Deryn Sharp stood outside of Dr. Barlow's quarters, poised to rap on the sturdy fabricated wood. However, before she could, the lady boffin herself opened the door.

"Mr. Sharp!" she said with surprised look on her face, "What brings you here?"

Deryn looked around nervously before clearing her throat. "If you don't mind, Dr. Barlow…can we go into your room?"

"Why, of course," she replied, now with a look of interest. The two stepped into the room, where Deryn was immediately greeted by a bouncy Tazza. She leaned down to pat him while the boffin took a seat at her desk.

Deryn straightened up and turned to face the woman, nervous with the secret she was about to reveal. "Well, er, Dr. Barlow…your first couple of days here you noticed something…different about me. While we were looking at the ship's bees, remember?"

"Yes, I remember, Mr. Sharp. But if you are concerned about me revealing your age, there's nothing to be afraid of. I am a woman of my word."

"Aye, well, you only guessed part of the truth. I am only fifteen…but I'm also a lassie."

There was a stunned silence in the cabin as Dr. Barlow absorbed this. Deryn still wasn't quite sure why she revealed herself to the lady boffin herself. Was it because she thought as a woman, she would be able to help her with Alek?

I'm such a ninny. A barkin- Deryn was shaken from her thoughts as Dr. Barlow spoke up.

"This is quite an interesting turn of events…"

"Deryn. Deryn Sharp."

"Yes, this is quite interesting, Deryn. However, I'm afraid I am beyond the ability to help you with whatever reason you have told me this." The boffin leaned forward in her chair, looking at Deryn with a strange expression, "Because, I am no woman. I am a man."

The midshipman was shocked. How could Dr. Barlow ever pull that off? But then, sh-he was a clever-boots. Dr. Barlow cleared his throat, and spoke in a masculine voice, "You may be wondering, 'Why a woman?' Why yes, it is very hard for any woman to get recognized these days. But, as a woman's rights activist, I pretended to be one so that females will one day be equal to men. As Dr. Nora Darwin Barlow, I have achieved much, however, my name is really Dr. Norm Barlow Darwin."

"Dr…Darwin, you're really a woman's rights activist?"

Dr. Darwin laughed a laugh much similar to Dr. Barlow's, but this one deeper. "Of course not! I was just joking around! I actually dressed up as a woman because I wanted to know how it felt to be one!"

Deryn looked on, bewilderment written across her face as Tazza seemed to join in with Dr. Darwin's laughter. "Okay, well…Dr. Darwin, I'll be going now."

The boffin seemed too occupied with laughing as the middy slipped out of the room. After the door closed shut, he straightened up, all serious. "Tazza, go fetch me some potatoes from the ship's bees."

Tazza turned to Dr. Darwin with an almost mechanical-like quality. "Yes, sir," the thylacine said in a robotic tone, red lights flashing where the eyes should have been, "I will retrieve you some starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family."

Even though Dr. Darwin had revealed that there was no Dr. Barlow, he still kept Deryn in the dark about him being a Clanker.