Daryl A. McManus, affectionately known as "Big Mama" by those close to her, is a character featured in The Day After Episode 00. She is a member of the US Marines Corps TSF squadron, VMF-318 Black Knives.
As the squadron leader, Daryl possesses a laid back attitude that she applies to most situations, much to the chagrin of her straight-laced subordinate, Wilbert D. Collins, whom she also teases mercilessly with dialogue laced with innuendo. However, her skills as a commanding officer are solid, and she is well-trusted by those who serve under her.
The Day After[]
A member of the US Marine Corps TSF squadron, VMF-318 Black Knives, and the wingmate of squadron commander Lieutenant Graham Rosenberg, Daryl, like Will, was originally stationed at Yankee Station, then later at Yokosuka Naval Base in the Empire of Japan during Operation Babylon. Later on, they were later detailed as a support unit for an infantry platoon from the 3rd Marine Regiment, and then picked up by the the Hawaii-bound USS John F. Kennedy from Yokohama Base when Operation Blue Ocean was initiated.
When the USS John F. Kennedy was separated from her escort ships and swept into a salt plain following the Grand Ocean Collapse, Daryl became one of a handful of pilots left on board the USS John F. Kennedy, and one of two Marine Corps pilots still on the ship; her commander, Graham Rosenberg, had died during the chaos that followed the events of The Day. This resulted in Daryl becoming the highest-ranked member of the squadron; she became the CO of the Black Knives, with the callsign of Knives-1.
Episode 00[]
With the USS John F. Kennedy forced aground on the salt plains, the carrier was forced to hold their location while attempting to contact the American mainland for aid. Joined by the USS Gettysburg, the HMAS Sydney, the USS King, and the USS Gopher State, the area was named the John F. Kennedy Naval Garrison Base, and Daryl, along with US Navy TSF Squadron VF-133 Raging Busters, were incorporated into its defense plans.
Daryl, along with 2nd Lieutenant Wilbert D. Collins, the second member of the squadron, later rescued fellow Marine Corps pilot 2nd Lieutenant Lilia Kjellberg, who was separated from her own naval group, from her stranded lifeboat during a mission on the salt plains to deploy signal relays. With Lilia's hurried integration into the Black Knives, Daryl became her new commander and fellow female friend; Daryl, however, disapproved of her obsession with finding more survivors, since she knew the fleet's resources were already stretched thin, too thin for what she was sure would turn into a wild goose chase. However, she did not refuse Lilia directly, and instead gave approval for Lilia to perform area sensor searches while carrying out Operation Flying Boom.
While Lilia did manage to find crew members of the USS Seattle due to a homing beacon, they were long dead from dehydration. Daryl later helped Lilia to bring the suggestion of holding a funeral ceremony in conjunction with Memorial Day to Commodore George Alston, which is approved; the ceremony was held on the USS John F. Kennedy, with Daryl being one of the contingent participants. Despite her own grief at the death of Graham, Daryl remained composed throughout the procession as an example to her subordinates.
The day after the ceremony, Daryl was performing checks on her TSF with the help of the carrier's remaining mechanics when news of approaching BETA were made known to the crew members of the ship. Leading the Black Knives in the defence of the carrier in true Marine Corps-style, Daryl and her subordinates paved the path to the JFK Naval Garrison Base with the corpses of innumerable BETA.
Despite the efforts of all involved, the USS John F. Kennedy was soon breached and boarded by BETA, and the defenders were being steadily overwhelmed. Commodore George Alston then contacted Daryl and ordered her to carry out contingency plan 72-C; 2nd Lieutenant Lilia Kjellberg was to escape the conflict zone with key data that the USS John F. Kennedy had carried.
Despite Lilia's rejection of the idea of abandoning her newfound squadron members, Daryl, without hesitation, took control of her TSF and forced it through the takeoff sequence. She also told Will to leave, but her last squadron member refused, and she did not pursue the matter further. Daryl, along with Will, are last seen alive by Lilia fighting off the BETA as the creatures overrun the carrier.
Trivia[]
- According to a particular doujin, Daryl fem doms Will soon after they pick up Lilia. Sounds about right, just marking territory.
- Super effective against no nonsense, straight laced, opposite-sex oblivious male protagonists.
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