Biting the Dust: Science Fiction

Another one bit the dust as she watched, and she flinched and pulled back, flattening herself against the wall. She knew what would be happening. The dust would seep through his mouth. There would be convulsions, some frothing at the mouth,, and an eerie sweat that sprang up all over his skin out of nowhere. Then he'd push himself back up, stand--and resume fighting on the opposite side. He'd be clumsy and awkward at first, like a toddler trying to walk, but the dust colonies would learn fast, and he would be capable of fighting well within about an hour. If the fight went on longer than that, he would become excellent, and if he lived longer than that, well, that's what they had the special squads for. Fortunately, the fighting knowledge only really kicked in once the colonized got in a fight, and so there was a pretty good chance that they'd hear about and take out any fighters. She’d heard that one dust-eater had been an excellent cook,and for some reason nobody noticed when he was colonized. They figured he was sick for that first evening,m when everything he cooked tasted awful, but the next day he was back to normal, and by the end of the week he was cooking dishes that could make you weep. It was a real pity that he also started spiking the meals with dust. She figured that before that, there'd been some people who would have been willing to consider making an exception--a carefully guarded exception--to the rule that no colonized could be allowed to live. Personally, she wondered what would happen if a diplomat or some other galactic bit the dust. You'd think the dust would have managed it by now, would have figured out how to communicate--but perhaps the science was right, and the dust was just all raw potential until it met the fertile human medium.


Inspiration: "Another One Bites the Dust" - Queen
Story potential: High
Notes: Okay, this could be a fun starting premise. And somehow she bites the dust but remains...herself. Or mostly herself. Or able to communicate with herself, at least.