Dust to Dust Ch. 02

Katrina promptly explained the whole flight attempt to all the other girls, with a bit of elaboration about Dusty's "noble flight."

[[ Listen, I'll be okay, ]] Dusty said as her friends grew more and more concerned. [[ I just think that my father needs me and -- ]]

[[ Too dangerous, ]] Vexla muttered. The gargoyle had a very keen, analytical mind which was already hard at work. [[ If the enemy is watching you -- ]]

[[ You should stay here, ]] Veltia added. [[ A proper young lady -- ]]

[[ But the adventure! ]] Katrina interjected.

[[ . . . but if we went with you -- ]] Vexla continued, off on her own train of thought.

[[ Could we?! ]] Katrina replied. [[ That could be dangerous! ]] Just the thought of being naughty had her blood all a-boil.

[[ Yes, it could be! I'm doing this because I should be with my father. So all of you go back to bed. None of you are going with me and that's final! ]]

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A few hours later . . .

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'This is ridiculous,' Dusty grumbled mentally. She was peeking around a corner, making sure that they had gotten past the rest of campus security. 'Why would they be paying attention anyway? Who breaks OUT of a UNIVERSITY in the middle of the day? They'd probably just think we're sneaking off for a drink anyway.'

[[ What next? ]] came an overly loud whisper from behind her. Katrina pressed up against her back and looked over Dusty's shoulder. Vexla peer around the side, while Vetlia sulked in the back. Vetlia was one of those girls who wanted to be part of the group and be openly miserable about it the entire time.

[[ You go home! ]] Dusty growled.

[[ No, we already discussed that, remember? ]] Vexla chipped in. [[ You aren't as potent a sorceress as Katrina, you're not as tough as I am, you're not as rational as Vetlia. You couldn't possibly sneak back across the barrier on your own and survive. ]]

[[ Your confidence in me is underwhelming. ]] Dusty shook her head. Maybe she should just cut the cloak-and-dagger shit. She stood up, almost knocking heads with a very clingy Katrina. 'I need to get her a full-time boyfriend or girlfriend or something . . . she's creeping me out,' Dusty thought. Dusty walked quickly down the street that led to the Academy gates. She met no one along the way . . . most Terrans were sound asleep around noon. She's sure there were security guards at the front gate, and she was already planning her excuse. And if the old "I just need to run out to an all-day café for a pick-me-up" didn't work, she was prepared to use cleavage. Her primary concern was that if her father had talked to the school administration at all, they might not let her go.

Soon, the front gate was in view. There were security booths on both sides of the heavy iron gate, which was in fact closed.

"Shit!" Dusty whispered to herself. She had never heard of them closing the gate before. Perking up her breasts a bit, she strode forward towards one of the security stations, and a weary looking vampire came out to meet her.

[[ Sorry ladies, ]] he said, noticing the gang of young women who had made their way up. [[ Due to the increasing threats by the Purity on Earth, we've had to cease daytime passes by students into the city unless properly escorted. ]]

[[ Oh c'mon, ]] Dusty whined, adopting her pouting girl act just a bit. [[ We're not going far . . . we just need something hot to drink, ]] she said, now almost purring while biting her bottom lip. She was going to throw every charm, seductive or otherwise, in her arsenal at this guy.

Vetlia was paying rapt attention as she saw the master at work. After a minute of hair twirling, lip pursing and eyelash fluttering, she had the guard eating out of the palm of her hand. Of course, the small talk and the cleavage were helping her cause. The vampire silently and irrationally cursed her diminutive breasts.

[[ She's actually going to pull this off, ]] Vexla murmured. She had not anticipated what the power of sheer personality could do. When she saw Dusty running her finger over the guard's bicep, she and the other girls could see from the expression on his face that they were going to be able to walk through the front gates. And sure enough, Dusty started to walk through. But when Vexla and the other two approached . . .

[[ Stop, ]] the guard said.

[[ What? Why? ]] Katrina said. [[ You let her . . . ]]

[[ She had . . . special permission, ]] the man stammered. [[ But she told me who all your fathers are and that they wouldn't approve . . . ]]

[[ She what?! ]] Vexla growled. [[ That bi— ]]

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Outside the gates . . .

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Dusty hurried along the mostly abandoned streets, headed towards the portal. She felt bad, sticking it to her suitemates like that, but there really was no reason to put them in danger.

'Danger?' she asked herself. She got a chill. 'I've put ME in danger!' Suddenly her plan seemed less wise. 'Keep your head,' she thought. 'You're almost out.'

"Hello Ms. Trendenfall," came a voice from off to her side. A man in a Terran local police uniform appeared. "The Academy alerted us that you were in the city and were to be returned immediately."

"Us?" Dusty asked. She glanced around . . . there were three other officers approaching her from different angles. "Wait. You're not Terran! You're speaking English!"

The first man smiled. No fangs. "But you'll still be coming with us." Then his head exploded.

Dusty screamed. She would later look back on that moment with a profound lack of pride, but she indeed shrieked like a little girl, waving her hands up and down as the man's body slumped to the ground. She was surprised at the lack of blood, and there was smoke rising from the man's neck.

The other three fake guards started looking around, pulling out an assortment of firearms. Dusty felt herself yanked off her feet, a hand over her mouth.

'I'm being kidnapped and I'm going to be killed and this is all my -- ' She stopped. She was being deposited softly in a nearby alley. She looked up and saw a woman . . . a very pale woman who was raising a finger to her lips. Dusty clammed up, and the woman nodded before exiting the alley.

For a moment there was silence . . . then there were two muffled shots similar to what she had heard when the first man had been killed. Dusty poked her head out the window. She saw two more bodies on the empty street while the final assailant raised his weapon. The woman in the street just stared at him and then . . . she evaporated. It wasn't that she was shot. She just seemed to explode into a cloud of smoke, and then that smoke raced towards the man with the gun and enveloped him. Dusty watched as the man grasped at his throat. He was dying as Dusty watched on in horror and disbelief. The cloud of . . . whatever it was . . . followed him to the ground, swirling around his head. Finally, the man lay still.

The cloud began to swirl next to his body and slowly reformed into the woman Dusty had seen earlier. The mystery woman walked towards Dusty, pulling the body of the man behind her.

"Ms. Trendenfall, I think it would be best if you returned to the Academy . . . now," the woman finished in a hiss.

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Back at the Academy . . .

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"Dad, what the hell is going on?" Dusty shouted at the communication orb in her room. She looked at her father's face going sheepish in the reflective surface of the magical device.

"Honey, you wouldn't listen to me, and I HAD to protect you!" her father replied defensively.

"So you know what happened?"

"Yes, Ash messaged me as soon as the even was over."

"That's her name? Ash? Dad, she killed four people!"

Dusty's roommates were all peeking through the door, watching their suitemate scream at her father. They had wanted to be mad at her for abandoning them, but the intrigue was just too much to stand!

"I know, and I'm sorry you had to see it. But she seems sure they were connected with the Purity somehow . . . something about the weapons they were carrying. But she's good, baby. She's never failed to protect someone she was assigned to."

Dusty pouted. She wanted to be mad, but couldn't deny that the mystery woman had saved her bacon that day. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because you would've objected. I was hoping I would never need her services this many times."

"This many?! How many times have people come after me?"

"Uhm, maybe I shouldn't have -- "

"Dad, how many times?!"

"Just twice," came a hissing voice from the living area.

Vexla, Veltia and Katrina almost jumped out of their skins and ran to hide behind Dusty, who was looking a bit shaken herself. She saw Ash standing in the middle of the room, looking exactly as she had earlier.

"How did you get in here?!"

"That would be somewhat difficult to explain," Ash replied.

Dusty was a bit shaken. But she couldn't help but notice that Ash wasn't. The woman's face was like stone. You could never have told just by looking at her that she had recently assassinated four goons.

Ash approached the sphere. "It seems irrational to hide my presence any longer," she said to Mr. Trendenfall.

"I suppose you're right. Did you get my last communication?"

"Yes. Would you like me to inform your daughter?"

"Please."

"Inform me of what?" Dusty said. She was getting more and more confused by the minute.

Ash raised her hand to silence the young woman. "And her companions?"

"Try to keep them out of this." Dr. Trendenfall looked at his daughter. "This is getting too dangerous."

"Then bring me home!" Dusty shouted. "That would keep them out of this!"

"Dusty, they blew up the limo. I just . . . Give me a few days to think this over. You'll be safe until then."

"Dad?!" But her father had ceased the connection. Dusty turned to Ash. "What is he -- "

"Your father will be here on Terra in a few days. He has an appointment with someone , but he did not tell me who."

"Why is he coming here?" Dusty asked. She had to turn and glare at her suitemates, who were just staring at the intruder. They were making her more nervous.

"Business," Ash replied.

Dusty noticed that the girl's face never seemed to change. It was disconcerting. "He never does business on Terra though."

"This has to do with his and mine arrangement. I need to attend this meeting and since I cannot let you out of might sight, you will attend as well."

"And if I refuse to go with you?"

Again, Ash just stared at her as stern as stone. "You will attend." She looked at the other girls in the room. "You all might wish to find alternate accommodations. While relatively safe on campus, I am only actually responsible for Ms. Trendenfall's safety, not yours." Then, Ash fell apart. Literally. Dusty hadn't gotten a good look at this earlier, as she had been panicking at the time, but Ash's body broke into smaller and smaller pieces of dust . . .

'No, not dust. Ash.' A quick whiff with her nose confirmed it. Dusty was convinced that Ash was turning into her namesake. The particles of ash swirled around like a living thing, then seemed to seep through cracks in the floor and vanish from sight.

Dusty looked at her friends. They were now standing on her bed, staring at the floor with open mouths. This was just too creepy, and since they were from a land of magic, that was saying something.

[[ She's right, ]] Dusty said, slipping back into a Terran tongue. [[ I'm sorry for putting you all in danger. I didn't know . . . Anyway, I'm sure you will all be able to find alternate housing . . . ]]

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Two days later . . .

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Dr. Jon Trendenfall felt a bit awkward. He was sitting in a Terran coach on his way to his meeting. His daughter was sitting next to him, not talking to him. She was obviously very mad at his decision to assign her a bodyguard without telling her. But that wasn't the only think making this trip awkward. The three girls sitting on the other side of the coach, his daughter's suitemates, were staring at him anxiously, waiting for the next chapter of this saga to unfold. They had steadfastly refused to abandon their friend in this time of need, and had threatened to go to the Academy hierarchy if they weren't allowed to come along.

Thomas McBride was actually trying not to smirk. If things hadn't been so dangerous, this whole scenario would've been quite amusing.

"So," he said, "how are classes going?"

Katrina was the only one of the three who spoke English, so she whispered the question to her comrades and they talked anxiously amongst themselves.

"Fine," Katrina replied, then the three girls looked at him intently, as if they were playing some game of verbal chess and waiting for him to make his next move.

"This is going to be a long ride, isn't it?" Dr. Trendenfall muttered.

Luckily, it wasn't a particularly long trip and the coach quickly arrived at a palatial looking building.

[[ Wait, ]] Katrina said, wide-eyed and aghast. [[ These . . . these are the capital offices of Chancellor Valar of Narebican! ]] She immediately started to smooth out her dress, wishing she had worn something more formal.

[[ Dad? ]] She flipped a mental switch and went back to English. "Dad, why are you visiting a Chancellor?"

Her father looked around, wondering where Ash was. "He's one of the most powerful and learned sorcerers on Terra. He may have the answers to a question that my science isn't providing."

The coach came to a stop outside the front door just as a squad of guards arrived. Thomas McBride opened the door to find that Ash was standing right outside. He actually felt his skin jump a bit.

"Where the hell did you come from?" he asked, looking around. There was nowhere nearby to hide, so how . . .

"That does not matter," Ash uttered. The travelers all disembarked, the young women staring at Ash suspiciously.

"Are we safe here?" Dr. Trendenfall asked of Ash.

"Yes," she replied. "Even I would have extreme difficulty penetrating the Chancellor's defenses."

"Good to know."

The seven of them were escorted passed several screens spells designed to ascertain the general intent (hostile or otherwise) of visitors. The spell monitors seemed to become quite confused when Ash walked through. They couldn't seem to pick up anything at all from her.

[[ She's dead inside, ]] Vetlia whispered.

[[ You're being melodramatic, ]] Dusty whispered back, but couldn't help but think that her friend might actually be right.

[[ It's all right, ]] boomed a voice from the attached chamber. [[ Let them in. ]]

Chancellor Valar was, by his nature, an imposing figure. While he had always been highly regarded in the upper echelons of Terran political life, his participation in the first war against the Purity had raised his stock with the common folk as well. He was a tall man, well built and with a deeply thoughtful stare.

"Come in," the Chancellor said, switching to flawless English. "I must say this is a bit of surprise, Dr. Trendenfall. I was not expecting an entourage."

"Neither was I," Jon replied. "This is Thomas McBride, my chief of security," he started by way of introductions. "And this young lady is my daughter Dusty. These are her suitemates." He realized he didn't know any of their names.

"This is Vexla, Veltia and Katrina," Dusty interjected smoothly, turning on her "socialite" mode. She also noticed that Katrina had donned the aura of submissiveness that she used around her parents (as opposed to the one she used around Dusty).

[[ It is an honor to meet you sir, ]] Katrina said demurely.

[[ We will see if you still feel that way after hearing me speak, ]] he joked. He had much more of a sense of humor than he used to, and found it served him much better than his arrogance once had. "Anyway, what can I do Dr. Trendenfall? Some very influential people told me I should talk to you."

"They did?" He looked at Ash. "Your doing?"

"Yes," she hissed.

"One of these days, you're going to have to explain how you accrued all of thes . . . 'favors.' Chancellor -- "

"Please, call me Valar," the vampire replied. "I've discovered that 'Chancellor' is much more tiring than it used to be."

Jon Trendenfall was actually looking around at the assorted throng, then turned back to Ash. "This is your game now," he said. "Do you really want all these people here? I mean, some of this information is classified."

"I no longer feel that it matters, thought the World Council might beg to differ."

Katrina was whispering with her friends, then she whispered to Dusty.

"They'd like to help," Dusty said.

"I really have no idea what is going on," Valar said, "but I have learned NOT to discount the ideas and resolve of young women."

Dr. Trendenfall sighed. "All right, I need everyone to promise not to speak of this to anyone, and I mean ANYONE." He waited until everyone consented. "All right," he continued. "This is complicated. As you are probably well aware, the Purity has resurfaced and I am on their hit list."

"I am QUITE aware of this," Valar growled. "Savages. I take it that it is your research that endears you to them so? Yes, I'm familiar with your work. I can't say I approve though. I prefer to let the world of magic stay magical."

"I'm becoming more inclined to agree with you." He looked at his daughter. "Well, I found myself in a bit of a bind as to how to protect my daughter. Keep her close or send her to the academy. At the time, she wanted to go, so I hired a bodyguard for her." He nodded at Ash. "Well, it turns out that Ash . . . is not a normal person. Her price for protecting Dusty was . . . well, different. Firstly, she wants her talent removed."

Valar looked interested. "Why?" This was directed towards the bodyguard herself.

"Because it is dangerous," Ash replied. "And I may soon lose all control of it."

"What do you mean?" Dusty asked. This woman was supposed to protect her, and she was saying that she was unstable?

Ash looked her dead in the eyes. "It means exactly that."

Dr. Trendenfall looked uncomfortable. "How many of you have heard of the Chimera Project?"

If mentioning the Purity had made Valar annoyed, then mentioning the Chimera Project made him outright furious.

"Blasphemy," he practically spat.

"I . . . I thought that was just a legend," Katrina said.

"No, it was very real. The World Council hushed up what they could about it and let rumor take care of the rest. For those of you don't know, they did . . . unspeakable things to people, trying to force non-magical people to manifest magical talents. I thought . . . most of us thought they had failed." He looked at Ash. "Apparently I was wrong."

Valar looked at Ash, studying her intently. "Your aura . . . you aren't human are you?"

"Not anymore," she replied.

"Wait. What did they do to you?"

Once upon a time, Ash wouldn't have spoken of that time. She would have looked upon it with fear and disgust and psychological torment. Those days were gone. Now, it was simply an event in history . . . part of the puzzle that needed to be put into place.

"They incinerated me," she said neutrally.

There was silence.

"What do you mean . . . 'incinerated'?"

"They injected me with a heavy muscle relaxant, put me into a reinforced room with a magical node, and lit my body on fire."

The non-English speaking young ladies waiting for someone to translate, but translation wasn't on anyone's mind. Katrina was trying not to throw up, and the rest . . . they just stood there dumbfounded. This woman had just admitted to being burned alive with the same casualness that most people recited their grocery list.