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Ian Archer
Ian
Role: Student
Ability: Preflex
Played by: Drew Van Acker
First appearance: "New Kid"

Ian Archer is a student at Tower Prep. Loyal, courageous and rebellious, he's determined to find out what the school is all about, why he was brought there in the first place, and more importantly, how to escape.

Story[]

Before Tower Prep[]

Ian Archer was kicked out from his high school after getting into a fight with a bully who was harassing his friend. It was during that fight when he possibly first became aware of his preflex ability, as he was able to 'see' and counter the bully's every punch. At home, his parents lectured him on not fighting, even to defend his friends. This causes him to protest, stating that that is who he is. That night, he was playing an MMO called Treasure Bandits, when he was contacted in-game by someone named Whisper 119, who told him she was looking forward to their next meeting and that, "not everyone sees a Whisper." When she signs off, Ian quickly gets a feeling something is about to happen, when he hears a strange buzzing sound coming through either his headset or the speakers of his music player. It causes him to black out, where he later wakes up in a bed in an unknown room.("New Kid")

At Tower Prep[]

New Kid[]

He awakes to the sight of Ray Snider , Don Finch , and Zack Blonsky , who initially make fun of his mini freak out. Ian manages to learn a few things from them, such as he is at a school called Tower Prep before they leave for their first class, leaving Ian alone and confused, as well as a card with a map to new student orientation. Finding some of his stuff from home (his ipod, his phone), he attempts to call home, but only gets static and Whisper 119's voice stating that he is out of range.("New Kid")

Ian sets out to find the New Student Orientation, but quickly becomes lost. He wanders around aimlessly, before hearing Whisper 119's voice again. He asks a random student about the voice, and learns that Whisper is in the Administration Building. However, upon entering, he is shocked to learn that Whisper 119 is not a human, but a super computer that runs Tower Prep.("New Kid")

Deciding to leave, he takes off through the woods only to be stopped by a wall. Finding no way around, he turns around and heads back. He soon wanders into a circular room where he is suddenly attacked by people on roller blades, wearing football like gear, and holding lacrosse sticks. Ian holds his own, but the fight is soon broken up by Coach, who tells Ian he is being hazed, and that this is actually the Buffer Arena where the school sport of Buffer is played. Coach then gives Ian directions to the New Student Orientation and sends him on his way.("New Kid")

When he arrives at the right place, he finds Ray, Don, and Zack waiting for him. He confronts them about the hazing, and becomes even more annoyed when they ask him if he can take a joke. He tries to enter, but a Monitor, Monica, stops him. Ian enters anyway to find the other new students watching the orientation video. Monica follows him in and takes him away to change into uniform and to go meet with Headmaster. On his way out he bumps into two girls, who both look annoyed by him. One of them comments on how she hates kids who can't get with the program, and then keeps walking. He also sees another student, a guy wearing glasses, who is walking behind the two girls, giving Ian a strange look.("New Kid")

He is brought to Headmaster after changing clothes, and is shocked to hear Headmaster list various personal details about his life such as how Ian still misses his dog that died three years ago. Ian questions the Program and the location of the school. Headmaster dodges theses questions and asks Ian others. When Ian says he has one last question, Headmaster answers it before he gets a chance to ask, by saying his parents do know where he is. Ian is not sure whether to believe him or not. Monica then escorts Ian to his first class. Ian tries to ask her questions, but she either avoids giving them or gives little answers. They soon arrive at his first class, Science, which is taught by a teacher named Science, and he takes a seat by the male student he saw earlier, who's name is Gabe Forrest, who makes a witty remark about Ian status. When class ends, he attempts to leave only to be stopped by Math, who comes in to teach math. Ian quickly becomes bored but then sees a note on his desk that appeared out of no where, it says "I'm scared too"("New Kid")

Ian returns to his room at the end of the day, to find Don and Ray messing with his stuff. Don is commenting about the photos on Ian's phone, while Ray is listening to his iPod. When Ian asks for it back, Ray drops it, breaking it, and then they continue to look through photos on his phone. Ian finally snaps and rushes Ray, shoving him up against a wall. They attempt to goad him into throwing a punch, but Ian calms himself down and leaves, most likely remembering what happened last time he got in a fight.("New Kid")

Later that night Ian run into the woods surrounding the school, taking a chance at escape and thinking that the wall can't be everywhere. However, he runs into unknown creatures wearing black suits and helmets with glowing green lights on them, and after a close encounter, almost runs off a cliff. This causes him to think that Tower Prep is on an island. After that, he runs into the two girls who he bumped into earlier that day, as well as Gabe who is with them. He learns that they are trying to make their own escape and warns them away from the cliff and the creatures he ran into. They thank him for the rescue, and proceed to become friends, the two girls introducing themselves as CJ Ward and Suki Sato. They tell him how they arrived at the school, in the same mysterious fashion as Ian, and gave him some of the answers he wants. They also explain how everyone at Tower Prep has special abilities, and tell him theirs. On their way back to the school, they are ambushed by the creatures again, which Ian's new friends tell him they are called Gnomes. Ian manages to fight them off, letting the others escape.("New Kid")

They join back up outside the school, but security has already been armed. Ian detects a pattern in the lasers and helps the group get across. Before he can go though, he is ambushed by a lone Gnome, who he fights. He wins and rips the Gnome's helmet off and then proceeds to join his new found friends.("New Kid")

With their help, Ian gets revenge on Ray, Don, and Zack, by having Suki steal their clothes while they are in the shower, and throw them outside. Gabe then uses hypersuasion to get Math to catch them. Ian is happy to have payback, and some friends, who then reveal another secret to him. CJ, Gabe, and Suki show him the Observatory, which they use as a HQ. Ian spots a telescope and uses it to see where they were based on the stars. He is shocked when he looks in it and finds that none of the constellations line up over the United States, leaving him clueless to where they are. Ian becomes determined to escape, and teams up with CJ, Gabe, and Suki, in order to make it happen. The next day, Headmaster confronts Ian about the incident the night before with his naked roommates. Ian denies any involvement which Headmaster seems to buy. Ian walks off, as people start to notice what is on the flagpole, the Gnome helmet Ian took from the night before. Ian then asks CJ about the "I'm scared too" note he received, thinking it was from her. CJ, however; informs him that she didn't write it, and neither did Suki or Gabe.("New Kid")

Secrets of the School[]

Ian soon settles in to routine at Tower Prep, doing as he said earlier, blending in, becoming a model student to avoid suspicion. He starts taking morning jogs, occasionally joined by other students, such as Ava Taylor and Lisa Merriman. Ava and Lisa tell him about the latest rumor of how the Gnome Helmet ended up on the flag pole, causing Ian to tease them about believing rumors and how they can't keep up with them. This causes them to sprint with him, keeping up with him to his session with Coach.("Monitored")

Ian starts to have special training sessions with Coach, allowing him to hone his marital arts skills, in addition to the time he spends in the training room. He occasionally uses this opportunity to probe Coach with questions about the school, although Coach generally is evasive about answering them. Eventually, Coach tells Ian about West Campus and how, if Ian continues to keep asking questions, he'll probably end up there. Coach accidently lets slip that he was once a student at Tower Prep, but when Ian inquires further, Coach knocks him down with one kick, saying that was his answer.("Monitored")

While Ian is getting ready for class, Don mocks him for his apparent 180 view on life at the school, going from trying to escape, to being a model student. Ian responds by saying how Don is just a creep everyday of the week. Ian goes to find Gabe, but instead finds his roommate, Howard Gilmore, making Gabe's bed. When asked why, Howard discovers that Gabe has hypersuaded him again, in order to do his chores. Ian then has to break up an argument between Gabe and Howard, by asking them about their third roommate, The Great Unknown. Gabe and Howard tell him that they have never talked to him or have seen his face, as he is always sleeping or out of the room.("Monitored")

While attending Science, Ian is detained by Monitors, on the charges of theft and grand larceny, and is brought before Headmaster. Headmaster reads off the missing items, among them include a laptop from Arthur Curtis, recordings of Fenton Capwell singing opera from Fenton himself, a photo album from Lisa Merriman, and Gabe's sock monkey. Headmaster then says that other stolen items were found in his dresser, which Ian is quick to deny. To his dismay, Headmaster says he must call for a student tribunal to see if Ian is innocent or guilty and gives Ian four days to prove his innocence or be sent to detention at West Campus. Ian is also assigned a monitor, Chelsea Sloan, that is required to be with him at all times.("Monitored")

Ian attempts to dissuade Chelsea into not tailing him all the time, but is astounded at her response, showing her commitment to the school. When Fenton Capwell confronts him, Chelsea rebukes Fenton and makes him leave. While she is distracted with dealing with Fenton, Ian quickly asks Gabe, CJ, and Suki to investigate the case and help him prove his innocence. However, Chelsea quickly returns and throws Ian in the closet, before staring down his friends and warning them not to get involved. ("Monitored")

During his morning jog the next day, Lisa and Ava try telling Ian that they don't think he did it, but Chelsea cuts him off before he can say anything back. Ian attempts to convince Coach of his innocence during a sparring session but is cut off when Coach says he is a member of the Tribunal and cannot talk to him about it. Ian becomes frustrated by not being allowed out of his room, and starts bouncing a ball off the wall, when he hears a different sound when it hits one part of his wall. He takes a closer look and discovers that the wall is hollow and there is a hole leading to a tunnel. He tricks Chelsea into thinking he is going to bed before going down into the tunnel, discovering that there is a whole network of tunnels under Tower Prep. ("Monitored")

He eventually finds a tunnel that leads to the observatory and surprises the rest of the group when he shows up, coming out of the floor. After explaining to them his discovery, Ian goes back down to return to his room before his roommates show up or the monitor checks on him. However, he soon becomes lost, checking various vents to try and orient himself. He finds one to Headmaster's office, where he sees Headmaster checking the Gnome helmet he put on the flagpole, as well as asking Whisper 119 to send him some of the answers from Science's homework assignment. Ian also spots something cleaning it's shoes off, though it is too dark to tell who it is. When he thinks he has finally found his room, it turns out to be Ava and Lisa's room and gets a silent chuckle as he watches Don and Ray get flat out rejected when they try to flirt with the girls. Ian finds Gabe's sock monkey down in the tunnels, and barely makes it back inside the room before Don and Ray return. ("Monitored")

The next day, Ian returns Gabe's sock monkey to him, telling him that he found it in the tunnels, and that more evidence might be there. They plan on exploring the tunnels more throughly that night when everyone else is at the movies. Ian speculates that if they follow the trail of stuffing beads from Gabe's sock monkey they will be able to find the thief. The plan is for Gabe and Ian to search the tunnels while Suki and CJ cover for Ian in his room. To assist Ian and Gabe, Suki creates an app for their PDA allowing them to brighten up the screen so they can see in the dark better. After leaving Suki and CJ in their room, Ian and Gabe venture down into the tunnels, and soon pick up the trail of beads. However, they are attacked by a hooded figure who knocks them both down through the floor, and then vanishes.("Monitored")

Ian and Gabe manage to pick themselves up and keep moving through the tunnels, soon coming across an abandoned laboratory, and begin to speculate what the school's purpose is for them. They continue to move through the tunnels, trying to find the thief. However, they soon spot Gnomes moving throughout the tunnels, and are forced to hide, realizing that this was how the Gnomes move throughout the school. He and Gabe quickly move through the tunnels attempting to hide from the gnomes when they run into CJ. She tells them that Ian's roommates came back early and that Suki will call them when it is safe to return. They continue to search the tunnels when Ian discovers a hidden side room, with a bed and various stolen items. When they find the thief had been listening to Fenton Capwell's opera recordings, they begin to suspect Fenton is actually the thief, stealing the recordings from himself to avoid suspicion. Suddenly, the thief appears, but then flees causing Ian to give chase. Ian however, is loses track of the thief in the dark, which seemingly does not hamper the thief.("Monitored")

Ian and the others question Fenton the next day, accusing him of being the thief. However, he gives an alibi of getting music from his neighbors the night before, which CJ then confirms using her ability. Ian becomes frustrated, realizing they are back to square one, when Fenton becomes angry for tracking dirt into the his room and falsely accusing him. This causes Ian to remember seeing Howard cleaning what he thought to be Gabe's shoes, but when Gabe says that he never had Howard clean his shoes, Ian realizes it must have been his own shoes he was cleaning. They decide to pay a visit to Gabe's roommate, leaving Fenton clueless.("Monitored")

That night, Ian breaks out of his room, most likely using the tunnels, and takes the bust found in the secret hideout in the tunnels. He then rushes to Gabe's room, claiming to be chased by Monitors, and throws the bust to Howard when the lights cut off. When the lights cut back on, He sees Howard caught the bust easily in the dark, confirmed by Gabe when Gabe reveals Howard's ability as tetrachromatic vision, allowing him to see in the dark. Howard confesses that he is the thief and that he framed Ian because he became jealous of him and Gabe's friendship. Ian takes pity on him, knowing what it's like to be on the fringe of the social scene in school, but tells Howard he needs to turn himself in, which Howard agrees to.("Monitored")

During the Tribunal, Howard confesses his crimes, and Ian gives the Tribunal a box filled with stuff Howard stole. When Science asks Howard about he managed to get in and out of the dorms, Howard lies and says that he waited till dark before sneaking into the rooms, not mentioning tunnels. Ian's name is cleared and Howard is sentenced to six weeks of detention at West Campus. Headmaster tells Ian that he had a feeling that he'd be found innocent, and asks him if he wants Howard's spot in Gabe's room, which Ian happily accepts.("Monitored")

Ian continued to go about his schedule at Tower Prep, attending all his classes, which included Art. During one art class, Ian expresses annoyance with Whisper being everywhere, before class began. The class however, contained two changes, one being Emerson Poencet's transfer to the class, and the second being Headmaster's surprise observation inspection. This goads Ian into questioning why they take art if the school is meant to train their abilities. Headmaster counters and explains that it is not their goal to train them but to help them understand their abilities and gives them a homework assignment to make a work of art that represents what their ability means to his or her self.("Whisper")

That night, the Ian becomes frustrated at the project not being able to think of what to draw to represent preflex. He jokes about turning the 'What we know' board, saying at least then the person who wrote him the 'I'm scared too' note will know he or she is not alone. CJ however asks Ian about when was the first time he became of aware of his skill in relation to Tower Prep. Ian then relays his first interaction with Whisper 119 while was playing Treasure Bandits in his room, which Suki then suggests he could draw Whisper's avatar, which he quickly agrees to. ("Whisper")

The next day, Ian presents his project to the class, a drawing of a fierce warrior princess, before Headmaster comes in. Headmaster looks over all the projects, and says how proud he is of each of them. However, CJ whispers to the group that he is actually tense and angry after looking at Suki's project, and is trying to prevent it from boiling to the surface. The group hangs back after class in the hallway, to see if they can figure out the meaning of this. Ian is shocked though when he sees Headmaster tear up Suki's drawing, and calls the rest of the group's attention to him, causing further shock, especially to Suki. They then watch Headmaster leave the class, barely concealing his anger, leaving Ian and the others to wonder what this means. ("Whisper")

That night, Ian, Gabe, and CJ are in the observatory, trying to figure out what the object Suki found is. It puzzles them on why Headmaster would be so angry about it. Their thoughts are interrupted when CJ receives a text from Suki, saying she is being followed by a monitor. This puzzles the group further as to why this thing is so important to Headmaster. Thankfully, Suki texts a few minutes later, saying she is safely in her room. Ian asks if they could look it up on Whisper, but CJ says she tried but is unable to when she doesn't know what to search for. That's when Gabe suggests that they visit Winslow, who has an edetic memory, and says if anyone would know, it would be him.("Whisper")

Ian and Gabe head over to Winslow's room and show him the object, which he says he has never seen before. Winslow goes on to say that he recognizes many of the components in the object, saying they are computer parts, but dates the object to the late 40's or 50's. However, Winslow tells them that if that were so, then it would be way ahead of it's time. In summary, he says it is a vacuum tube from an old computer that simulates organic DNA. He then asks how Ian found it, but Ian attempts to trick him into thinking that they told him, but Winslow sees right through it, but abandoned the question and goes back to starting at a random trinket. Ian and Gabe leave, trying to figure out how to best use this new information. ("Whisper")

Upon returning to the Observatory, they find Suki has just arrived from her room, via the tunnels. They share their new found information with her, and upon learning this she suggest they try asking Whisper about the vacuum tube. Whisper confirms it's a vacuum tube to a computer, and then asks the group where they found it. Ian ignores the question and asks her if it was a computer used at Tower Prep. She replies by saying a long time ago, and insistently asks him where did they find it. This annoys Gabe to the point where he tries hypersuading her into forgetting about it, but fails due to her not being human. Ian continues his questioning, asking why would it make Headmaster so angry, and what it was used for. She remains silent for a minute before restating what she said earlier that it was vacuum tube, much to the group's frustration. ("Whisper")

The next day in art class, Art goes over how artist use places of fear in artworks. Ian, still puzzled over the vacuum tube, is distracted until he hears her say 'I'm scared too'. He immediately recognizes that sentence as the one from the secret note he received his first day. The evening he confronts Art in her classroom about the note, and although she is flattered he would consider her capable of such a thing, admits that she did not write the note leaving him with a clue of who wrote it. He returns to his room, when he feels a slight breeze, and at that moment he discovers a note in his pocket, saying 'Beware: Stop asking questions' in the same hand writing as before.("Whisper")

Ability[]

Ian's special ability is "preflex", meaning he can detect and react to events a split second before they happen. Combined with his martial arts training, this makes Ian an excellent fighter who's almost impossible to surprise. When sparring with Coach, it is revealed that Ian's martial arts fighting style is Wushu (Chinese martial art). In the last episode Ian can see things that happen even from a distance away from him. He saw Suki walking with her father as she was leaving Tower Prep, and he sensed Whisper 120 standing outside the tunnels. However, he can't always interpret exactly what will happen, as he sensed the Tunnel Man watching him when he first entered West Campus, but when he looked and didn't see anything, he pressed on, missing the man peering around the corner.

Personality[]

According to Headmaster's psychological profile, Ian is intelligent, brave and loyal, but his flaws are stubbornness and a quick temper. The report also states that he has a sensitive core and still misses the dog that he lost 3 years ago. He tends to get into fights, but will generally restrain himself unless the other guy throws the first punch. When his friends are getting bullied or harassed, Ian rarely sits by, and often steps in to solve the problem himself. However, this is also his undoing sometimes, as when he stepped in to defend his friend at his old high school, he was suspended.

Relationships[]

With other students[]

Cal Rice[]

Ian HAS a rivalry with Cal Rice, a member of the gold buffer team, who, when Cal started attacked Ian on his first day at Tower Prep. DAI left, his relationship (or lack, do the same) had gone to the swamp. Regardless of the boys' similar athletic prowess, they chose to never become friends, but rather bitter enemies especially with CJ as they both harbour a crush on her

CJ Ward[]

One of the weaknesses Ian has is CJ. Even though CJ pretended to be annoyed at Ian's disrespect for school rules, the two eventually hit it off. After becoming friends, the two became very close. They soon have a crush on each other but don’t act upon it (as they are only working together to escape), but it is evident to other students particularly Gabe and Suki. Later, even after all the evidence points to her being the snitch he could not bring himself to believe it until confronted by Suki. Even though he was extremely angry at CJ for betraying them, he forgave her, not wanting her to continue to have to beg for forgiveness from him. She has revealed to Suki that she likes Ian,and they shared one kiss (Phone Home). In addition, she is also shown to be very jealous of other potential girls who may harbor Ian's attention. For example, in the episode "Trust", CJ is visibly upset by Ian spending so much time alone with Emily Wright. She is also seen being rather bitter towards Tawny Dvorchek, when Ian becomes entranced by the sirens (Book Report).

Gabe Forrest[]

Gabe and Ian are best friends. However they do have some flaws between them. When they first met, Gabe teased Ian about his confusion about the school, but the two eventually came to be very close. Ian does care for him, as when Ian found out Gabe has been kicked out of the fraternity so, Ian wanted to leave the fraternity but was forced to join. Up until now, the roommates have had a brotherly relationship. That being said, they also trust each other very easily, as shown in "Snitch" when Ian and Gabe assured each other that they weren't the Headmaster's spy, as they accepted each other's word for it.

Suki Sato[]

Ian cares for all of his friends, which includes Suki Sato. He appears to think of Suki as his little sister, being very protective of her in a "big brother" sort of way whenever she's in danger. When Suki is being taken from the school by her father, Ian saved Suki because even though he still did not know who betrayed him, and still thought of Suki as his friend. Despite his animosity towards it, Suki was the one who was finally able to break through to Ian that the logical person who had betrayed them was CJ. Ian seems to respect Suki for the brilliant intellectual that she is, admiring her technological skills. Suki appears to have a bit of a crush on Ian, as seen in "Dreams", when Suki kisses Ian in her dream. This is never revealed to any of the other characters, but Suki blushes and giggles upon flashing back to the event.

With faculty[]

Coach[]

Ian sees Coach as a mentor, as Coach has private training sessions with Ian in order to help improve his skills.

Family[]

Ian's parents are Michael and Lydia Archer.

Trivia[]

  • Both Ian's phone and music player are Apple products, an iPhone and an iPod respectively.
  • Treasure Bandits, the game Ian is playing at the beginning of "New Kid", is depicted using footage from FusionFall, the Cartoon Network MMO.
  • In "Phone Home", CJ says that Ian told her, he had never kissed anyone, but part of the clip of him saying it didn't appear on television. Only on the Cartoon Network Tower Prep preview.
  • Ian's typical breakfast is two eggs over easy, oatmeal with raisins, and non fat milk.("Monitored")
  • Ian's fighting moves include various kicks (such as the roundhouse kick performed in "Fathers") and punches. He often uses his surroundings in combat.

Gallery[]

Characters

Main characters: Ian ArcherGabe ForrestSuki SatoCJ Ward
Students (recurring): Cal RiceDon FinchEmerson PoencetEmily WrightFenton CapwellRay Snider
Students (minor): Amber SunkistAva TaylorChelsea SloanDan MaxwellDemetrius WinghamDonald UtleyFlash McNultyHoward GilmoreHubert KovalevJenni PeasleyJeremyJordanLazloLisa MerrimanMascotMonicaNoelleNormanPenny StosicRoss AndersonTawny DvorchekThe Great UnknownWinslowZack Blonsky
Faculty: HeadmasterArtBiologyCoachDebateHistoryDr. LiteratureMathNursePhysicsPsychologyScienceDr. SpecsWood Shop
Other: GnomesWhisper 119Whisper 120Whisper 23RedfangConradConner OwensCornelius TowerShinji SatoTakahiro SatoTunnel ManLydia ArcherMichael Archer

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