Ascension

Chapter One

~A Bitter Mood~

A dry wind blew sand across the plain.  Laura had to shield her eyes to avoid getting stung.  That only helped a little.  The thin cloth handkerchief that hung around her neck was not much protection against the gusts, no matter what the locals said.  Still, it allowed her to breathe the arid air a little easier.

It was not until she got here did she realize just how pure the air back home had been.  After her transformation, and the sensory magnifications that came with it, she should have been more attune to it.  But, for some reason, she had never really noticed.  It was only here, in Egypt, did she start to appreciate how pure the air was in North America.

There was a lot more she preferred about North America, too.  Maybe it was just because of her transformation, but once she stepped off the plane onto the small, hidden airfield that Jacob somehow got access to did the assault on her senses begin.  The air here scratched her throat and dried her skin.  Within minutes of exposure, she felt more uncomfortable than she ever had in her life.  It was the dry climate that did it, coupled with the monstrous heat.  As a
Vassiz
, she would have thought herself less susceptible to such irritations than before, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

At least she wasn’t alone.  All the others with her had the same reaction.  Alexander and Madison, Logan and Jacob, they all complained of the same ailments.  The dry air was just not meant for a
Vassiz
.

Yet here was where they had been since stepping foot on the parched land nearly three weeks ago.  Here, in Egypt, where Rafael had told them the repository of
torrial
might be.  And where the angels later confirmed it was.  But, since the last meeting in the dream realm between Alexander, Madison, Rafael, and the angels, the angels had cut off all communication.  Something had happened between them and Rafael that time.  Because of it, the angels were of no help.  It was only once they found the repository would the angels deign to meet with them again.  It was a frustrating predicament for Laura.

And searching for the repository, with absolutely no hints to its whereabouts, was becoming a fool’s errand.  It could be anywhere in this blasted country.  Despite looking nonstop, day and night, for the better part of three weeks, she and her companions were no closer to discovering it than they were the first day.

Which was perhaps why she felt so much on edge, now.  Laura picked her way across the sand dunes, angling toward the makeshift tent she now lived in.  A lack of progress toward finding the repository, coupled with a dwindling hope that it would even be
possible
to find it put her in a sour mood.  At least the sun’s rays had abated slightly since their peak a few hours ago. 

She was not looking forward to returning to the tent.  It was no larger than her room at home had been once.  She wouldn’t have minded it so much, were it not for the fact that the entire space was shared by four other people.  Four other
Vassiz
, as it were.  Alexander, Madison, Logan, and Jacob.

The only solace she could find in that situation was that Jacob was not always there.  After bringing them here, he flew back home so as not to arouse suspicion.  But after hearing of their troubles, he returned to lend a hand.  He thought he could help, and Madison seemed to trust him.  Because of that, they all
had
to trust him, and so far, he had done nothing to betray that trust.  Still, Laura felt a little uneasy discussing things in the open with him listening.

She had thought the search would have been simple when she first made the trip.  Well, maybe not
simple,
but entirely less frustrating than it was turning out to be.  She had naively imagined they would just show up in Egypt, look around a bit, and find the repository all in the space of a few days.  She snorted.  It was almost comedic how far that was from the truth. 

They had been searching fruitlessly for weeks.  And as each day slowly stretched by, Laura’s feeling of apprehension about the whole endeavor grew stronger and stronger.  They could not hide from the elders forever, and staying in one spot made them more vulnerable.  If they didn’t find the repository soon, they would be discovered.  Staying in place guaranteed that.  That was why they had set up the tent miles away from any form of civilization, with nothing but sand stretching in all direction.  If they could avoid notice, perhaps they could stretch their luck a little further.

It wouldn’t have been that bad, Laura thought laconically, if they at least
knew
the repository were close by.  As it were, all they had to go on was Rafael’s vague description of where it might be.  They were near Cairo, and have been searching the swelling city day and night.  But as far as they knew, the repository could be in any other of the hundred towns and cities in Egypt.

Laura suppressed an angry growl as a speck of sand flew into her eye.  She blinked it out.  More often than not, she had found herself feeling that way recently.  Angry.  A lack of tangible progress made it so, worsened only by the fact that she felt like she was hanging everyone out to dry, waiting for the elders to come along and find them. 

Logan followed her because he loved her.  And she loved him back, but they had had precious little time to themselves these last three weeks.  Alexander and Madison had followed her, because… well, she wasn’t sure why, exactly.  And it wasn’t that she didn’t feel thankful for the presence; rather, she felt a horrible feeling of
responsibility
toward them should anything go wrong.  Which was somewhat ridiculous, considering how much older and more experienced they were than her.  It had been their decision to come along, to tie themselves onto her in her mission against the elders, after all.  Still, she was their leader. 

That thought sounded ridiculous as well.  Although she thought she had started adapting to the role fairly well before they left, now her command of it was slowly slipping away.  Doubt crept in instead.  What kind of leader brought her followers into something so hopeless, so utterly insane?  If she had been smart, she should have left everyone in Washington and gone at it alone.  At least that way she wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt should anything go wrong.

Or maybe not.  She wasn’t even sure anymore.  If she came here by herself, the chances of finding the repository would have been slim to none.  And the others
wanted
to come with her.  She did not think she could have stopped them if she tried.  That did not help the fear she felt for their wellbeing.

The only thing she knew for certain, though, was that the longer they stayed here, the more vulnerable they became.  Which was why finding the repository was so important.  Without it, they would have no chance against the elders, who, by the way, were still actively pooling all their resources and searching for them.  Laura couldn’t hide here forever.  Neither could those with her.

It was only a sense of duty that kept her here.  She had promised Gabrielle and the angels that she would seek revenge against the elders for what they did to them.  Not only that, but destroying the elders was also the only way to ensure she could live the rest of her life in peace.  Looking for the repository was an absolute necessity, and she would search every rock, structure, and alley here by herself if that’s what it took. 

Yet no matter how necessary she knew this all to be, the sheer frustration of the process left her on edge.  She had no way of telling when they would find the repository, or even if they were looking in the right place.  Or even
if
they would ever find it.

No!  She shook her head.  They
would
find it, because doing so would be the only way to release the elders’ maniacal grip of power over other
Vassiz
.  She was set to lead, and the others would not be here were it not for her.  So she had to lead them well. 

She stopped to shield her face as another gust of wind blew sand into the air.  The sooner they found the repository, the sooner she could get out of this god forsaken land.

She noticed the tent in the distance and picked up her pace.  Maybe somebody else would have better news than she.  She was tired of wasted days.

As she approached, she could start to make out the sound of voices inside.  Despite her augmented hearing, she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying against the wind.  Well, she’d find out soon enough.

Laura quickly covered the remaining distance and opened the tent flap.  Three faces turned to her.  Logan smiled when he saw her, although the expression did not reach his eyes.  He was just as stressed as she was.  Alexander nodded curtly at her.  He looked tired and drawn out.  Madison was the only one who had been able to remain composed, although the way she had taken to speaking recently, with short, clipped sentences, betrayed the act.

“Any news?” Laura asked as she sat down beside Logan.  He moved to put an arm around her, but she shrugged him away.  She was in no mood for displays of affection right now.

“None,” Alexander replied sourly.  “I only got back a few minutes ago.”

“Nothing for me, either,” Logan sighed.  His eyes tightened.  “And I’ve tried everything I can.”

“Well, I
have
made some progress,” Madison said.  “Although not on the
torrial
front.”  In addition to searching, Madison had been charged with finding out if there was some way to use the herbs they had picked up from the two hunters, Serkhol and Borrak.  The mixture had been able to knock a
Vassiz
out cold, though Madison was trying to figure out if they could use those properties for something else.