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© Juke Box Productions
"A Little Knowledge" was originally published in Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.1 No.3.
Synopsis
It's is the dead of night, and Andrew "Eyes" Eisenstein is running along the Chesler neighborhood rooftops talking to himself --or the reader-- about the greatness of the city as well as the opportunities that can arise for individuals willing and able to keep their eyes open for ways to help themselves.
As "Eyes" catches his breath, the shadow of a costumed super-hero is cast on the building behind him. Eyes nears the edge of a building and manages to spot none other than Jack-in-the-Box in the alley below as he removes his costume and dons civilian clothing.
It slowly dawns on Eyes that he just saw the face of Jack-in-the-Box. A number of scenarios runs through his mind of the possible opportunities he could experience, with the new found knowledge in hand. At first, the scenarios are fantasies where he has power and money (even walking around with Jack's costume as a scarf).
Eyes hesitates sharing this information with his criminal colleagues at the Craig Avenue Bar & Grill, as he begins imagining their cutting him out of the deal and making use of his information for fame and fortune, leaving him destitute.
Just then, Jack-in-the-Box bursts through the bar window. Terrified that the hero is after him--even though Jack asks the bar's inhabitants about the Middleman's activities--Eyes flees out the back, escaping to his apartment.
The next day, while on a walk, Eyes happens to pass by the residence of Channel 3 news anchor Tamra Dixon and her husband Zachary Johnson. Recognizing both Jack-in-the-Box and Dixon, Eyes asks for Tamra's autograph, made out to "Jack Bachsinger." Eyes immediately regrets that decision, as he believes he's tipped off Johnson to the fact that he knows Jack-in-the-box's identity.
A new scenario run through Eyes' mind about the information he possesses, centering on torture at the hands of Jack-in-the-Box, who punishes Eyes for seeing "too much."
Later, while working for the Middleman, Eyes again attempts to escape when Jack-in-the-Box arrives to disrupt the illicit activity. This time, his escape is unsuccessful: Eyes is sprayed with an adhesive confetti and left stuck to a railing. He nearly dislocates his shoulder but manages to free himself from his bonds, slipping out of his jacket.
Imagining yet another scenario where Eyes takes his knowledge to the Deacon, Eyes fears that he would never survive as visions of being beaten savagely by the Deacon's lieutenants who want to reveal the information themselves or worse, being killed on the Deacon's order to prevent anyone else learning that valuable information.
As he processes this fear and tries to think of what to do, Eyes recalls the first time he ever saw Jack-in-the-Box. He was a child, and his mother told him that "he's helping us all -- he's a friend." Then, he is frightened by the shadow of a hero moving nearby, whom he assumes is Jack-in-the-Box finally locating him--but it turns out instead to be Quarrel, who appears to be entirely oblivious to Eyes.
Finally, Eyes decides to take a bus and leave the city for Anchorage, Alaska; choosing safety rather than a life of continuous fear that his freshly acquired secret "opportunity" results in his undoing.
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