Mitchell's Revenge
Orlov homestead, at Noo on Tarasov

Anja’s life settled into a rhythmof dance practice days interspersed with the occasional school day. Shesqueezed in as much study as she could around her dance practice. When herschool work was done she plugged away at mathematics and read science journalsthat Anton bought for her. She refused to give up on the idea that her familywould rescue her and that she would eventually fulfil her dream of being apilot.

In the meantime, there were worsethings she could be doing. Aleks came to the homestead three days a week todance with her in the small ballroom attached to the homestead. With theircombined talent and Daria’s coaching they made rapid progress. Alek’s motherusually came with him. Sometimes she watched their practice, but mostly she readquietly in Daria’s small home office. Irina never interfered.

The day Anja looked forward to mostwas the day she spent in Achernar at Givi’s ballroom in the warehouse district.It gave her a break away from Daria and the homestead once a week. Elenatravelled with her and Petr always drove. She got used to Petr’s taciturnnature and enjoyed Elena’s company despite the fact that they could not talkabout anything of note. They were always monitored by Anton from his comsbunker at the homestead.

Aleks and Irina met them midmorning at the ballroom and they worked with Givi until late afternoon. Histeaching style was very different from Daria’s. Anja discovered that he was thepolar opposite to his sister. Givi was fun to be around. He laughed and teasedthem mercilessly, all the while getting them to learn and execute complicatedsteps.

They had several discussions abouthow her dresses were going to look. He knew everything that was going on in theTarasov dancing fraternity and shared his knowledge freely with them. They bothknew the price of not succeeding at the competition on Tiberion. Aleks wasresigned to it and Anja was determined that he was not going to end up in LakeLadogat.

She liked him. He was kind, helpfuland funny. He knew how to lead and understood the figures, body positioning,and the myriad other things a competent dancer needed to know. She felt safewith him, and wanted to do the best she could. He was very musical and oftenlost himself in a beautiful piece of music. When that happened theirchoreography vanished and all she could do was maintain her body shape and followhim around the floor as best she could.

They worked together with Givi forfour or five hours and returned to the homestead at Noo just before dusk. Anjawas exhausted at the end of her Givi Day, as she called it, and tumbled intobed very quickly after eating a hasty supper in the kitchen with Anton and Daria.Daria always wanted a de-brief on what Anja had learned with Givi so she couldfollow it up in the next session.

Today was different. Today Anja hadthe first fitting for her ballroom costume. She was looking forward to seeingwhat Givi had designed. Elena watched her in the dressing room as she squeezedin to the skin tight lycra suit.

“You’ve grown more,” observedElena, as Anja wriggled with discomfort. The suit was too short in the body andpulled tight in places she’d rather not think about. Anja screwed up her faceat Elena and shook her head.

“I’m going to be tall like mymother,” she said.

“Yes, you are,” replied Elena. “It’sgoing to need another five centimetres in length by the look of that.”

Givi tapped on the door and then cameinto the dressing room. He looked Anja up and down.

“Oh dear,” he said, rubbing hischin. “Another five centimetres at least. But at the rate you’re growing I’llneed to allow more than that for the competition. I’ll have to start again. If wastoo big it’s easy to change, but when it’s too small it’s another story. Bother!”

“Has it got the pattern in it?”asked Anja.

“No not yet,” Givi said. “There’sno point melding it until I know the base fits properly. But I can show you howit’s going to look on my handipalm. Here.”

He held the unit in front of her. Anjawatched the fireflies dancing across the screen, exactly as she had describedto him some months ago. They were silver dots on a sky blue background. It wasvery pretty. Elena nodded at her over Givi’s head.

“Alright,” said Givi. “Get into apractice dress and we’ll start todays’ lesson. I’ll re-work this by next weekso we’ve got enough time to refine the pattern. Alek’s suit fits perfectly. Idon’t think he’s going to grow too much in the next few months so I can finishthe programming for his.”

Anja smiled at Elena as Givihurried back to the ballroom. She peeled the suit off and eased into herpractice dress.

“It’s very pretty,” she said. “Thepattern is going to look wonderful. But I don’t know what style of dress he isgoing to make. And we’ll need to practice in costume before the competition.”

“Don’t worry!” advised Elena. “Giviwill sort it all out. Growing taller doesn’t matter; it’s the pattern thatcounts.” She winked at Anja.

Anja realised then that Elena had managedto send a message to her mother. She smiled at her again.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. “Betterget on with this then.” She put her shoes on and headed after Givi.

It was a long afternoon. Nothingseemed to be right after the disappointment with her costume. Aleks was crankyand out of sorts. Irina made some suggestions which Givi rejected out of hand. Bythe time they finished Elena was very agitated. She hurried Anja to change sothat they could head back to the homestead at Noo. As they climbed aboard theland carrier, Anja realised it was dusk. They had always travelled in daylightup until now.

“Sit up front with us,” Elena saidas she climbed into the front seat with Petr.

“OK,” Anja said and settled betweenthe two of them. “What do you do all day while we’re inside Petr?”

“I sit here and read,” he said ashe started the vehicle. “Philosophy mostly.”

“Now you have to put aside yourthoughts and take action!” said Elena. “Get us home quickly. Or you know whatkind of trouble we’ll be in!”

She glared at him over Anja’s head.Petr gunned the engine and the vehicle shot forward down the street between thewarehouses. The daylight was fading fast. Petr switched on the headlights. Anjafelt their tension in the cabin. Elena activated a control board in front ofher and held her hands loosely above the command keys.

“What’s going on?” Anja asked.

“Keep still, and don’t talk,” Elenainstructed. “I’ll explain when we get home.”

As they neared the end of thestreet a massive dark shape loomed up in front of them blocking the exit to theroad to Noo. It was ill defined and it seemed to grow larger and darker as theheadlights struck it.

“Ready?” asked Petr.

“Always,” replied Elena.

Petr powered the lights to fullstrength as they plunged forward towards the darkness. Elena’s hands flewacross the control board and the shape suddenly disintegrated. Golf ball sizedpieces flew through the air and bounced off the vehicle’s surface. They skiddedaround the corner on to the road to Noo. Petr dialled the headlights back. Anjasat terrified between the driver and the mercenary. She had a hundred questionsto ask but knew better than to speak while they concentrated on getting home.

They encountered three more of theshapes before they left the city. Each time Petr and Elena calmly destroyed it.Anja saw that they had done this many times before. It reminded her just howdangerous these people were. Each time she opened her mouth to speak Elenasignalled her to silence. Neither she nor Petr spoke as they hurtled towardsthe homestead at Noo.

The landscape faded into thedarkness around them as they travelled. She lost all sense of time. The nightfelt oppressive and Anja was convinced they were being watched. Soon she couldsee the lights of the homestead in the distance.

The hum of the engine suddenly turnedto a growl and the vehicle began to slow. Petr shook his fist in frustrationand pointed at the propellant gauge. Elena craned her neck to see the gauge nowread empty. And they were almost home. They ground to a halt. Elena activatedher coms channel to the homestead and spoke quickly to Anton.

“Out of fuel within one kilometreof EM field. Come and get us!” she whispered.

Their headlights faded as powerdrained from the vehicle. Elena reached under the dashboard and handed each ofthem a device that looked like a blunderbuss. In the remaining light shequickly showed Anja how to use it, indicating that she not say a word. Anjawatched carefully, realising that her life might depend on it. Now they were indarkness. Her eyes adjusted to the gloom.

Something heavy flapped against thewindscreen. It flapped again. And again. A crack appeared in the plexiglass andsnaked its way slowly across the screen. Elena and Petr sat braced against theseat with their weapons facing forward. Anja did the same, the weapon heavy inher hands. Another thump against the glass and it shattered all over them,covering them in tiny spalls.

Elena calmly switched her weapon onas the vehicle began to vibrate around them. The darkness hesitated where thewindscreen had been. Dark tendrils snaked their way along the edges of theshattered window as Elena kept her weapon facing forward at the larger mass.Petr pulsed his weapon at the tendrils and they shrank back from the edge ofthe window. Anja copied him, aiming her weapon at the other side of the window.

The three of them sat silently forwhat seemed like an eternity, keeping the creature at bay. Anja’s weapon failedfirst. Petr and Elena wriggled closer to her and kept her shielded between themas they continued to fend off the creature.

A tendril snaked its way towardsPetr as he moved closer to Anja. It touched his arm before he had time to aimhis weapon. He grimaced in pain as his blood bloomed from its touch and randown his hand. Anja helped him steady the weapon to force the tendril away.

Elena was shaking with fatigue fromholding the heavy weapon. The homestead security team had to reach them verysoon or they would all die. Blood dripped steadily from the wound on Petr’s arm.

Another tendril struck him abovethe first wound. He groaned in pain. The creature seemed to get energy from thesound of his voice and moved closer. Anja was now jammed between Elena and Petrhelping the wounded man to hold his weapon steady. The creature came steadilycloser. Their weapons power sources were running low.

Anja could feel the vibration ofthe vehicle getting worse. She thought the creature must be going to turn themover. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of white light as they were engulfedin the EM field which surrounded the homestead. Petr passed out. Anja and Elenasnapped their eyes shut. They slumped back against the seat as the creaturefell away from the vehicle and onto the ground around them. The vibrationstopped.

Anja opened her eyes to see Antonstanding on the bonnet of the vehicle in a wash of white light. He held alarger version of the same weapon she had used. He held it expertly as hescanned the area around them. Several vehicles surrounded them with theirheadlights on full. Yuri had climbed into the cab with a med kit and wasstaunching the flow of blood from Petr’s arm with a tourniquet. Elena lay backagainst the seat next to her with her eyes closed. She was trembling.

Her eyes popped open. She glared atAnton. He glared back and put his finger to his lips. When Petr’s arm wasbandaged and he had regained consciousness, Yuri helped them out of theshattered vehicle. The ground was covered in golf ball sized dark matter thatoozed a viscous purple fluid. It stank. Elena roused herself and followed themslowly from the cab.

They piled into Yuri’s vehicle and drovesilently to the homestead. Anton adjusted the EM field as they drove, pullingit back with them and leaving the land carrier to the mercy of the night creatures.Now Anja understood why they always travelled in daylight and were home beforedusk. Tarasov was a dangerous place.