The London traffic made the morning appear normal. An automobile rode up the and out of the city. A field spread from all sides, save for behind. The driver could see the air balloon from there, as well as a tethered Huxley. A small house rose on the crest of a hill at the end of what became a beaten dirt road.
Once the car reached the house, a man with an air of importance stepped out and strode to the door. Several doorbell rings and irritated knocks later, a man around the age of 40 appeared at the door, with grease and oil smeared on his forehead and no breath in his lungs. A few seconds and the man looked up and smiled. He may have been middle aged, but bright green eyes gave him a lighthearted and almost childish demeanor.
"Good day gentlemen," the man's accent contained German undertones but altogether possessed an English air. "What can I do for you?"
"Is this the residence of Aleksandar Hapsburg?" the man asked.
"You're speaking to him," he answered. The man at the door was nearly stunned to see the old heir to the Austrian throne covered in grease, but he didn't really expect much different either. Maybe he just thought that a prince would have answered the door more quickly.
He cleared his throat and brought out an envelope from within his long dark coat. "This is for you, and for Deryn Sharp."
Alek took the note and looked at the messenger with a question in his eyes. "Is this from the government?" he asked.
"It is. It's been sent by Lord Chamberlain himself," was the answer.
"That old sod finally come to his senses?" a female voice interrupted. Alek winced. His wife has always had a flair for language.
A head of blonde hair with only hints of grey in it came up from behind Alek, her eyes just as bright and young as his only in blue. However, what the messenger noticed first, was not her eyes, but the fact that she was clad in trousers and a white work shirt. She had muddy stains on both as well as her face. Apparently she'd been having trouble with a few fabrications outside. Speaking of which, a sleepy creature sat on her shoulder, looking bored with the conversation. The man knew the thing to be called a Perspicacious Loris. They were quite rare, and the one on Mrs. Sharp's shoulder happened to be famous for being the first to ever hatch.
"Um…" the man stuttered, slightly thrown off by the woman's attire and speech towards the prime minister.
"Forgive Deryn," Alek interrupted and held up the letter, "Is this urgent?"
"Very much so," he answered and stood up straight, trying not to be put off by two of the Great War's greatest heroes. "I'm to ask for a reply to return before I leave."
Alek ran his fingers through his dark hair, now also tinged with grey. "Well, we'll get right on that," he said and shut the door in the messenger's face.
The couple stared at the letter with two different expressions. Deryn's was one of somber annoyance, but Alek had his head in his hands and seemed to be almost raging inside.
"Can't they keep the world at peace for ten barking minutes?" the woman sighed.
"Evidently not," her husband answered and rubbed his forehead.
"So what are we going to do?" Deryn asked.
"I don't know. This Hitler seems to be intent on pushing Europe into war no matter what we do. If we don't retaliate, we'll end up just like… Austria." Alek seemed to be silently seething at the last part.
Deryn snorted and stood. "Well," she said as she walked to a desk and yanked out a piece of paper and a pen, "we're supposed to give the bumrag our answer. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to sit here while my country is ruined again." She scrawled on the paper like mad. A hand was placed over hers and she looked up to see Alek glaring down at the paper.
"My country already was. Don't think I'll stand for it either," he said and took the pen from Deryn, muttering curses in German under his breath. Curses that quite frankly, made Deryn proud of herself for being such an influence on his language. Even if he was still too polite to say them in English.
Alek finished the letter and hastily shoved it into an envelope. It was given to the man who remained at the door and quickly taken to the prime minister's home. The two stood at the door for a minute.
"The announcement will be made tomorrow," Deryn said. "We're at war with Germany, again, tomorrow."
"The letter said that planes are on the way already," Alek said and went back into the house. "I guess we'd better get ready." Deryn grinned and ran to their room to retrieve her pilot's uniform and captain's pin.
They were going to be behind this war every step of the way, just as they had twenty years before.