Appearing in "The Jagged Edge"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Karl Fredericks (First appearance)
Other Characters:
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- New York State
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Lenox Hill
- 61st Street
- Alison Blaire's apartment
- 61st Street
- Lower East Side
- SoHo Night Club
- Tribeca
- Restaurant
- Lenox Hill
- Manhattan
- New York City
- New York State
- United States of America
- Vietnam (Mentioned)
- North America
Synopsis for "The Jagged Edge"
Alison agrees to participate in a photoshoot for publicity, although she is not particularly fond of it. Later, after the shoot Lance Steele brings her some roses that were delivered by a mysterious fan that would like to meet her after the show. In spite of Lance's warnings that this person sounds sketchy, Allison tells him that should this man show up at her next concert, to admit him backstage.
This fan is a man named Karl Fredericks, a Vietnam vet who has a few screws loose and is obsessed with Dazzler. He's been watching her though the window with a pair of binoculars and when he sees that she is leaving Harry Osgood's office he rushes to his job in the key shop below in the hopes of seeing her.
He misses her and earns nothing more than a warning from his boss that if he screws up one more time he will be fired. Returning home, Karl is bothered by his mother about his missing an appointment at the Veteran's Hospital, and he loses his temper when he finds that his mother had placed his old uniform in his closet and then storms out to see Dazzler's show.
Arriving at the show, Karl is admitted backstage, where he meets Alison when she is done with her performance and asks her out to dinner. Finding the man kind and attractive, Dazzler agrees in spite of continued warnings from Lance. The two go out on the town until 3:00 am. However, when Dazzler tries to depart in a taxi to go home without him, he tries to make her go home with him and she is forced to use her light powers to temporarily knock him out and escape. When Karl recovers, he freaks out and vows that he will win her love no matter what.
The next, Alison shows up at Harry's office to find that someone had gone through and ransacked the place, taking nothing but promotional pictures from Alison. Later, Alison gets a call from Karl, who tries to apologize for the night before. However, Karl's boss catches him on the phone and unplugs it and fires him on the spot, leaving Lance to storm out vowing revenge.
Returning to her apartment, Alison finds another box of roses waiting for her from Karl and a note saying that he will kill the person who made her life the worst. Realizing that she recognized Karl from before, she realizes that the only way that he could have gained access to her apartment and her boss's office would have been through keys and realizes that Karl worked at the key shop just under Harry's office. Rushing there she finds Karl's boss had been shot and has people call for an ambulance. Finding Karl's name and address in the shop Rolodex, she decides to go to his home.
There she meets Karl's mother who tells her about Karl's military service and how he was discharged following his father's death. Allowed to look around Karl's room, Alison finds that one of his guns is missing and that among the photos and clippings about her, there are ones about her father from back when they were at odds. She is horrified to find that one of these clippings has the words "MUST DIE!" scrawled across them and realizes that Karl intends to shoot her father.
Rushing to the courthouse, Alison is forced to illegally park and steps in on Karl just as he is about to shoot her father. Using her mutant powers to dazzle both men, Alison uses a light laser to destroy Karl's gun, saving her father's life. However when security arrives both Alison and Karl flee the scene in different directions. Alison is upset to find that she has been ticketed and Karl believes that Alison had betrayed him and that he would make her pay.
Going to Alison's next show, Karl is allowed backstage again by Lance, who is unaware of the day's goings-on, and he waits in Alison's dressing room until after the show with a gun ready to fire. Backstage, Alison notices Karl through a crack in the door and gets the drop on him. He manages to overpower her until she uses her light powers to knock him out. The ruckus brings about Dazzler's support staff who call the police and have Karl arrested. As he is being taken away by the police Karl vows to be back and get revenge.
After all is said and done, Alison apologizes to Lance for not taking his warnings seriously, however, he manages to console her.
Notes
- Bright is credited as Marc Bright.