The Night Shift

The Night Shift
First Page Release Date	2024-07-10
Last Page Release Date	2024-08-07
Volume	2
Storyline	The Night Shift
Previous Chapter	Echo, Part 2
Next Chapter	Chapter 12
Previous Storyline	Echo (Storyline)
Next Storyline	TBA

The Night Shift is the eleventh chapter and seventh storyline in Pandora's Tale, and the fourth chapter and third storyline in Volume Two.

Characters Appearing in This Chapter

• Pandora
• Isabelle Monday
• Lyra Lujic
• Con Yung
• Echo
• Bookend 3
• Bookend 1
• Bookend 2
• Veronica Fortuna
• Isabelle Monday
• Tallulah Zaragoza
• Amelia (First appearance) (First named)
• MonoMart Clerk (First appearance)

History

This section covers material from outside of the main comic, such as from Xan's social media posts.

On July 9 2024, the same day the final page of the previous chapter was published, Xan announced the title "The Night Shift" and that the chapter would begin the following day. The short turnaround meant that there were no preview images.

Synopsis

At O, Fortuna, Lyra says she received good tips, and Pandora says she has never been tipped. Pandora speculates her lack of tips is because she's a Helper, and she is prepared to let it go, but Echo stops her. Echo pulls the Bookends aside and berates them for not tipping Pandora. Though the Bookends claim Helpers don't need tips, Echo tells them to tip or find a different strip club. Miss Fortuna interjects that this is a burlesque club.

As Echo and Con encourage Pandora to stand up for herself, Isabelle and Tallulah enter. They explain Tallulah wants Isabelle and Pandora to babysit for Tallulah's daughter.

At Tallulah's apartment, Pandora holds up Amelia, Tallulah's baby. Pandora reveals she knows something about feeding babies, as Helper training covers advanced childcare, and Isabelle feels useless.

Meanwhile, Con and Echo, now using her new call sign Phantom, break into the Pioneer City Office of Public Order, and Echo calls it their first date. Echo and Con find a bunch of very expensive yet flammable police cars, similar to those used by the Pluto City Office of Public Order, and prepare to burn the cars. Con admits she is uncomfortable with the way Pandora denigrates herself, and Echo explains that is how Helpers are raised to speak.

Pandora observes that the water in Tallulah's apartment has been cut off, so she leaves to get bottled water from a nearby MonoMart. Meanwhile, Isabelle hopes for Pandora's swift return as she fails to get Amelia to stop crying.

At the store, as Pandora attempts to buy a few bottles of water, the clerk tells her they cost $500, in spite of a much lower price tag. Pandora tells the clerk she thinks he is trying to scam her. The clerk responds that Pandora is either owned by a rich person to whom $500 is nothing, or is a "dirty stray" and so he's allowed to rip her off.

Echo calls out Con for Con's avoidance of Helper oppression, explaining that the reason Helpers are treated as badly as they are is because most humans don't want to think about it. Con says the struggles of Helpers feel hopeless, but Echo reminds Con that apparent hopelessness doesn't stop her from trying to fight against other injustices. Echo reminds Con of the importance of hope, and notes that Echo managed to overcome her programming and escape from the police. As the police cars explode, Con and Echo leave, and Echo says it was the best first date ever.

Back at Tallulah's apartment, Pandora returns with water and explains she had to go to a different store to avoid the bigoted clerk. Isabelle is upset that she's struggling to take care of a baby, but Pandora assures her that she just needs practice. At Isabelle's prompting, Pandora explains that Helpers cannot reproduce naturally, and remarks it's a shame. Isabelle then asks Pandora what happened at the store, and Pandora says the clerk was very mean. Pandora recalls Echo's words about standing up for herself, and Isabelle assures her that leaving the store is another form of protest.

In the morning, Tallulah comes home to find Pandora, Isabelle, and Amelia sleeping on her couch. As a news anchor reports on the fire Con and Echo started, Pandora and Isabelle go back to MonoMart and ask the clerk "I know you are but what am I?"

Trivia

• Veronica's statement that O, Fortuna is a burlesque club, in response to Echo calling it a strip club, is a callback to Chapter 6.
• Pandora's remark about Helpers not reproducing is the second time Pandora has called something "a shame" when discussing Helper oppression with Isabelle. The first time was when she learned Marigold was played by a human.

Semi-Canon Trivia

• The police cars resemble Tesla Cybertrucks, but Xan said it was unintentional.
• Along with print copies of Volume 1, Xan distributed stickers with Pandora saying "I know you are but what am I?"

Chapters

Volumes, Storylines, and Chapters

Volume	Storyline	Chapter Number	Title	First Page	Last Page	Start Date	End Date
Broken	Broken	1	Broken, Part 1	1:0	1:21	2019-03-20	2019-04-10
		2	Broken, Part 2	2:0	2:21	2019-07-10	2019-07-31
	Sisters in Arms	3	Sisters in Arms, Part 1	3:0	3:21	2019-11-06	2019-11-27
		4	Sisters in Arms, Part 2	4:0	4:21	2020-02-26	2020-3-18
	Good Luck Charm	5	Good Luck Charm	5:0	5:21	2020-07-15	2020-08-05
	Live Fast	6	Live Fast, Part 1	6:0	6:21	2021-05-12	2021-06-02
		7	Live Fast, Part 2	7:0	7:21	2021-10-20	2021-11-09
Volume 2	Unbecoming	8	Unbecoming	8:0	8:21	2022-05-25	2022-06-22
	Echo	9	Echo, Part 1	9:0	9:21	2023-09-18	2023-10-16
		10	Echo, Part 2	10:0	10:21	2024-06-11	2024-07-09
	The Night Shift	11	The Night Shift	11:0	11:21	2024-07-10	2024-08-07