The New Experiment.

Kyle and Jessi were both walking briskly towards the park the next morning. Kyle was really apprehensive; every moment he was listening and watching for anyone who might be part of Latnok.

"So how are we going to catch her?" asked Jessi breaking the silence.

"I don't know, she's really fast. The only thing I can think of is going back to the spot where I saw her and hope that she's there again." When they arrived close to the alcove they split up, each taking a side. Kyle hid behind some shrubbery and waited. After awhile she emerged out of the woods. She crouched down where Kyle had sat the other day and began sniffing the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Kyle saw Jessi start forward.

"Jessi wait!" shouted Kyle with his mind. She immediately stopped and looked at him questioningly. But hers was not the only one whose gaze had changed. When Kyle looked back around his eyes locked with the girl's. She cocked her head slightly and slowly brought herself into a standing position. Before she could do anything, both Kyle and Jessi jumped out from their hiding spots separating the girl from the woods and the rest of the park. Instead of trying to run, the girl stood perfectly still. She straightened her head and smiled slightly realizing that she had been tricked.

"Who are you?" said Kyle reaching out with his mind instead of his voice. "What's your name?" At first the girl said nothing, but then the alien conscience touched Kyle again.

"One seven four." Was her simple answer.

"Do you work for Latnok?" asked Kyle with concern. Immediately a wave of anger washed over him. Her face had not changed but her eyes became fiercer.

"Maybe I don't like you so much after all." She said. The way she spoke was so different to Kyle; it was as if everything she did was deliberate.

"Did you escape from them?"

"Yes."

"Are there others like you?"

"None that are human." Without warning she turned her body listening intently. "I suggest you leave." She said bluntly. And with that statement she jumped ten feet into a nearby tree. Jessi attempted to follow, but Kyle put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"She's getting away!" she said looking annoyed at him.

"She told us to leave." Said Kyle.

"She talked to you?" she asked looking angry. "What else did she say?"

"That she escaped from Latnok and that her name is 174."

"Like 781227? You mean to tell me that there are 173 more of her."

"No. She said that she was the only human one."

"What are we doing? We should go and catch her and bring her home with us."

"She told us to leave, and I have a bad feeling that Latnok is coming." The Trager house was now in view. It reminded Kyle about something.

"Jessi, Josh wanted me to tell you that he's not seven."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Jessi frowning and stopping in the front yard.

"Look I know that you are new to the whole sister thing but Josh is a teenager and he supposedly can take care of himself. I don't know what happened at the mall but I think it embarrassed him."

"I just stopped a guy from stealing his wallet. It was no big deal!"

"And how did you do that?" He asked suspecting what had happened.

"I just sort of put him in a head-lock and told him to never touch my brother again." She said realizing that it probably wasn't the best way to deal with the situation.

"Yeah." Said Josh walking in on the conversation. "You made me look like a girl in front of Andy and all of my friends."

"Would have rather had your wallet stolen?" asked Jessi getting angry at Josh's ungratefulness.

"Having my identity stolen would have been better. " He said walking out of the yard onto the sidewalk. "Just don't do it again." Jessi looked unhappy as they walked into the house. From there they split, walking into their respective rooms. Kyle sat down and began another drawing of 174. He couldn't help in thinking that she had warned them of a Latnok assassin. Kyle's phone began to vibrate again. He checked it and it was Foss.

"Listen." said Foss. "I tapped into Latnok's security system. They have had a break out; project 174 to be precise."

"I know." Said Kyle interrupting him. "We talked to her today."

"What? Kyle I told you not to go see her again. There are people out there right now trying to recover her."

"Well we can't just leave her there for Latnok to find." Said Kyle defensively. Suddenly a burst of pain filled Kyle's head. A flash of pictures went through his vision. It was of a girl, 174, hooked up to a series of computers by electrical sensors adhered to her head. Her eyes watered, and Kyle experienced another wave of pain.

"Kyle, what's wrong?" said Foss on the other side of the line.

"I don't know, I think I just had a vision or something."

"What did you see?" said Foss really concerned now.

"It was of the girl, she was being tested by Latnok. It hurt a lot."

"Look Kyle, don't do anything else. I think Latnok will be looking for you and Jessi. Just stay put until I figure out a safe way to capture the girl."

"I don't think that forcibly catching her is going to work. I think we are going to have to befriend her; get her to trust us."

"I don't think that's going to be an option. Just don't do anything yet. I need to talk to Adam." With that they ended their conversation.

Kyle left his room in search of a Tylenol or something to ease the headache that the vision had brought on. Jessi and Nicole were both already in the kitchen when he arrived.

"So where were you two this morning?" asked Nicole clearing away some dishes.

"We went to the park." Said Jessi stepping in before Kyle could. "We made a new friend there. She's kind of shy though."

"Oh. That's nice. Maybe you should invite her over sometime."

"Yeah, maybe." Said Jessi smiling at Kyle.