Cerebra's Files

Dust


Real Name: Sooraya Qadir
Affiliation: "New X-Men" (Xavier's student body)
Relatives: Mirah (mother)
Alternate-X Versions: (The End)
Codename Etymology: Pronounced dəst [From Old English, from Proto-Germanic *dunstaz, from Proto-IndoEuropean *dheu- with a sense of "smoke, vapor"]; Fine particles of dirt or sand.
Powers & History: Dust is an Afghani girl with the ability to turn her body entirely into dust (or sand?). In this form she can produce sandstorm-like effects, with (telekinetically-driven?) gusts strong enough to rip through steel and flesh.

Dust was located by Wolverine in a slavers' camp, following a ver one-sided battle. At the time, Dust was unconscious in Fantomex's arms, having expended her energy fending off a slaver who wanted to remove her burkha (traditional Muslim female garb). Wolverine brought Dust to the X-Corp Mumbai office in India, where she dissipated into her protective dust/sand form. When the X-Corp agents arrived with the visiting Phoenix IV, none but Jean know Sooraya was there. However, Jean managed to convince Sooraya that it was safe to re-form, and Dust accompanied Phoenix back to the Xavier Institute.

Later, after some apparent English courses and other make-up lessons, Dust was approached by Xorn to be part of the Special Class he taught. While she considered, Xorn (really Magneto IV) manipulated her transitional form and caused her to attack Professor X and Cerebra, destroying the mutant-finder. However, Dust retained her will and did not join Magneto II's attack on New York City.

After the Institute was rebuilt, Dust returned to the student body and was placed as an advisee of Emma Frost on her "Hellions" squad. Furthermore, she was given Surge II as a roommate, and the two were immediately at odds, Noriko believing that Dust's traditional garb rejected women's rights, and Sooraya believing that Nori's dress was too flamboyant and attention-grabbing. How their personal differences will carry over to their academic rivalry remains to be seen.

After the end of school, Dust accompanied her teammates to Hellion's home, where the squad summoned the Kingmaker, a businessman who granted them each one wish. Using his connections, the Kingmaker was able to locate Sooraya's mother and reunite her with her daughter. However, when the Hellions eventually opposed the Kingmaker and broke their contracts, Dust was unable to find her mother again.

Dust is a student at the New Mutant Learning Institute, and close friends with Jubilee. She does not wear a burkha and is more of a typical "Valley Girl." Together with Jubilee, she helped fend off a terrorist attack at the Institute, and then overheard Surge II and Prodigy planning to confront Noriko's terrorist father in Japan, and demanded to tag along. When the Hellions arrived and a battle erupted, undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Laurie Garrison used her powers to turn Sooraya against Jubilee for making her "immoral" and "Western." After Garrison was killed, Sooraya apologized, and then joined in the final charge against Sunfire's agents and Sentinels.

After M-Day, Dust was one of the students selected for training as a New X-Man.
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