[OLD] The Supers Experiment (#1)

Thirty

It was windy outside. The clouds cast a shadow over the White House lawn. Claire wrapped her arms around herself, trying to fend off chills.

"Ugh, where is he?" Victoria growled. Claire glanced at her sister, who was looking for signs of this Tyler kid they were waiting for.

In the distance, Claire heard the sound of a car. She frowned, wondering who could possibly be on the streets. They certainly didn't bring a car, and as far as she knew neither did Scorpion.

A pickup truck came into view. Claire watched it fly over the sidewalk and across the lawn. She tensed up, ready to run, but the truck slowed down and stopped a good thirty feet away from where they stood.

The driver side door flew open and a girl stepped out. Long dark hair hung around her face. She slung a backpack over her shoulder, slammed the truck door shut and approached the group. Claire's eyes darted to a small mouse poking out of a side pocket on the backpack.

"Get out of here, kid," Victoria said. "We're waiting for someone."

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

Claire glanced at Victoria. The girl was small, sure, but that didn't mean she was weak. She'd made it this far, after all.

"Tyler," Victoria snapped. "We're waiting for a Tyler, okay? So unless you've seen him..."

The girl smiled. "That would be me."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm Tyler," the girl said.

Victoria pursed her lips. "You're not what we expected."

"What you expected, Victoria," Spencer said. "I told you Tyler could be a girl's name."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "You did not. Claire, did he say Tyler was a girl's name?"

Claire looked at Spencer, then Victoria. Instead of answering, she turned to Tyler. "Is that a mouse?" she asked, pointing to the small rodent.

"Hmm? Oh, that's Felix," Tyler said. "He's one of us." She tilted her head a little. "Supers, right? That's what we're called?"

"Correct," Spencer said. "Can he, like, turn into a human?"

Tyler nodded.

"Why's he a mouse, then?" Victoria asked, not bothering to hide her irritation.

"Well, he's just a kid," Tyler said, adjusting the strap of her backpack.

Spencer frowned. "Just a kid? How old is he?"

"Eight," Tyler answered.

"But that's—"

"Impossible, I know," Tyler said. "He wasn't alive when the accident happened. I don't get it either. But I don't think now's the best time to talk about it."

"You're right," Spencer said. "We should get you to the ship. Come on."

They started across the lawn. Claire frowned. "How did you know we'd be here, anyway?"

Tyler adjusted her backpack straps. "I have a bit of history with Scorpion's leader. I decided to track her down a few days ago and when I found out she was planning something involving the White House."

"How'd you know about us?" Spencer asked.

"I didn't."

Victoria frowned. "So you just came here by yourself? Did you even have a plan?"

"Not exactly," Tyler admitted.

"Brilliant. You'll fit right in."

Claire sighed. She fell into step next to Tyler and cast her a sideways glance, a dozen questions on the tip of her tongue. She could read Tyler's mind and search for the answers, but Claire pushed the thought aside and asked, "How old are you?"