Tyler's First Day

That Guy Tyler arrived 15 minutes early. That's good. I appreciate punctuality.

"So," he asked. "What do you need me doing?"

"Oh, its quite simple, actually," I said. "For your first assignment..."

I handed him a mason jar and a small net.

"I need you to catch some bugs," I said.

He gave me a confused look.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yep," I said. "I assure you, this is important work."

"What kind of bugs do you need?" he asked.

"Whatever you can find," I said. "Flies, bees, spiders, doesn't really matter."

"And you want them all in the same jar?" he asked. "What if the predatory ones go after all the others?"

"Doesn't matter," I said. "Even the dead ones could prove valuable."

His confused expression persisted, so I gave a deep sigh and reassured him a bit more. I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a big smile.

"Look, I know this seems odd, but I need whatever specimens you can get your hands on," I said. "This is very important to my work."

He shrugged and nodded. I pointed to the whistle I wear around my neck.

"When you hear me blow this, I'll need you to come back," I said.

"What if I'm too far away to hear it?" he asked.

"Trust me," I assured him. "You'll hear it."

He shrugged again, before leaving to fulfill his task. It was then that Paris entered.

"Bug net, huh?" He asked. "Got him catching samples for you?"

"Yep," I said, limping over to my desk.

"Think he'll have any better luck than I do with that?" he asked.

"Hopefully," I said, beginning to look over my notes on the ointment. "So, any updates on the Descendant?"

"Not yet," Paris said. "You know you could just talk to the Professor, right?"

"Dealing with the University is more trouble then it's worth," I said. "I'll save it for a last resort."

"Fine," he replied. "I'll keep an ear to the ground and see if anything comes up. What else do you need me doing in the meantime?"

"Put some fresh bait in the traps," I said. "I really do need those test subjects."

No rodents had gone for the traps overnight, which was a bit disappointing, but to be expected. Patience is a necessary part of science.

I kept working til later in the evening, at which point I decided it was time to turn in. I blew my whistle, and a few minutes later, That Guy Tyler return, with the mason jar now containing a number of different insects.

"Are these good?" he asked.

"Let me have a look," I said.

I examined each bug, one at a time. They were all perfectly normal insects. I let out a sigh.

Disappointing.

But to be expected.

"You did good," I said. "But I'm afraid none of these are quite what I need for my research.

"Oh," he said, disappointed.

"We'll give this another try tomorrow," I said. "For now, you're free to take the rest of the night off. Go have some fun."

"Yes sir," he replied.

With that, I called it a night.

I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to go dark for a few days. I'll update you all once I've made some more progress in my work.