DISCLAIMER: I own no characters, contraptions, or beasties mentioned in the Leviathan Trilogy.
Immediately after boarding, Deryn was sent to see Dr. Barlow in the navigation room. Tazza greeted her as soon as she entered, running over to snuffle at her boots.
"Good to see you, Tazza."
"A pleasure to see you too, Mr. Sharp," the Lady Boffin said. "We've been quite beside ourselves with worry."
"It's brilliant to be home, ma'am."
"I hear you were reunited with our Austrian friends." The lady Boffin's fingers drummed the sill of the window. "I trust our Loris was accompanying them."
It was only then that Deryn realized she hadn't seen it since she made signals at the ship. It must have gone with Alek without her noticing. "Aye, Bovril seems to have taken to him."
"Excuse me," Dr. Barlow raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say bovril"
"Oh, aye. That's its name, sort of."
The lady boffin raised an eyebrow. "As in the beef extract?"
"It wasn't me who named it," Deryn said. This anarchist lassie kept insisting on calling it Bovril and the name sort of . . . stuck."
"Anarchists you say," Dr. Barlow sitting down and motioning for Deryn to sit to. "Tell me everything."
Deryn sank into the chair and began to recite everything that happened to her sense her mission to destroy the Kraken nets, adjusting the story slightly to not mention Aleks letter from the Pope. Deryn felt suddenly exhausted and relieve the whole ordeal was over. More then anything else, it was good to be home. To feel the ship beneath her feet, real and solid, and not burning horridly in the sky. She tried to ignore the feeling that something was out of place.
Dr. Barlow looked suspiscious as Deryn finished. "Two airmen simply went off after them with no orders? Most unusual."
Aye, the Bosun figured they were deserters."
"Mmmmh," The lady boffin said before turning back to Deryn. "Well done Mr. Sharp, very resourceful, as always. Count Volger wasn't far wrong, was he?"
"Count Volger?" A squick of panic went through Deryn at the name. "If you don't mind me asking, ma'am, what exactly wasn't he wrong about?"
"He said that Alek had fallen in with unsavory elements. And also that you would be able to find our missing prince."
Deryn didn't feel any relief. Volger would be more determined than ever to escape, and he wouldn't hesitate to threaten to expose her. Maybe she could get him alone by an open window. "He's a clever-boots that one."
"Indeed, though he may be wrong about this Committee. However unsavory their politics they have done Britain a great service today."
"Aye, ma'am. They helped us save the barking ship!"
"They seem to have toppled the sultan as well."
Deryns eyes widened. "The committee defeated him already!"
"No Mr. Sharp, but the battle is quite pointless, I assure you," The Lady boffin said. "A few minutes after the Goeden was destroyed, we spotted the Stamboul lifting off from the palace grounds, flying a flag of truce."
"He surrendered already, but the battles hardly begun!"
"He did not. According to the Stamboul's signal flags, the Kizlar Agha was in command." Dr. Barlow smiled coolly. "He was taking the Sultan to a place of safety, far from the troubles of Istanbul."
"Oh." Deryn frowned. "You mean he was. . . kidnapping his own sovereign?"
"As I said to you sometime ago, sultans have been replaced before."
Deryn let out a low whistle. "If the Committees's really winning, then Germany will be the only Clanker power left! And Russia's fighting us but they won't really help them!"
"My dear boy, there is still Austria-Hungary."
"Right, of course. Guess I forgot about them, their mostly part of Germany now."
Dr. Barlow raised an eyebrow. "You forgot about Alek's own people? How odd, Mr. Sharp."
"Mr. Sharp," came a voice from above them.
Deryn looked up to see another perspicacious loris hanging from a message lizard tube. She realized she'd forgotten there had been three eggs left, the last one must have hatched. Dr. Barlow raised a hand, and the beast dropped down to it and slid down to her shoulder.
"Nioka." The beast anounced happily. "Tortoise, balance of power."
Deryn looked at it oddly. "What did it just say, nioka? What's nioka?"
"Nothing you should concern yourself with Mr. Sharp." She answered rather fast then stood up. "I am afraid something has just come up and I must look into it. You had best make your report to the captain, then turn in. You'll need to be well rested when we get to Cairo."
"Cairo," Deryn looked up alarmed. "Isn't that in Egypt?"
"Yes, our governments headquarters in the country."
"We're leaving the barking war?"
"Do not be tiresome Mr. Sharp, all the powers of Europe have colonies around the world. The war has already spread to them." She gave Deryn a serious look. "So far the fighting in Africa has gone the same as fighting in Europe. I intend to change that!" With that she walked out into the hall, Tazza close beside.
Deryn was in the Captains office finishing giving her report to him, Dr. Busk and Mr. Rigby,, leaving out the part were she let a reporter deliver a secret message to their prisoner, when Dr. Barlow walked in.
"Captain Hobbes I must ask that you call a search of the ship, though I doubt it will find anything."
"And what will we be searching for?" The Captain asked, sounding some what annoyed. "Has another fabrication gone missing?"
"No," Barlow replied "Our Austrian friends have gone missing, I believe they have escaped the ship."
"What" the Captain demanded. "How could they have escaped."
"If you remember since our own Airmen have learned to operate the engines you had them remain in their quarters during this operation." She sounded slightly condesending. "Apparently they were not trustworthy enough to be loose on the ship but not dangerous enough to need more than one guard, who I have located tide to a chair in there room, missing his uniform."
"They must still be on the ship," Rigby insisted.
"I am afraid they are the two men who went after young Alek. All they would have had to do was find another uniform, no one expected them to do something so simple as walk off the ship. I noticed during our talks the Count was getting better at his English, he must have been practicing."
Deryn quietly let out a sigh of relief. There go her worries about being blackmailed, and now Alek wouldn't be entirely alone. "I'd better go see about that bloke tied up in there room," she excused herself with a salute.
After a long trek through the hills with only a few short stops to rest Alek and the others made it to Istanbul by evening. Moving through the city was slow, do to the prevailing chaos. Rubble from the battle was strewn through the streets, were Committee walkers had been shot down and the Sultans walkers had crashed. With word of the Sultans toppling spread people were flocking out into the streets. Supporters of the committee were gathering in large squares and parks, lighting fireworks, cheering, throwing confetti, dancing. Committee walkers were carefully stepping through the crowd, knocking over statues of the sultan and throw spice bombs into the air like fireworks. Small fights were breaking out between the revolutionaries and the pro-german groups. German workers were chased out of some neighborhoods. Others used the chaos as an opportunity to loot and pit-pocket.
They made it through the streets relatively unscathed. An unfortunate mugger tried to rob Volger, who walked away with a new knife. The Lizard proved to be a problem. It followed them relentlessly, terrifying everyone who saw it. They managed to loose it in the crowd for a while, but somehow it found them again. Finally they arrived at the connected warehouses that made up the Committees headquarters. Alek knocked on the door, a special knock the Committee used, hoping they'd be there, with their revolution won they might be at a government meeting.
When Lilit answered Alek put on what he hoped was a cheerful expression. "Hello Lilit."
"Guten tag," Bovril Chirped.
Lilit crossed her arms and leaned against the doorpost. "So, you're back," she said in a tone that had no enthusiasm. "Is Dylan with you?"
"No," Alek tried to keep the sadness out of his voice. "He had to return to the Leviathan."
"Mmmh." She replied. "Double disappointment."
"Yes, I'll never have another friend like him."
"You don't know how true that is." Lilit smirked like she knew something he didn't. "I suppose if the Leviathan has left, those two men behind you aren't really airmen.
"No, let me introduce Count Volger, and engineer Hoffman." Both men gave her polite nods.
"Well I suppose your here looking for a place to stay, and for your lizard." If she was surprised by it, it didn't show.
"We did not think it to much to ask," Volger replied. "Considering all of our money went to your revolution."
"Well don't expect any of it back," Lilit reluctantly moved from the door and lead them in and up the endless stairs to Nene's room. Alek suddenly realized how tired he was. After a night and day of fighting and travel.
Klopp tried to make polite conversation as they climbed. "I'm am sorry to hear about your father, he was a credit to your cause."
"Yes," Lilit's voice was controlled and she didn't meet anyones eyes. "It will be difficult to build our government without him."
They passed a few Committee members going down, who stopped to shake hands with Alek, Klopp, and Bauer. The Ottamans didn't know who they were but had seen them working on the walkers and by now would have heard of their part in the attack on the Tesla Cannon.
When they finally arrived in Nene's room to find she already had a visitor. A tall brown haired man in perhaps his mid-30's in a plain but clean traveling suite with a high-crowned wide brimmed brown fedora.
Nene smiled as they came in. "So the conquering heros return," She said. "I must admit I am glad to see you again."
Alek smiled sincerely. "So the revolution was a success, you took the Palace."
"Only to find it empty. They say the Sultans been kidnapped by his own advisor.
"From that accent I'd guess this is that young Austrian noble you mentioned," Interjected the hatted man standing by her bed. His accent sounded American. What would an American be doing in the Committee. Not another reporter.
"And who might you be?" Asked Volger, probably thinking the same thing.
"My name is Henry Jones," the man replied. "I'm a member of the American Secret Service."
Alek's eyes widen. "An American spy! What are you doing here?"
"I was sent here to assess wether or not the Ottomans would join the war," he answered. "Then when I reported back what I heard about the Committee, I was ordered to try and make contact and offer support. America has declared war on Germany but we have yet to find an ally in Europe and we've long had good relations with the Ottomans. The anger France had over our trade agreement was one of the reasons we haven't joined them."
"We'll you arrived just to late" Alek replied.
"Oh no," Lilit said. "He turned up a week before you did."
Alek couldn't hide his surprise. "Why didn't you except his help."
"Most of the Committee was against it," Nene answered. "They thought it was just another foreign power getting involved in our business."
"You didn't seem opposed to excepting our help," Volger replied pointedly.
"Your not a foreign power," Nene countered. "Not any more any way."
"So America is finally entering the war?" Volger asked. "I've heard nothing about them sense the battle of Panama."
"After we drove them out of Panama, we captured many of Germany's colonies in the Pacific Islands." Jones replied. "As I said we haven't made an ally in Europe, the Darwinists don't trust us because of all the Clanker technology we use."
"I though your current President was a Darwinist."
"Yes, President Wilson prefers Darwinism but he is first and foremost and idealist, he cares more about his Allies integrity then whether they oil their war machines or feed them."
"As fascinating as this is I have other visitors to see to." Nene interrupted "And you have all been running around all day, I am sure you'd like to sit down for a good meal."
After leaving their lizard in the courtyard, they all sat down for dinner. The meal was simple , but a relief for the weary Austrians. Lilit and Jones talked about the changes the Committee was planning to make the empire more democratic, while Volger pointed out some of the short comings of their plan.
Alek wasn't in the mood for more politics, he could hear it all from Volger anyway, and excused himself to the bath room for a nice hot soak. Bovril hoped off his shoulder as he entered and scurried of to nap in the bedroom they had used, a converted storage room in the same hall. Just as he was sinking in to the hot water an explosion rocked the room.
Alek jumped out of the tub fumbling for his cloths without bothering to dry. The Sultan has returned, he thought. Or perhaps there are still German agents in the city. The revolution may not be over yet.
Tugging his shoes on Alek ran into the hall and could hear the sound of a roaring fire coming from the other end. The courtyard, they'd disabled the walkers!
As he ran toward the door at the end of the hall, a man he didn't recognize came threw it. He had a pistol in one hand and as soon as he saw Alek he glanced at a piece of paper he had in the other. Alek saw the title New York World and recognized his own picture below. Then he realized their not after the Committee. Their after me!
As the man raised his gun Alek threw himself forward driving his shoulder into the mans ribs knocking him back into the wall. Before he could recover Alek grabbed the bayonet the man had on his belt and drew it out, cutting across the mans right tricep causing him to drop the gun. Alek kicked it across the hall and then stepped back into his fencing stance pressing the bayonet to the mans throat. It was over a foot long and could pass for a short sword.
"Who sent you, were are your helpers!" Alek demanded in what he hoped was a threatening tone. The man made no reply just sat there clutching his bleeding arm. He certanley didn't look like an assassin or any other kind of agent. He was very short, no taller then Alek, stocky and bald. He wore common cloths that could have come from anywhere in Europe.
He pressed the blade harder. "Who are you?!" The man glared daggers at him, then his gaze went over the his shoulder and he grinned evilly. Alek spun around just in time to stop a bayonet hilt from crashing down on his head. Blocking the blade with his own he stepped back out of striking distance and instinctively took up a fencers stance. His new attacker was a tall wiry man with long unkept hair and a short trimmed moustache, in similar common cloths. That was all he had time to notice before the man attacked him with the bayonet. He cut at Alek's right arm, trying to make him drop his weapon. Apparently he wasn't well trained because he over extended himself and was completely open for Alek to reach under his attack and cut his side. The man stumbled back in pain cursing in Spanish.
"Come on," called the first attacker, still clutching his arm by the wall. "I hire you for your sword and you get beaten by a kid!" His spoke English but his accent sounded Italian. Italian and Spanish? Who were these people?
The Spaniard didn't even glance his way. He must have simply figured on Alek being incompetent because the attack that he launched was anything but untrained. With no sign of noticing his injury he pressed his attack which took all of Aleks focus just to block. He was use to a much longer blade and the confined space of the hall meant he could only go back and forward, or risk being trapped against a wall. Smoke was starting to seep into the hall from the other room. He was gradually forced down the hall, and any help would come out of the door on the other end.
"HELP, he shouted at the top of his lounges hoping he could be heard over the fire. His enemy pressed forward taking any opening in his defense to lash at him.
Suddenly the man began spinning his blade around clockwise. Having never seen this move before Alek didn't know what to do except follow the move with his blade trying to be ready to block a strike. Then his opponent stopped and sent his blade spinning counter clockwise without losing any speed. His blade hit Alek's coming the other way and before he could react the man moved forward and slid his blade up the inside of Aleks, then rotated and pushed down. Aleks blade fell from his hand and clattered to the floor.
By the time Alek had recovered his surprise the man hit him hard with his handle and he fell to the ground.
As he fought to stay counsious he felt something tighten around his arms and legs and cover his mouth, and he could just make out voices.
"Dios Mio, this one has some fight in him, I haven't faced an opponent like that sense Tripoli."
"Trust me, the bounty the Germans have on this one will be worth a few scares and bruises. Well get a fine reward. Now the walker will be around the back by now, lets get to the boat in the port at Gemlik and get out of here.
Alek began to thrash and squirm as hard as he could and felt another blow to the head.
Count Volger burst through the door into the hall and immediately saw the signs of a fight. This was the hall Alek had been last seen going into, but it had taken a half an hour just to clear a path to it through the flames. He should have never left Alek alone, the boy couldn't move across a house without getting himself in trouble. It only took one look and the blood on the floor and the foot prints in the dust and he new Alek had been taken. The one instruction Franz had left and he failed!
"GOTT VERDAMMT!" He shouted kicking the nearest door as hard as he could. Breathing deep and trying to calm himself he tried to think of a next move. How could he find Alek in a city the size of Const- Istanbul? If his captors weren't German they would certainly be turning him in for a bounty.
"Bounty"
Volger gave a start, had he just heard that word aloud?
"German reward", came next. Volger whirled around and spotted the source of the sound, the Loris, crouching behind a door.
"Boat," it said in an Italian accent. "Port of Gemlik"
Volger stared at it for thirty seconds before snapping to attention. "KLOPP, he called threw the door. An instant latter the man appeared batting at embers on his coat followed closely by the American Jones, carrying a pale of water.
"They've taken Alek to some place called Gemlik," Volger explained to them.
"I know that place," Jones replied. A small harbor town a little southeast of here."
"We must get there now!" Volger said.
Klopp miserably shook his head. "All the Committee's walkers have been destroyed and who knows when the next will be."
"I have a walker, only a few blocks from here," Jones suggested. "Not a big fighter like they have, but it's fast and it's designed for off road."
"We'll have to take it," Volgers impatient tone suggested he didn't care if he had the Americans permission.
Jones looked thoughtful for a second then nodded. "Fine but I go with you." He stopped Volger from going out the door. "But how do you know were they went?"
"Owe joy," they all looked down at the Loris at there feet starting to climb up Volgers boot. "Loris here to help,' it said in flawless German.
Volger suppressed a shudder as it climbed up him and glared at it when it reached his shoulder, then rushed out the door.
Aaaarrrggh, I can't believe how long it took me to update. My only excuse is I went to Glacier National Park for a week. I'll try to update sooner, the next chapter will probably be all Alek since Deryn will only be crossing the mediterranean. One thing I do want to hear, I'll introduce new machines and fabrications and would be interested to hear some ideas. Specifically ones designed for the jungles and rivers of Africa and clanked-tech in austria-Hungary.
