Alpha Flight, as he and Diamond Lil have been probationary members for some time. In a subway station, he sees four men trying to steal a man's jacket. He chooses to use his abilities to overpower them and boards the train.
At Alpha Flight's temporary headquarters, Guardian and Puck coach Kara through weight training and acrobatics. Kara expresses her frustration at not being allowed to join Alpha Flight, but resigns herself to continue on Beta Flight until she's ready. Heather leaves and finds Diamond Lil hiding in the showers, crying. She tells Heather she has found what she suspects is breast cancer and how afraid she is, punching through the walls in anger. Heather takes her for a mammogram.
Days later, Heather gathers the teams and Aurora announces her intention to leave Alpha Flight and work on Gamma Flight as a counselor to rehabilitate their incarcerated prisoners. Lil also tells the teams about the tumor in her left breast, but that the doctors don't know if it is malignant until they can cut through her skin for a biopsy. Heather then announces the teams, including some additional roles on Gamma Flight, the support staff.
Trivia
- This issue establishes Windshear's Canadian citizenship despite his British accent.