Tyler

Tyler , one of the five original members of the Dust, is perhaps its greatest troublemaker, as well as Eddie’s best friend.

Biography
Tyler, like Joanne, grew up on Slog Row in Spokie. Unlike Joanne, however, Tyler was an orphan, hanging onto various Markless huddles in order to survive. When Tyler reached Pledging age, he considered receiving the Mark, hoping that it would offer him a chance at a normal life. The Dust heard about Tyler’s situation, and Peck felt certain Tyler would flunk the Pledge if he attempted to take it. They began spending time with Tyler, hoping to change his mind. Eventually Tyler forgot about Pledging and joined the Dust for good, quickly becoming Eddie’s best friend.

Swipe
"“Okay, but if you can’t hit me with the bat before Meg and I tag each base with these balls, then I get to have it, and it’s your turn to see if you can outrun me all the way to the outfield.” —Tyler, reinventing baseball"

Tyler’s immaturity keeps Peck from involving him in watching Pledges, but Tyler helps with Meg’s kidnapping and is present at the attempted playground meeting with Logan. During the altercation with Logan and Erin in the cornfield, Tyler seems to find the entire experience amusing, even when Erin knocks Blake unconscious with a taser bean. He helped Eddie jump Logan, but Logan not only is able to shove them off, he manages to stick a tracking device to Tyler’s jeans in the process. Tyler wears the device for weeks, allowing Logan to track them after Dane’s kidnapping, until Blake finds it and throws it in the woods.

Tyler wins the privilege of chloroforming Dane through a game of King’s Punch Out (a card game of his own invention which is as violent as it sounds). He drips chloroform on the bag Eddie thrusts over Dane’s head, but he does not use enough, and Eddie has to help him. After Dane’s kidnapping, he backs Blake when Dane and Erin follow the Dust to the Fulmart. (His weapon of choice, at least in that instance, is a screwdriver.)

Tyler good-naturedly partners with Meg later on during his revision of the game of baseball. He is present at Logan’s eventual meeting with Peck—in fact, when Logan initially panics, Tyler is the one Logan attacks first. It takes the help of Jo, Eddie, and Hailey for Tyler to successfully pin Logan down.

Sneak
"'Welcome to the big leagues, kiddies!' --Tyler"

Tyler is not happy to see Logan arrive at the farm. He, like the rest of the Dust, remembers all too well whose mistaken trust in Erin led to the destruction of Peck’s warehouse hideout. When DOME raids the farm, Tyler accompanies Peck and the Dust on the journey to Beacon City, complaining much of the way. During the initial Acheron break-in, Tyler was left in charge of Erin and Shawn. He participated in the second Acheron break-in and was devastated to find that the captured Eddie had been brainwashed and Marked.

Storm
"'I'm trying to decide which to drop first. I'd rather see the green gutter sludge splash...but, see, I also kinda wanna save it.' --Tyler"

Tyler steadfastly refuses to believe that Eddie could be brainwashed permanently, and he is determined to find his best friend. Tyler’s strategy is to instigate different groups of IMPS into chasing him, hoping that eventually one of those groups will contain Eddie. His strategies for upsetting the IMPS include throwing balloons filled with ketchup and sewer slime, and, later, painting a mustache on an image of Cylis. The mustache incident results in Tyler’s being shot in the shoulder, but Blake and Shawn rescue him before he could be captured by the IMPS. Tyler, along with Blake and Shawn, is subsequently caught in the elevator by Mr. Arbitor.

Mr. Arbitor takes the Dust to his home, where Tyler proceeds to turn the living room into a fort. Tyler helps the Arbitors contact Erin on their tablet. He also participates in the Dust’s sweep of DOME headquarters despite his claim that “I don’t even like Erin.” Tyler profits quite a bit from the DOME sweep, actually—he confiscates a pair of anti-gravity boots on his way out. Evidently Tyler considers the Arbitor living room a perfect place to bounce. He shows generosity, however, in that he shares the boots with the others (much to the Arbitors’ dismay).

Spark
Logan's brief glance at Tyler from the Ultranet revealed a sixteen-year-old Tyler taking classes in Beacon's Markless sublevel. To Logan's shock, Tyler--although daydreaming--is actually sitting still.

Physical Appearance
Tyler is sixteen, underweight, and presumably small for his age.

Personality
Like Eddie, Tyler seemed to suffer from some form of an attention disorder during his early teenage years. He loved roughhousing and goofing off, but sitting still was difficult for him. When the Dust waited for Logan at the playground in Spokie, Tyler passed most of the time by playing bottle rocket games (to Blake’s frustration). He showed insensitivity to Blake at times, harassing him about not reaching Peck’s friend Trenton before a DOME agent put Trenton in a coma.

Until the destruction of Slog Row, Tyler had a tendency to view life as a game. Eddie’s capture in particular helped Tyler become a little more mature, but only a little. He was probably the only member of the Dust who would roll on the floor laughing with a wounded shoulder and IMPS on his tail. Time ultimately cured what no amount of good influence could manage. By age sixteen, Tyler was decidedly more responsible than he was at thirteen.

Skills
Initially, Tyler’s greatest talent seems to be inventing games that involve either explosions or someone whacking someone else. This troublesome talent eventually proves useful—Tyler is endlessly creative in finding ways to infuriate the IMPS.