Disclaimer: "I do not own 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'. Not the books, not the movie, not the TV series... none of it. I own Dusty, and any original content I make her do or say or add to this story. That is all."
Chapter 3: Lucky Mills & Prep School
Dusty wasn't frustrated… per say. Though this was an incredibly frustrating situation. But she'd known from the beginning that it would be. She'd known from the start that catching up to the kids would not be easy. Her resources were limited. Granted, she had the one guy from her organization that actually knew what he was doing… but it was still only one person. And for the rest of her own research, she had to rely on what she could manage to get from the so called 'good people', who were ignorant as hell. Or what she could manage to eavesdrop and hear from VFD or the bad guys.
While Larry had still been at Lake Lachrymose, he hadn't learned any more than she did though. The banker, who had left almost right away anyway, wasn't helpful in the slightest. Dusty makes a note to not try and rely on him in any sense in the future. The one-percent of knowledge he might actually possess wasn't worth her having to listen to the other ninety-nine percent of worthless babble.
The locals were a little helpful. Simply because they knew all the trucks and vehicles that came and went on a regular basis from town. Iron Man called back only with the knowledge that, based on the timeframe of how quickly they had evacuated the perimeter of the town, they had to have had a faster mode of transportation than being on foot.
A taxi would be no good. Not unless Jacques was the one driving it. And even then… he was still VFD. A good agent, and a good man. Dusty doesn't deny any of that. But still a member of an organization that was shooting with only one eye open.
Regardless, there were several other supply trucks and vehicles that came and went on a regular basis. Dusty passed those onto Iron Man to see what he could come up with.
Just yesterday, he'd finally figured out how to convert all of the imagery collected from VFD tech to his own system. That allowed him to enhance the image and reveal that it was a picture. One of all the main members of VFD. Even she was in it.
Iron Man was going to print her out a copy, to help remember the good ole' days, as he called them. But that wasn't the part that interested Dusty most. It was the factory in the background. She remembered that mission well. Her sister and relatively new husband had saved that factory from burning to the ground, along with the entire forest around it.
Lucky Smells Lumber Mill. Dusty's not sure why, but she'd expected the place to be shut down at this point. Her sister had stopped the fire… but the place had still been severely damaged. The people had ended up fine, which had been the main concern. But so many buildings went up in flames before the fire could be put out. Not to mention, Dusty had heard her sister say that a lot of the people had planned to move away after the incident. With so many workers gone, how would the place still be able to function and make a profit?
And now… now she's standing at a factory that had apparently undergone a mutiny. The owner had been forcing his employees to work for nothing… except coupons, apparently. Forcing them through, hypnosis.
Georgina. Or Gina, as Dusty had once enjoyed calling her. That woman loved hypnotizing everyone. Literally, everyone. She'd done it once to Dusty when she was younger, even before she'd joined VFD.
That had prompted a series of classes and exercises in self-control on her part. It was part of why her eyes were so sharp, and why her calculated risks and snap judgments were never wrong. She taught her mind to function at a higher level. She wasn't a genius, or someone with a photographic memory. She could just, enter into an extreme state of focus with ease. It wasn't that hypnosis only worked on the weak-minded. It literally worked on anybody whose mind hadn't been trained to sense what it felt like, and to therefore push that feeling aside and avoid it.
But, judging from the fact that the cops were looking through the ashes of the furnace for remaining body parts… Dusty assumes she won't have to worry about that anymore anyway. Not that Gina had been, in her opinion, a very big or huge evil. Lucky Smells Lumber Mill hadn't even been on her radar, until the children decided to go there in search of answers.
Which was the frustrating part at this point. The children weren't here. And neither was Count Olaf. Both were gone, and she couldn't even ask the owner where he thought anybody had been taken. He was gone too.
His library was still here though. Dusty had been hoping to find answers there. A ledger, a list of employees or wards in his charge… something.
But the library was filled, literally, with the exact same book. "The History of Lucky Smells Lumber Mill." Dusty does flip through it briefly. Long enough to figure out why every single copy of this book is probably being hidden in this library. The chapter that records the fact that her sister and brother-in-law saved the town, has been blacked out. It actually seems to say that they were responsible for the whole thing in the first place.
Dusty grits her teeth, because that bit of information did frustrate her. Sighing, she takes a deep breath, and then presses the one on her speed dial. Tapping the device in her ear so it connects, as soon as the line is picked up, she says, "Please tell me you have something."
"Well… define something."
"At this point, literally anything."
Iron Man sighs, "I don't know where they are yet. But I do know that it was Mr. Poe that came to get them. More imagery from old VFD cameras shows he showed up in his car and they got in this time."
Dusty nods, "Jackie might know where they're going then."
"Want me to listen in while you call her?"
"Sure. Couldn't…" Before she even finishes the sentence, her phone buzzes to let her know she has another call on the line. Glancing down, Dusty comments, "Well, speak of the devil. Trace it too, Iron Man."
"Will do. And after that, we'll discuss my new name for the week."
"Sure." With that in mind, she switches to the other call, "Jacqueline?"
Jackie glances around one last time, just to be sure, and then says, "I'm alone."
"How are you, Jackie?"
"I've been better."
"What's wrong?"
"Well… possibly nothing. Potentially something."
"Lay it on me."
"Mr. Poe is taking the kids to some sort of boarding school. He couldn't remember the name before he left to find them. But he seemed to be under the impression that Beatrice and Bertrand would be rather pleased that they would end up attending there. So…"
Dusty pinches the bridge of her nose, "Prufrock Prep."
"That's what I'm thinking. I can call you when I have it confirmed. And maybe… maybe it won't be so bad there. It could be…"
"It wasn't good while we were there, Jackie. The only reason we survived is because we got recruited into VFD. We had each other. The kids… they aren't going to have anyone."
Silence reigns for a moment, and then Jackie asks, "So… what are you going to do?"
"Oh, I'm still going to get them. But… do you think Olaf will know where they are at this point?"
Jackie sighs, "I couldn't say, Dusty. I don't know how he's been able to stay on their trail all this time. I mean… he seems to somehow know where they're going before anyone else even does. And I don't…"
Dusty nods, "He has some sort of connections in his own organization. Someone pulling strings for him."
Silence again, and then Jackie asks, "Where are you?"
"The Mill."
"Were you at Lachrymose too? Larry was there."
"Yeah, saw him. He didn't see me."
A pause, and then Jackie says, "He… if nothing else, I'm sending him to Prufrock Prep. Maybe he can get the book to the kids. And get them out, if he finds out Count Olaf is there, or if they're being mistreated."
Dusty raises an eyebrow, "A book?"
"The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations. They're parents would've wanted them to…" But at Dusty's exhausted sigh, Jackie asks, "What?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just that, after all this time, you people are still more concerned with books than the danger."
"Dusty, that's not fair. They're safe for now."
"They will not be safe until Olaf is made to understand that he cannot touch them. Or dead. One of the two."
Jackie gasps, and then asks, "You'd kill him?"
"You know who the Phantom Pixie is, Jackie. You know the reputation with the name. You know I've done it before. And yes, I will do it again."
Silence once more, and then Jackie says, "Beatrice would want them to have the book."
"She would also want them to live! They can read the damn book after they're assured some semblance of safety! Until then, forget the damn thing!"
She hangs up after that, pinching the bridge of her nose until she hears Iron Man say, "I'll change my name tomorrow. You're stressed."
"I'm fine."
"Yeah, right. You can't lie to me. Just like you could never lie to Dewey."
"Just shut up and get me a flight to Prufrock Prep."
"A flight?"
"It'll take too long to get there by car. I might still take too long to get there by plane, but that'll at least be faster in some respects."
She glances down at the book in her hands once more, and then says, "Also, I need you to force whoever originally printed 'The History of Lucky Smells Lumber Mill' to do a reprint. A massive one."
"How massive we talking?"
"I want the entire planet to be able to see what this man blacked out of every single copy that was originally printed."
"On it. One worldwide reprint coming up. Complete in all the different languages you can think of."
Dusty smiles slightly, but still sighs before saying, "Thanks Iron Man. Let me know where I need to catch my flight at. I'm hitting the road."
"Roger."
Flashback:
She'd started by simply coming by once a week. She was still young enough at the time that it was all she could afford to come. Her parents would worry if she stayed gone so long more than that. But as she got older, moved into her own apartment, and became even more involved with VFD, she came three times a week. Then four… five… and then there was hardly a day when she didn't come by to see Dewey and his library.
There was always a book pulled out for her to read too. He'd let her choose them at her leisure at first, but as he came to see which ones she was reading to start, he began trying to help pick some for her.
As she walks in today, smile wide on her face, she steps in to find Dewey not at his desk when she gets there. It wasn't the most unusual thing. While he was a person who remained unseen, wasn't even technically alive anymore as far as the public was concerned, he did still help with the hotel his brothers ran. There were things he did beyond this room, and Dusty was accustomed to walking in sometimes and finding him not there.
This was the first time she was wrong though. He was there. A new record had come in, and he was filing it away in its proper location. So today, when she came in and didn't think he was here, he got to see the way her smile vanished and her shoulders slumped in disappointment.
Grinning, he turns back to the shelf he was reordering as he asks, "What seems to be the problem, darlin'?"
She jerked to see him at that, and her smile returned as she came up to his side. Looking over what he was doing, she says, "Let me guess. Lemony?"
Chuckling, he asks, "How ever did you guess that?"
"Easy. Lemony's the only one that sends this stuff to you this late in the day. When he's not supposed to. But, he knows you don't mind. Or, that whoever stores this stuff doesn't mind. He is not privileged enough to know that it's you."
"Indeed. That privilege belongs to only a select few. And to those whose curiosity has them picking locks and breaking into secret libraries without permission."
"You should've bought better locks."
"I got the best ones they have!"
"That's just sad then."
Dewey pinches her side, grinning when she giggles and punches him lightly in the shoulder. Then he returns to his original question, "But, back to the topic at hand, what's wrong darlin'?"
Dusty tilts her head in confusion, but then her eyes widen a bit when Dewey adds, "You came in with the same beautiful smile as usual, and then it vanished into a frown. An equally beautiful frown, don't get me wrong. But what happened to cause such a shift in your mood so suddenly?"
She turns away from him, pretending to be fascinated with another of his shelves. It wasn't the craziest thing to try. She was always fascinated with all the books here. But her hair was pulled back in a ponytail today. Giving Dewey a perfect view of her neck as a blush slowly worked it's way up and into her cheeks.
Dusty pauses when he chuckles, and then freezes altogether when, though she'd thought he was simply stepping behind her to go back to his desk, she feels a finger land on her shoulder. She really shouldn't wear these shirts that only barely hung onto her shoulders.
The back of his knuckle slowly moves across the back of her shoulder, going in and moving towards her neck. His whole finger slides slowly up the side of her neck, ending at the back of her jaw before leaving her skin. And Dusty's already blushing neck heightens in color when he whispers in her ear, "I should leave my desk more often. This is very interesting."
Dusty turns to him when he finally steps away, the heat of his body leaving her letting her know that he wasn't there anymore. Already back at his desk, he gently taps the book at the edge and says, "I thought this would interest you today, darlin'."
Her sharp eyes were slightly narrowed at him, which he found all the more adorable and beautiful. He'd teased her before when she'd been in the room with him, but this had been his boldest attempt yet. She was no delicate flower, by any means. He'd read reports, seen how she'd handled certain situations. He knew she could handle a bad guy flirting with her for a while, and could even play along until it was time to make her move. But with him…
As he thinks on it more while she takes her book and sits down in what had now been deemed 'her' lounge chair… he was the only person who could tease her and get a real reaction. He was the only one who had the power to get that out of her.
She didn't care what anyone else said or tried to do to her… least as far as that went. She cared about what he did… and how much he meant it.
And judging from the fact that she was taking more than three minutes to flip to the next two pages… the gears in her head were working overtime trying to figure out what exactly his touch and words had meant.
He only became aware he was staring at her when she suddenly looked up, blinked in surprise, and then asks, "What?"
He blinks himself, but then just smiles and shakes his head. Standing from his desk, he moves in front of her chair, bending down in front of where she's sitting.
Her confused expression only made him smile gently again, and then he held out his hand while asking, "Give me your hand, darlin'?"
She still doesn't appear to understand what he's doing… but regardless, doesn't mind. Closing the book, she places her right hand in his left, waiting to see what he intends to do with it. For his part, he lets his thumb run over her fingers for a moment, simply brushing across her knuckles.
When he drew it up to place a gentle kiss to her fingers, the blush returned to her neck. But he wasn't trying to tease her anymore. Drawing her hand in closer, covering it with his free hand, he makes sure he has her gaze held in his before saying, "Regardless of what exactly caused you to frown so quickly when you arrived… or why you so quickly went back to smiling… darlin', I need to know you believe me."
Her blush was still present, but she didn't duck her head or break away from his gaze. She seemed to bite the inside of her cheek for a moment, but then released it and asks, "About what?"
Dewey simply smiles, "That you're beautiful."
She does break his gaze then, and she laughs a bit nervously, "Dewey… I…"
One of his hands gently grips her chin, forcing her gaze back to his. Shaking his head, he says, "Yes, I say it all the time. But no, I don't say that to every pretty face I ever get to see. I say that to you, because I've seen you. I know you. And you are beautiful." Lowering his head, eyeing her with a bit more seriousness, he asks, "Believe me?"
"Okay!"
Grinning at her hushed outburst, he finds her chin swiftly removed from his grasp as she averts her gaze again. This time she uses her free hand to cover her face, which is becoming as red at her neck.
When she dares to peek out at all, her eyes blow wide when she finds him so much closer. He'd risen from his crouched position in front of her, only to lean in as close as he could. Hands braced on the arms of the chair she was sitting in, he says with a smirk, "I'm not so sure you actually believe me yet."
"I said I did!"
"Yeah… but I'm not convinced. I think you're lying to me."
"Why would I…"
"To make me leave you alone."
"That's ridiculous!"
"And why is that?"
"Because I hardly ever want you to leave me alone."
Her skin isn't even pink anymore. Flaming red rushes up to her face as she realizes what he managed to force her to blurt out. Damn it to hell!
Dusty honestly wasn't used to be teased or flirted with so much. When bad guys did it, that didn't matter. They were never an option. And when she'd been in school, even though she had been in a younger class than her sister, she'd always considered herself the less beautiful of the two. She'd had maybe one boyfriend… and then she'd figured out he'd only done that to win a bet, and she'd kind of given up on guys after that. But Dewey? He was… well, he was special. He wasn't just a friend. He was always happy when she arrived. He thought she was smart, wonderful, and pretty…
No, not pretty. Beautiful. He always called her beautiful. And darlin', which she was actually even fonder of. But, bottom line… she wasn't used to this much attention. Teasing or serious in nature. Particularly from someone like him. Someone that, yes, she did want this sort of attention from. But, and she was only discovering it now, but she has no earthly idea what to do with the attention.
Dewey didn't seem to mind though. Or he actually liked what reactions he was getting from her. But today, Dusty is about ready to burst at the seams.
The hand that gently lands at the side of her neck… that's not a tease though. The thumb rubbing against the back of her jaw was more soothing than anything else. It was warm and comforting and Dusty actually sighed in relief from the feeling. Dewey still chuckled at her reaction, which grew louder when she mumbled, "Shut up."
He squeezed gently, continuing the motion with his thumb for a while. It pleased him more than she would ever know, to be the only person that could get her so worked up, and then also be the only person who could calm her down and help her relax just as quickly.
Dusty opens her eyes when she feels her hand tugged gently. As Dewey stands up straight, bringing her to stand with him, she asks, "What?"
"Do you dance?"
She blinks at that, "Um… I mean… some. I… I'm not that great."
Dewey just grins, "You're lying again."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do, actually."
"How?!"
He raises an eyebrow at her as he moves to the record player in the room. Setting up one of the records, winding up the machine, he comes back and holds out his hand to her. Dusty just crosses her arms though, eyes narrowed. She wanted an answer to how he knew she was lying. Her sister was the singer, but Dusty had always been the more athletic of the two. Not that Bee couldn't dance… but Dusty's flexibility and lightness on her feet made her the better partner.
Dewey simply comes closer and takes her hand anyway, pulling it away from her chest. Drawing her in as the soft music begins playing, he says, "Consider it one of the perks of being around you as often as I have been privileged these past few years."
"Me?"
"Yes, darlin'. I'm a ghost, remember? I read about everyone constantly, and in that sense, I know about them very well. But you? You, I actually spend time with. I get to see you, confirm things I've read."
The hand he places against her lower back pulls in her even closer. Leaning down towards her neck, he breathes in deeply, "And I get to see things that no one else, for some idiotic reason, ever pays attention to. Such as the way your lip twitches on the left side when you tell even the tiniest of lies."
Dusty sways with him for a moment, and then drops her head onto his shoulder. Wrapping her free hand around his shoulder, probably holding tighter than she needs to, she says, "Don't ever tell my sister. I'll never be able to plan a surprise party ever again."
Dewey chuckles, "I won't ever tell a soul, darlin'. You can trick whoever else you ever want, and I'll have all the confidence in the world that you have your reasons, and all the best intentions." Squeezing her even closer, resting his nose against the smooth curve of her neck, he says, "But, and don't be offended, darlin'. But you'll never be able to lie to me."
And he hadn't been able to help smiling wide when her response had simply been, "Good."
Dusty snapped awake to the sound of her phone ringing. Sighing, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she taps at her ear, "What's up?"
"Well, hello to you too, Sleeping Beauty."
"Iron Man, you know I'm not any fun until I've had at least ten minutes to wake up."
"Yeah, yeah. Well, how about we start with my new name then?"
"Sure. And what hero are we going with this time?"
"I'm really feeling Spiderman right now."
"I'm shortening it to Spidey."
"Love it." He pauses after that for a moment, and then asks, "Think you're ready for it?"
"Depends."
"On?"
"What kind of news do you have for me? And is this plane about to land?"
"Well, the plane is about to land. As for the news…"
Dusty pinches the bridge of her nose, "You have good and bad news, don't you?"
"It's like you know me or something."
"Shit. Good news first."
"The kids were definitely at Prufrock Prep. So was Olaf. They evaded him and exposed him. Again. These nieces and nephew of yours are something else."
Dusty grins, "They're Bee's kids. Shouldn't expect anything less."
"Noted."
"Bad news?"
"They're not there anymore. And… well, I'm not sure what kind of news this applies as. They made friends with two other kids that recently became orphans. Last name… Quagmire."
Dusty's eyes snap open, "Quagmire?"
"Yeah. You know that name?"
"Well, yeah. Their parents were VFD too, same as Bee and Bertrand. You mean to tell me they're dead now too?"
"Affirmative. And… apparently one of the kids died in that fire too. Quigley, if I'm correct."
"Are you ever wrong?"
"Hardly ever. Thank you for noticing."
"The other two are Duncan and Isadora, right?"
"Also affirmative."
Dusty takes a moment to think about all that. "Alright. What happened to them sucks, but knowing about the Quagmires is good. Add them to the list."
"The list?"
"The list of people I apparently need to rescue. Because if Olaf was at the school same time they were, you can bet your ass he knows they have a fortune too. And he'll want it just the same as he wants the Baudelaire fortune."
"Alright. I know you might not want to hear it… but you may need to switch priorities then."
"Why?"
"Because Olaf kidnapped the Quagmires."
Sighing, Dusty says, "Shit. Where are Violet, Klaus and Sunny going?"
"Working on that. There's more surveillance at the school then there has been in these other places. I can have the info for you in a couple of hours."
Dusty shakes her head, "Not good enough. I need to be heading towards them now."
"Okay. How do you want to handle it then?"
"Any idea who would already know where they're going?"
"That principal might. He was there when the kids were being taken away by Mr. Poe. He seemed rather upset that Sunny was leaving for some reason. I don't have audio on that part."
Dusty smirks, "He's the vice principal. And getting him to talk will be easy. Is that all?"
A pause, and then Spidey says, "No."
Dusty frowns, "What's wrong?"
"You're not going to like it."
"I already don't like most of this. How could it get worse?"
"Trust me. It gets worse."
Jacqueline had been at the hospital with Jacques and Larry. That's when the bulky phone in her bag rang. Pulling it out, she immediately says, "Mr. Poe, I can't…"
"Jacqueline."
She pauses at the sound of Dusty's voice. Looking up at both men, who are now looking at her curiously, she watches their eyes widen when she says, "Hello, Pixie. It's good to hear from you again."
Dusty doesn't miss that Jackie is using her new moniker. Meaning she was with other VFD members. But that was only a side note right now. Glaring at the type-writer where an infant had once been forced to sit, she repeats in a lower tone, "Jacqueline."
Even with twenty years of her being gone… Jackie knew that tone. It was a tone that implied she had screwed up, and Dusty expected an explanation for why. Because as far as she could see, there was no reason for something so stupid to have taken place. Jackie wracks her brain, trying to come up with something she'd done wrong. Finally, she just says, "I… where are you?"
"I'm at Prufrock Prep. Where the children… all the children… should be."
"Oh, good! You can…"
"Jacqueline… the children should be here. They are not here anymore. The Quagmires have been kidnapped by Olaf. And your boss is taking the Baudelaire's to God-knows-where."
Jackie gasps, "What?"
"Where is Jacques?"
And at that, Jackie blinks. Glancing at the Snicket in the room, she says, "I… how do you know…"
"Why did he leave the kids?"
"It was…"
But Dusty doesn't let her finish that thought either. Kicking at the Vice Principal, whom she'd tied to his own chair, she watches the blood spurt from his mouth as he falls back and hits the floor. As his head lolls to the side in a faint, Dusty glares and says, "Jacqueline, I am aware that Larry had frostbite. I am aware what Olaf did to him was cruel and unkind. But, Jacques couldn't take another five minutes to grab the kids? He spent a good ten minutes arguing with a worthless bratty fourteen-year-old… but he couldn't take the time to rescue the kids we're actually supposed to be looking after?"
Silence meets her, Jackie's eyes wide as she stares at Jacques across from her. He comes closer, taking the phone from her frozen hand and asking, "Who is this? And do please…"
Dusty is certain he had several colorful words and elegant sentences prepared to string together for her to hear. Tapping the device she'd put against her throat, allowing it to alter what her voice sounds like, she says in a distorted tone, "You are a complete and total idiot, Jacques Snicket. Give the phone back Jacqueline."
Jacques blinks, "How do you know I'm…"
"I know a great deal, Jacques. I know you are a rather intelligent man. I know you have a fine way with words and poetry. I know you like your tea as bitter as you can possibly get it. And I know that, in spite of your rather intelligent brain, you are still a complete and total idiot."
Jacques prepares to argue the point, but the voice over the phone cuts him off with, "You left them."
Blinking, he asks, "Beg your pardon?"
"You left them at the school. With Count Olaf. All of them. The Quagmires and the Baudelaire's. And now the Quagmires are kidnapped, the Baudelaire's are being moved, and Count Olaf is in the wind. Again."
Wide eyes finding Jackie's, Jacques asks, "Who are you?"
"Phantom Pixie, though I'm sure you already heard that when Jackie said it. My current assignment; rescue the Baudelaire's. Consequently, an assignment that should concern you as well. An assignment that should be at the top of your priorities. And you left them!"
Dusty pinches the bridge of her nose through her mask, and then lowers her tone while adding, "And if they end up hurt, dead, or harmed in any way after this point, you are going to need to learn how to disappear and run like I can. Because I will personally make sure my next assignment, will be to tear you into a million-fucking-pieces. Now, give the phone back to Jacqueline."
She waits until she hears the phone finally exchange hands again. Jackie's voice trembles as she says, "We… we didn't…"
Dusty doesn't wait to hear it. She has no time for excuses. That was one thing that had always frustrated her about VFD. When things went right, everything was seen as fine. But if anything went wrong, there were a million other things outside of their control that caused them to almost fail. And currently, VFD wasn't just 'almost' failing. They were just straight up failing.
It had been a while since they had to deal with the truest dangers and threats to their organization. She'd been taking them down peg by peg for twenty years now. And she realizes now, through her work against anti-VFD, she has also been sheltering her once dear friends from the true horrors and terrors they were capable of.
Pinching the bridge of her nose again, Dusty doesn't try to temper her tone. The edge is still in her voice when she says, "I am going to find my nieces and nephew. I am going to find the Quagmires. You will make it your mission, your single purpose in life, to inform me the very second you hear anything to tell me where they are and how to intercept Olaf so I can save them. Anything less than that, and you will lose my fucking number. As for the rest of your blind-ass organization, tell them to stay the hell out of my way."
She hangs up unceremoniously after that, glancing at the vice principal who was now drooling onto the floor. Rolling her eyes, she presses the device at her throat again so she can talk normal, and then speed dials the only person she really can trust on this mission.
"Hello, Pixie."
His somber tone told her well enough that he was still looking for the exact location of Olaf, or any of the kids. Tears actually well up in Dusty's eyes, but she takes a deep breath to calm herself and says, "I got a general location from this dumbass of a principal. We're heading back to the city, not even a whole fifteen miles from where Bee's house used to be."
Spidey answers, "I'm trying, Pixie. You know…"
"Spidey… can I be blunt?"
The voice on the other end pauses a moment, but then answers, "Yeah. Just… be gentle?"
"I don't have time. And I don't have time for you to just 'try'. I need you. All of you. I don't even just need one-hundred percent. I need three-hundred. I need everything you have to give me, and then a-thousand times more."
Gasping in a breath as she quickly exits this school, she says, "I am never going to find these kids on my own. I don't have the technical know-how to get there by myself. And I don't have anyone else to help me. All I've got is you. Understand? And I… I have to find these kids."
The silence that follows isn't necessarily tense. It's just thick, because Spidey doesn't know what to say at first. He'd been working personally with Dusty ever since he first joined their old organization as a kid. She'd hand-picked him to be her technological-handler. Because while everyone else only saw a punk kid with a laptop, she saw all that he already was, and all that he would turn into, if given the chance. He was the absolute best. Half of that was through his own constant studying and brain-power. But the other half, the half that he'd obtained through the experience he'd gotten by being her handler… he owed all of that to her.
And he was letting her down. He wasn't trying to, and he knows that she's aware of that. But this wasn't just some other assignment. This was family. She couldn't fail at this.
Dusty hears his fingers crack over the line, and then he says, "You have me, Pixie. All of me. And I will nail this. I promise."
She nods, and then can't help it. She laughs when he adds, "Though I am going to use some of your funds again. Boost the satellite and internet signal in this whole place. And I'm going to need energy drinks. Lots and lots of energy drinks."
Dusty smiles, "Drain the account if you have to, Spidey. Whatever you need. Just get me to them."
"You can count on me, Pixie."
"I know, Spidey. I know."
