Goliath Chapter 07
Goliath
I am not Scott Westerfeld in any way shape of form though we must be related by a 1/60,000,000,000,000 of a percent.
I hated the ending to Goliath, so think of this as a continuation, my way.
-Thanks to my beta reader Barking Lizards!
- All original plot lines and characters are of Scott Westerfields creation and not of my own.
Deryn/Dylan Same time as Alek
I hold the end of the basket smiling up at Da. I have been waiting for this for weeks.
Da checks the big metal thing in the middle of the basket, coughing.
"Dontcha love it up here wee lassie?" my Da affectionately says, the love sounding like lave.
I furiously nod, grinning like a dumb clart.
Da looks out of the basket.
"Aye, the view is always my favorite part. It just leaves ya breathless."
I look out at the land.
It was all beautiful, green, and hilly, with a hint of city at the horizon.
I love these moments with Da.
There was no Ma stuffing me into skirts, or Jaspert teasing me.
It was just me and Da.
I inhale deeply, the sweet smell of fresh air and burning coal smelt so good to me.
Da fiddles with the rudder.
"Just a bit longer and we'll be in Glasgow again."
I sigh loudly.
"Dontcha worry lassie. We'll be doing this again soon."
I grin and hug him.
Da smells of the familiar burnt coal and burnt pine, smells that reminded me of home, safety.
Unexpectedly, the metal thing in the middle gives a belch and shudders.
Da gasps and quickly runs over to check on it.
I watch, thinking.
This could be bad, but Da knows his stuff. He can fix this finnicky thing!
The airdock comes into view, but we are going higher.
"Da?"
"Dont't worry, Lassie."
The thing belches again.
Da turns to look at me, his eyes pained and pushes me off the hot-air balloon.
I scream as I fall, roughly 2 kilometers.
The air balloon shoots up and smokes profusely.
Then, the balloon explodes in a wide array of parts.
I turn blind with tears.
Da...
I woke up, strapped to a chair, sobbing.
I can't believe I got myself captured!
Barking brilliant, Deryn!
A creak of a door silenced me.
"This is our prisoner. We believe he is from the Leviathan." said a manly voice in a British accent.
A few men walked in, sharply dressed.
"Hello."
I looked at them darkly.
A man who looked like a weasel came forward.
"Just answer our questions and no one gets hurt." said the same voice.
I snorted.
"Get stuffed."
He glowered at me, shivering with pent-up rage.
"I have no time for your impertinence! Just answer my bloody questions!"
He walked closer 'bout two feet away from me.
"How did you get here?"
I spat in his face. I swore an oath to King George, I will die a soldier.
"Being tough are we?" Mr. Weasel mocked, laughing.
He then strode forward as fast as a fighting bear and lifted me up by my neck chair and all, with surprising strength for his slim figure.
"Tell me" he sputtered.
Many vulgar retorts ran through my head begging to be set free but I just settled for one hate coated word.
"NEVER."
I was dropped with a resounding thunk.
"This isn't over!" he screeched furiously. "Leave him with no food and minimum drink for a week! If that doesn't loosen his tongue, Goliath will."
As the other four other men filed out, Mr. Weasel turned about and smacked me soundly upside the noggin.
"Blast human rights and bloody shit like that!" he uttered passionately and then left me alone.
Perhaps solitude is what I needed. I needed a plan, something to keep the ones I love safe. I couldn't keep hurting them anymore.
Alek P.O.V
Silently, I sat with Dr. Mulheim awaiting whatever providence had in store for me. Newkirk paced in front of our cell door, tirelessly.
It was quite annoying.
I whispered to Mulheim, " How long are we going to do this?"
He softly chuckled, " Not as long as you think, Highness."
Newkirk slammed the cell door open.
"The Lady boffin wants ye'"
Mulheim got up.
"No, the other one."
I got up apprehensively.
"Hustle up, ye barking Emperor! Lady boffin ain't got much time for the likes of ye'!"
I followed Newkirk through an endless maze of passages. This mysterious Lady boffin sure knew her stuff.
We stopped and knocked on an iron door.
A bell toned voice answered, " Come in!"
As we walked in, I held in an awestruck gasp. This room was like a room in the Buckingham palace, or at least like the pictures of it. The walls had a warm earthen color with fine wood furniture that littered the room.
The only downfall was that there were papers everywhere! Small papers, big papers you name it!
My attention was drawn back to Dr. Barlow?! This woman who looked like Dr. Barlow was haughtily perched on a paper covered stool. She had long brown wildly curled hair put up in a bun, and a complexion that could rival snow.
Her eyes were the coldest part of her though, they were brown but a hard cold unyielding brown, a brown you could kill someone with.
"001! You took too long! Did you get lost again?" she sneered.
" No ma'am." he replied, shaking.
"See it doesn't happen again!", she turned to face me. " Hello, Alek of Austria-Hungary, I am Dr. Daae! I hope you are open to a new alliance, one better than your flop with Telsa."
I grimaced.
" That was a grave mistake."
The boffin chuckled maddeningly, " Do you think I would have mentioned it if it wasn't?" she turned serious. " Now you will join me in a private alliance, or something beyond your wildest dreams will happen." she trailed off, flashing me an evil grin.
"Perhaps, Telsa Lives Forever, will catch wind of their new prisoners identity."
I laughed relieved.
"Why would I care about some prisoner?"
Dr. Daae grinned evilly and flashed me a picture of... Deryn?!
"He was found trying to destroy Goliath, with a boot no less! Now he is starving in the dungeons, awaiting death!" Dr. Daae spat out.
"You could save him of course, it is really quite easy! Kill your best friend and keep the war going, or help him and help stop the war."
I stared at Deryn's picture guiltily. It was all my fault...
"Times not stopping boy!"
Deryn was always the obvious answer.
"I will form a alliance with you." I retorted, angrily.
Daae cackled with glee and strode to a particularly paper covered table and revealed a telegraph.
"Wise choice, Emperor, wise choice!" She tapped furiously away for many a minute. When she finished she spun like a bullet towards Newkirk.
" 001! Take our new friend to his new quarters."
Newkirk gave a nod and dragged me out, back into the maze.
As I was being dragged out I caught a snippet of words, " Deryn's toast!"
Thrid person P.O.V
Dr. Daae sat on a rock stoking her stun gun. It wouldn't be too long till the Emperor's entourage showed up. She was ready.
Hopefully, they would fall quickly at 001's hands or rather, claws.
Her plan was almost complete. Darwinist and Clankers had to listen to her now. With an Emperor at her back and 001 doing her dirty work, they would have no choice. Perhaps, she could kill her ex-husband too; he knew too much and was too soft anyways. A weak swine like him would break quickly.
She relished the thought of him being dead. He held her back for far too long, far too long.
Deryn/Dylan P.O.V
I fiddled with my arms trying to get free, it was really hard in the darkness. I guessed my best chance was to get out alive, hopefully. Otherwise, I would kill myself. You can't get information from the dead. I knew that firsthand.
Out of nowhere, frigid water slammed into my face, leaving me reeling.
"I knew it!" cried a familiar hatefully triumphant voice.
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