[OLD] The Supers Experiment (#1)

Ten

Tyler replayed the news recording, checking that she had the address correct. She was pretty far from the streets she usually roamed. But she needed to see the house for herself.

When she saw the construction vehicles and yellow tape, Tyler knew she'd found the place. The day before, citizens had called 911 to report a helicopter landing in the middle of the street. There had been gunfire, strange men and somehow, a wall of earth had risen from the ground, destroying the road.

There was also damage done to a house in the middle of the street. The entire family had gone missing. The Fosters.

Ackerman, Foster, they were traced back to Cladis.

Sneaking around the crew working on the road, Tyler made her way to the Foster home. Yellow tape with 'keep out' warnings covered the door. She stepped inside.

She wandered through the kitchen and into the living room. A picture frame sat on the mantle and Tyler grabbed it to take a closer look.

A man. Two girls. Twins, Tyler remembered. Not just from the news report, but from Tyche Labs, too. Just their faces, though, passing by in the halls.

Tyler frowned, another memory tugging at the back of her mind. She closed her eyes and fought to remember. Claudia had been talking to someone on the phone, and Tyler was listening. Slowly, she recalled bits and pieces of what happened.

She had been wandering the halls and passed by Claudia's office. The door was cracked, and Tyler could hear Claudia's voice coming from inside. She moved closer...

"The Director is dead. I'm in charge, now," Claudia said. She was quiet for what seemed like forever before she spoke again. "Where did you hear that? Yes, the survivors have displayed... abilities. Most of them, anyway." Tyler heard the shuffling of papers. "I worked in DNA studies. How do you know about Serum-P?"

There had been more talking, things Tyler couldn't quite remember. Except for the end of the conversation...

"Thank you for the heads up. Andrew, you said it was? Where should I go when I leave?" Tyler could hear Claudia drumming her fingers against her desk. "A division in Florida. Of course. I should be able to bring a few of the children. Very well then, Andrew. I'll meet you in Florida when I'm done here."

That had been the end of the conversation. Tyler couldn't remember what happened after that. Did Claudia catch her eavesdropping? It sounded familiar, but she couldn't be sure. Maybe her brain was making things up.

Tyler set down the photograph of the Fosters and moved back into the kitchen. She had an idea. Maybe she could find Claudia, and this mysterious place in Florida.

Don't be ridiculous. What were the chances Claudia was still there? It had been nearly eleven years.

But it was a start.

After that, a plan began to form. No matter how hard Tyler tried to dismiss it, to tell herself she was crazy, she kept going over her options. What she would need. How she would get it.

Tyler left the house and headed back toward Los Angeles. She found a place to sleep hidden in some trees near the road. She kept thinking about her plan.

The first issue was transportation. Sneaking onto a plane would be nearly impossible, and buying a ticket was out of the question. Trying to find bus or train routes that would take her all the way across the country... that would take too long.

That left driving herself. Tyler was fifteen. If she were 'normal' she'd probably be learning how to drive. But she didn't have anyone to teach her. Well, maybe the internet would do. You could learn anything on the internet, couldn't you?