A/N: Hola peoples! Here's my new story! Hope you like it! I apologize if the beginning's a bit rushed.

I own nothing.

Chapter One

America, 2014

The Perspicacious Loris crouched in the alleyway, waiting for the traffic walkers to pass. Fabricated beasts were illegal in District 88 (couldn't think of a better name, sorry), and if the loris was caught, the Committtee would never reach its goal. And Bovril couldn't do that to Lisel. The loris scampered across the street once it saw that the coast was clear. When it reached the Austrian Castle Casino at the other side of the road, Bovril sat on its haunches and took the ring out of its mouth.

"Mr. Sharp," Bovril said sadly.

Bovril was on a mission. The loris had lived a hundred years, waiting for this to happen. It had been an Ottoman prince, a German prisoner, a British scientist, and was now a Darwinist secret agent in a Clanker world. But the Committtee of Darwinistic Fabrications had a plan—a plan to recreate America and get rid of "The United States of Germany"; a plan to prove the mighty of the Darwinistic Empire; and most importantly, a plan to reunite Bovril with its best friends—its family; a plan to bring back Alek of Hohenberg and Deryn Sharp.

Lisel Heisenhower was getting worried. She'd sent Bovril out on a search three and a half hours ago and he still wasn't back. Lisel wondered if she should've sent someone else. Bovril was more of a pick-pocket; the kids probably would've been more sufficient prison-stealers. Maybe Lisel should've gone herself. She might've had more luck stealing a diamond ring from a police station, since her father had been friends with the chief.

Lisel paced in front of the fireplace as she thought. She was a girl who had a lot to think about for a fourteen-year-old. Her father had been a prominent mechanik, working for the Clanker authorities. But when President Schultz had found out that Father had been secretly practicing the science of fabrication,….. well, let's just say Lisel was on her own now.

That's why she'd started the Committtee. Lisel's mother paid no attention to her now, hadn't since her father'd died three years ago. Lisel had made friends with some of the younger children at the local orphanage and they helped her out. She had a plan and she needed as many people as possible.

"Lisel?" a voice said.

Oh. And then there was Rory. Lisel didn't know his real name. Just in case they ever got caught, each member of the Committtee had a codename- usually a name that came from the stories they'd heard of the famous Darwinists from the past. Rory Williams, or whatever his name was, had been Lisel's best friend since her father's death. His mother owned the Austrian Castle Casino and she'd let them use the storage rooms as their headquarters.

"Lisel," Rory repeated, poking her arm lightly.

Lisel thrust her fist out, aiming for Rory's face. Much to her dismay, he dodged the punch.

"You know me too well," Lisel muttered, then turned to face her friend. "How many times have I told you to use my codename during meetings?"

Rory rolled his eyes. "Fine. Lilit Darwin."

Lisel nodded. "Much better. Now what do you want?"

Rory looked around the room, sunlight from the window making his blonde hair gleam. "Where's the monkey?" he asked instead of replying.

Lisel sighed. Rory was bad at staying on topic like that. "First of all, Bovril is not a monkey, he's a perspicacious loris- he said so himself."

"Second of all," Rory interrupted. "Bovril is not a he. Bovril is an it."

Lisel stepped closer to the boy, anger building inside her. "Without Bovril, this committee wouldn't exist. Without him, we wouldn't know anything about Alek and Deryn, and we would have no way of ending this dictatorship of Clankers!"

"Well, maybe we'd be better off that way!" Rory was nearly shouting now.

"How can you say that?" Lisel cried. "Our lives are miserable! You know what'll happen when you turn eighteen! They'll send you off to some piloting camp and we'll never see each other again! And that's only in two years!" Lisel took a deep breath to keep herself from crying. "Right now, Bovril is…retrieving Deryn Sharp's wedding ring. If that doesn't power our machine, I don't know what will."

Rory sighed. "For the last time, your 'machine' is not going to—"
"Fighting," a voice suddenly said. "Just like Mr. Sharp."

Lisel turned to the storage room door and grinned at the loris standing there.

"Bovril! You've been hours!"

Lisel lifted Bovril into her arms and held him tight. "I was getting worried," she said into his fur.

Bovril took something out of his mouth and held it up for Lisel to see.

"Oh, Bovril, that's so sweet!" Lisel cried when she saw the diamond ring. "I will marry you, Bovril."

The loris rolled his eyes. "No; Mr. Sharp."

"Oh. Right. Thank you, Bovril."

The ring in Lisel's hand, Bovril hopped down from her grasp and scampered off to the adjoining room. "The kids are in the back," Lisel called.

There were 13 members of the Committtee altogether. Rory was the oldest at sixteen, but fourteen-year-old Lisel was the founder and official leader. The other 11 children's ages ranged from 5 to 12. Twelve-year-old Fritz (codename: Eddie Malone) had named the organization, but he hadn't had much education in his life, having lived in Emperor Franz Orphanage for as long as he could remember, which is why he'd ended up spelling committee with three t's.

Either way, those kids were all Lisel had, and for whatever reason, Bovril had taken a great liking to them too. Although, he did call Fritz "that bum-rag". Lisel had a feeling it had something to do with Fritz's codename.

"Lilit?"

Lisel turned and smiled at Fritz, who stood in the doorway, holding a remote control.

Even though it had been her idea in the first place, it was weird for Lisel to hear people call her by a different name. But the kids didn't know her real name. It was easier that way.

"Yes, Eddie?" Lisel said, forcing herself to use the codename.

Fritz showed her the remote he was holding. "The machine's acting up again," he told her. "We need help to put in the ring."

Lisel smiled and nodded, then said, "Just give me a sec. I'll be right there."

Fritz returned to the back room and Lisel sighed, turning to Rory.

"See how much they need us? We do it for them."