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Description

Archimedes issue #4

We begin on a flashback, Kirby (age 6) is being forced to stand in the living room and watch a news report detailing the events of the previous night. Essentially, his mother and her company had unveiled and opened to the public a Desalinization plant that would purify natural seawater and provide clean drinkable water for thousands. To celebrate, she had her boys in R&D create a miniaturized version to serve purified seawater to at the press release event. However, a problem occurred with the filtration system, and the miniature didn’t work right. Though his mother tried to laugh it off, Kirby, ever the industrious child, decided he was going to fix it and did just that, in a matter of minutes no less.

Where before the report had been about his mother’s humanitarian achievements now the news was all about Kirby and roundly mocking her company for the faux pas. She shoved a news paper in his face, showing him the quote where he said fixing it was easy, and the joke the newsmen had made out of that statement “So easy a five year old could do it”. When Kirby tried to argue that he was only trying to help, she beat him with the rolled up newspaper, then in her fist, raining down blow after blow until his tiny body was nothing but a crumpled up heap. When she was finally done, she stepped back and fixed her hair, she noticed that Kirby had pissed himself during the beating, and told him that’s all he was, a worthless sack of piss, just like his father.

In the modern day, Kirby sits in his kitchen trying to make himself a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich, trying to hard to stead his shaking hands as he finishes. The wounds from his fight with Ten Count still aggravating him, but he pushes it out of his mind and tries to carry the plate to his room. A muscle spasm causes him to lose his grip. The plate shatters on the floor and he just stares at it before moving on.

In the other room he sees his mother, on the phone, making deals and ordering her subordinates around. She doesn’t notice him, and he barely pays any attention to her, instead watching the muted television as it plays the local news telling him how Ten Count had killed two police officers and put several others in critical condition. He shuffles away and goes to his room. Marrietta is the only one who sees him leave, or knows why he is so troubled.

Far away, in some hidden underground bunker, Ten Count gives his report to his boss, stating that Archimedes got away, but, to not worry, he was a punk anyways, and he won’t be a problem going forward. His boss then hits a button on his chair and violently electrocutes Ten Count for his insubordination. He reiterates that he had sent Ten Count to capture Archimedes, not send him running. The mission was not over until he was caught.

Kirby’s mother leaves the mansion and tells Marrietta that she won’t be home for a few days. Marrietta performs her duties, but worries about Kirby, as all he’s done all day is sit in his room and stare at his cracked helmet. While cleaning, she leaves the television on and sees something that leaves her blood running cold, Ten Count had attacked a high school, leaving several dead in his wake. He was calling out Archimedes to stop him, and promising to target an elementary school next time.

Marrietta, with some difficulty, pulls him out of his room and makes him watch the new report, but Kirby gives no reaction. All he can do, all he can say is “I’m sorry”, over and over, that nothing he does turns out right, that every time he tries to help he only makes things worse. Marrietta tells him those are his mother’s words, not his, that there are vile, ugly people in this world who will try their damndest to break you down, and tear you apart, but there’s a part of you they can never reach, a part they can never take, unless you let them. “People are going to die tomorrow, children,” she tells him, “And whether you like it or not, you Can do something about it, so what’s it gonna be?”

He stares at the ground, he says nothing, then he walks back into his room.

Seconds later the whirr of tools and the sparks of electricity can be heard as he begins reassembling his suit.

Description

Archimedes issue #4

We begin on a flashback, Kirby (age 6) is being forced to stand in the living room and watch a news report detailing the events of the previous night. Essentially, his mother and her company had unveiled and opened to the public a Desalinization plant that would purify natural seawater and provide clean drinkable water for thousands. To celebrate, she had her boys in R&D create a miniaturized version to serve purified seawater to at the press release event. However, a problem occurred with the filtration system, and the miniature didn’t work right. Though his mother tried to laugh it off, Kirby, ever the industrious child, decided he was going to fix it and did just that, in a matter of minutes no less.

Where before the report had been about his mother’s humanitarian achievements now the news was all about Kirby and roundly mocking her company for the faux pas. She shoved a news paper in his face, showing him the quote where he said fixing it was easy, and the joke the newsmen had made out of that statement “So easy a five year old could do it”. When Kirby tried to argue that he was only trying to help, she beat him with the rolled up newspaper, then in her fist, raining down blow after blow until his tiny body was nothing but a crumpled up heap. When she was finally done, she stepped back and fixed her hair, she noticed that Kirby had pissed himself during the beating, and told him that’s all he was, a worthless sack of piss, just like his father.

In the modern day, Kirby sits in his kitchen trying to make himself a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich, trying to hard to stead his shaking hands as he finishes. The wounds from his fight with Ten Count still aggravating him, but he pushes it out of his mind and tries to carry the plate to his room. A muscle spasm causes him to lose his grip. The plate shatters on the floor and he just stares at it before moving on.

In the other room he sees his mother, on the phone, making deals and ordering her subordinates around. She doesn’t notice him, and he barely pays any attention to her, instead watching the muted television as it plays the local news telling him how Ten Count had killed two police officers and put several others in critical condition. He shuffles away and goes to his room. Marrietta is the only one who sees him leave, or knows why he is so troubled.

Far away, in some hidden underground bunker, Ten Count gives his report to his boss, stating that Archimedes got away, but, to not worry, he was a punk anyways, and he won’t be a problem going forward. His boss then hits a button on his chair and violently electrocutes Ten Count for his insubordination. He reiterates that he had sent Ten Count to capture Archimedes, not send him running. The mission was not over until he was caught.

Kirby’s mother leaves the mansion and tells Marrietta that she won’t be home for a few days. Marrietta performs her duties, but worries about Kirby, as all he’s done all day is sit in his room and stare at his cracked helmet. While cleaning, she leaves the television on and sees something that leaves her blood running cold, Ten Count had attacked a high school, leaving several dead in his wake. He was calling out Archimedes to stop him, and promising to target an elementary school next time.

Marrietta, with some difficulty, pulls him out of his room and makes him watch the new report, but Kirby gives no reaction. All he can do, all he can say is “I’m sorry”, over and over, that nothing he does turns out right, that every time he tries to help he only makes things worse. Marrietta tells him those are his mother’s words, not his, that there are vile, ugly people in this world who will try their damndest to break you down, and tear you apart, but there’s a part of you they can never reach, a part they can never take, unless you let them. “People are going to die tomorrow, children,” she tells him, “And whether you like it or not, you Can do something about it, so what’s it gonna be?”

He stares at the ground, he says nothing, then he walks back into his room.

Seconds later the whirr of tools and the sparks of electricity can be heard as he begins reassembling his suit.