DALEK WEEK : Blindfold
AN: I have taken some liberties with events of the first world war; because ONE, The whole series is a real history AU, and TWO, it would be too difficult to explain without writing pages and pages of complex politics, people and knowledge, that frankly, the characters wouldn't have or know. So, just keep that in mind, when you gasp in horror at the overly simplified events (I'm a history geek too!)
"AAH no, Deryn, wrong way!"
Alek clung to the back of the chair of the two-legged runabout like he was holding on for his life. To his dismay, Bovril hadn't such a tight grip on his shoulder and slid off, crashing into the side of the compartment. Alek quickly reacted by pulling on the right saunter, yanking it backwards, in a circling motion, attempting to lose the momentum. Once it was less precarious and the walker was firmly upright on its left leg, Alek eased the right saunter down quite far away. This left the walker in a rather awkward wide legged horse stance, so Alek moved the left leg closer to the right until the walker was firmly upright.
Keeping an eye on the pressure gauges, Alek eased the walker into its rest position and threw Deryn a look.
"Deryn, when I say left, I mean left. Not throw the ship into complete disarray, dummkopf."
Deryn rolled her eyes. "I was turning left. If it were a hydrogen breather, the cilia would guide it right."
Alek suppressed a sigh. "Yes, but Deryn, it isn't a hydrogen breather. Neither is it the Leviathan. It's a walker. You are in control all the time. If you don't get it right, you fall. You are the machine."
Deryn sighed. "I don't like Clanker technology, Alek. You always have to be in control. Why can't you just take life a little easier? You don't need machines; a living animal can do just as well."
Alek groaned, he'd heard this argument several times. "Yes, I understand that Deryn. The good Doctor wouldn't let me get away without the knowledge that fabrications are always superior. But if you parrot that in the Netherlands, you'll get smashed. They are very protective about their machines. They are very firmly Clanker, even if they aren't in the war."
"Yet." muttered Deryn, under her breath.
Alek sighed. "Deryn, what's got you in a mood today? You know that it's our job to prevent the Netherlands from officially joining Germany and checking whether they supply weapons to Germany or not."
Deryn sighed. "We've been practicing for three days. I STILL CAN'T BARKNG DO IT! You say that this two legged runabout is one of the easiest to pilot. I'm just hopeless at machinery. Look, you be the machine rider, I'll be the swaggering naval parson."
"Nice try, Deryn." said Alek, laughing, "But your role is that of a commoner getting work in the trade industry. You're old enough to be of service age so you know how to pilot a walker. Every boy knows how to pilot a walker."
Deryn growled. "This isn't Austria!"
"Yes, but it's a Clanker country! Anyone could pilot this blindfolded! You just aren't trying!"
Deryn scoffed. "I'd like to see you try!"
Alek undid his tie and permitted Deryn to tie it round his face. He was enveloped in black silk. He could only see little pinpricks of light from just below his nose and it hurt to look there too long.
"How many fingers am I holding up, daftie?" came Deryn's voice from behind him.
"You're behind me and I can't see, how am I supposed to tell?" asked Alek.
"Just answer me!" came Deryn's frustrated voice and a waft of scent, that was oddly like feathers. Deryn must have made some wild gesture with her arms.
"Umm, I don't know, 4?" said Alek.
"None." said Deryn, her voice oozing smugness, "Okay then, pilot this amazing walker. Show me what every barking clanker boy can do in this barking country."
Alek sighed, she was being unusually petulant today, but yesterday night had been filled with paper and diagrams and planning rather than sleep, which might have explained her grumpiness. Then Alek remembered that they'd skipped breakfast. It all suddenly made a lot more sense.
He eased himself into the chair and twiddled his fingers around the saunters. They were cool the touch, the metal having already conducted the heat from Deryn's hand to the surroundings. He heard the familiar hiss of the pressure gauges and fumbled around the consol until he found the fuel level. It was at around half. Perfect for another 20 kilometres or so.
"Okay Deryn," Alek said, "Open the viewport to full."
"What?" she said and he could almost imagine the confused look on her face. "Why do you want the viewport open if you can't see?"
"The viewport is useful for more things than just being able to see." said Alek as cryptically as he could, just so he could hear her frustrated growl as she wound the lever to open the viewport.
Surprisingly for Britain, it was a sunny day and the moment the viewport was open, Alek could feel the warm sunlight on his face. It reminded him of the walking lessons he'd had with Klopp at the age of eight. He inhaled deeply and smelt the autumn harvest on the air. Unsurprising, considering that they were in the middle of a field that had been harvested of wheat just two days before.
Alek eased the saunters forward and felt the machine step forward. He walked slowly at first, letting the sunlight and the smell of fresh barley guide his footsteps. He heard the sounds of the grass and unwanted plant debris crunch under the walker's weight and felt the thud of the earth under the weight and the swaying movement of an easy movement. It was like the rocking of a cot and Alek felt oddly sleepy.
"Blimey Alek!" said Deryn, her voice a shade of surprise and frustration at the same time. Then her voice morphed into a shade of smugness. "Still, I can walk pretty decently. Why don't you do something interesting?"
"I'm not finished yet," said Alek, mildly. He knew that Deryn was 'miffed', as she liked to call it, and he didn't blame her, but she needed to see the proficiency that a lot of people would have.
It was awkwardly slow at first, but after a minute or so of walking, Alek felt like he was feeling the walker's movements like it was his own. Pausing a moment to listen to the needles whirring and humming reassuringly, Alek broke into a run.
Immediately, his sound detection of the outside world was lost. He could only just hear the whistles and humming of the needles, and while he wasn't panicking, it was slightly worrying that he'd lost some of his control.
Suddenly, the sunlight faded from his face and the heat abruptly stopped. Alek drew the walker to a halt and sniffed, deeply. He smelled pine and sap and the strong smell of clart. A forest seemed the obvious description of it. Listening to the humming of the needles whirring, Alek slowly turned the walker around, until he could feel sunlight once more and starting running again.
Feeling adventurous on what seemed like an open straight of land, Alek jumped, sending a jolt through the runabout and through the ground. He could faintly hear a lot of animals departing the area. Any vestiges of birdsong that had lingered were forgotten.
"Barking Spiders Alek!" shouted Deryn, from his left side. Alek distinctly remembered her standing on his right side before. Unless she'd moved beforehand (which was doubtful as he hadn't heard her or felt a shift in that particular aspect), she'd not been holding onto anything and had been thrown to the side of the walker.
"Sorry Deryn," said Alek, not slowing down as he started to make the walker skip, "Forgot you were there."
"Bovril's in pain now! That's twice he's been shunted off to the wall." Said Deryn.
"In pain! Hurts." agreed the loris, mournfully.
"Sorry Bovril," said Alek as he felt the smell of flowers enter his nostrils.
"It isn't a problem, Alek. Love me more." said the loris and Alek blinked, under his silk tie. Its sentences really were getting more perceptive. Alek slowed to a halt again.
"Are we near a garden, Deryn?" asked Alek.
There was a moment's silence. "Guess." Said Deryn.
Alek rolled his eyes, whatever good that would do. "I'd say we may possibly be near a garden because of the overwhelming scent of flowers. But as it is, I can't smell any clart, which is always near an upkept garden, so it's got to be natural. Yet, there isn't a single animal nearby, which is partially explainable by the walker's presence, so that doesn't really count." Alek was aware he was rambling to himself now, rather than to Deryn. "I'd say it's a wildflower patch?"
He felt Deryn's grip on the chair tighten, just a little. "Aye," she said, a sullen undertone to her voice.
Suddenly, Alek's nose picked up a smell. "Deryn," he said after a moment, "Can you smell engine grease? And not from this vehicle! Somewhere else?"
He heard the sniffing of his friend. "No. But my nose isn't quite as sharp as yours. You've only got four senses at the moment, so they are enhanced. Which direction?" Deryn's sulky tones had disappeared, to be replaced with a cold efficiency
"To my left." said Alek.
"Which would be east…East is towards Germany….." said Deryn.
"You don't think…." Said Alek, a dark thought entering his brain.
"Austria may have surrendered to France, Alek, but Germany is still fighting strong, especially since the Bolsheviks killed Tsar Nicolas and backed out of the war." said Deryn, firmly.
"But to invade this far inland Britain…" said Alek.
"Not that far. Skegness is only a few miles away from the sea. The RAF may not have caught on yet." said Deryn.
"Hard to believe. You said your brother's ship patrols this part of Britain?" asked Alek, pulling the walker into reverse, until he faced the direction of the vague smell.
"Aye. And I can see what you mean, it's hard to believe that they wouldn't spot a German ship. But what if they're otherwise pre-occupied?" asked Deryn, and Alek could feel her grip onto his chair, as he started running towards the smell of engine grease.
"A diversion over there so this ship could get close to Britain?" asked Alek, keeping a close tab on the feet pressure of the walker as the smell grew stronger
"Probably." said Deryn and he could feel her put her gloves on. "I can smell it now. It smells like Istanbul. All the grease and smoke."
"Grease and Smoke." said Bovril, before making a whirring, clanking noise like a zeppelin's engines.
"I suppose we'll be fighting it, then?" asked Alek, aware that if they were close enough for Bovril to hear it, he should have been able to see it, if it wasn't for the blindfold.
"Aye. What do you need me to do?" asked Deryn
"There should be a machine gun below deck. You remember how to use a Spandau machine gun? Same principle. Aim for the engines of the zeppelin, Klopp always said that they're the weakest and yet most important part of the ship. Don't forget, if you can locate the bridge, shoot that too."
"Got it," said Deryn and disappeared below deck. Bovril on the other hand had settled on his shoulder, as he could tell by the feel of soft fur against his cheek and a few claws gripping tight to his epaulettes.
"Fuel is low." said Bovril, before imitating the engines of the zeppelin again.
Alek fumbled for the fuel display. It was dangerously below his expectations. He could only run around 5 to 6 kilometres now, before he ran out all together. Deryn had better be a good shot with a gun.
"When should I fire?" asked Deryn from below.
"How should I know? I can't see it! I can only smell and feel the vague direction its coming from!" screeched Alek, back at her.
"Right. Blindfold. Forgot. Fire at will?" asked Deryn.
"Yep." said Alek as the smell started drifting towards his right. He turned the machine to follow it and heard the sounds of a machine gun and several bangs. He was very good at piloting, but piloting in a battle, blind? Wasn't the best idea.
"Bovril," said Alek, "Can you chew through the tie for me? Or better yet untangle it?"
"I'll try, you wee daftie," came Deryn's voice from the beastie before he felt a nibbling sensation near his hair.
He heard a swoosh coming from the direction of the zeppelin. From the way it coming, Alek knew that unless he moved quickly, it would impact them.
"Moving Starboard!" yelled Alek for Deryn's benefit, before making a sharp turn to the left. He heard and felt it zip past the viewport, colliding with something behind them, creating a shockwave that shook the ground and the walker.
Alek moved the saunters in a crazy dance to remain upright. This would really have been better if he could see where he was stepping. "Bovril, can't you chew any faster?"
"Like to see you try!" it retorted, with Deryn's voice again. Alek recognized the words from earlier that day, and scowled to himself. It was his and her stupid pride that had them stuck in this situation. They would have to get rid of that pride if they were going to get any successful work done for Dr. Barlow.
He heard the sounds of gunfire coming towards them, but none (miraculously) seemed to come through the viewport. He hoped that the runabout's armour was strong enough.
"Deryn, are you okay?" he shouted, as he heard her run underneath where he was sitting.
"I'm fine. I just… Do you know whether this ship has any spare ammo?" she shouted back, sounding a little stressed.
"You've run out?" asked Alek, alarmed.
"Aye Alek! Why else do you think I'd be scampering around like barking message lizard?"
"There isn't any more ammo! This was supposed to be a test run! Anyway, this vehicle isn't meant for real battle, just practice! It's far too small and not nearly armoured enough!" he shouted down again, as he fumbled for the fuel gauge. 4 kilometres. He hoped that the Germans weren't going to move. There was no way they could catch them.
Suddenly he heard Deryn thunder up the stairs. "Deryn?" he asked, feeling confused. "What are you doing?"
"Potatoes," was her only answer, as she went behind him, to the back right area of the bridge, where they had stored their pre-cooked lunch. Roast potatoes was the main agenda, seeing as one of the cheapest foods to buy in the London Market. Why she wanted potatoes would continue to annoy Alek beyond comprehension as she thundered down the stairs once more.
But his attention was diverted by the sound of German gunfire again, this aiming for the viewport, Alek lurched the machine downwards, like a crab, dancing about with the saunters, to make sure the walker wouldn't tip over.
"Do you mind!" roared Deryn from below deck, "A bit of warning next time! The potatoes have gone everywhere! It's a wonder they haven't broken open yet!"
Alek was about to ask her for the purpose of the potatoes when he heard Bovril make the noise of the zeppelin's engines again, dropping the complex airman's knot on his tie. From the way it was sounding….
"Deryn! They're leaving! My fuel's only enough for another four kilometres! Get some semaphore flags and warn the town!"
"No need!" yelled Deryn again, "I'll shoot them down! I only need a few more shots! Get me closer!"
"BUT YOU HAVEN'T GOT ANY AMMO!" yelled Alek, back at her.
"JUST DO IT, YOU DUMMKOPF! THAT'S AN ORDER!" she screeched back and Alek obeyed, following the smell of the engine grease. Bovril went back to chewing.
"Thank you, Bovril. You clever beastie." said Alek. Bovril seemed to be cleverer than Deryn. What was she thinking? How do you go about shooting the Germans down without ammunition?
Once Alek was close enough to hear the engines, he stopped and fumbled for the fuel gauge. Only 1 kilometre left. She'd better be right about what she was doing.
BANG! BANG! BANG! Alek started a little. The machine gun had started up again. "What is she firing with?" Alek mumbled to himself.
"Potatoes." said Bovril, as it paused for breath between nibbling through the knot.
Alek blinked under his silk tie blindfold. There were some days when he really doubted Deryn's sanity. What could potatoes do against a German zeppelin?
If the shockwave going through the ground, had been guessed by Alek to be correct, apparently, it was quite lot. Surely, Deryn hadn't just brought down the German zeppelin with the contents of their lunch?
Just then, the tie fell from his face and Alek blinked at the scene of destruction around them. The Zeppelin had crashed about a kilometre or two away from them. The air balloon itself was punctured with holes and the engine was a smoking wreck.
Deryn climbed back up the stairs, chomping on a potato.
"You did that with potatoes as your ammo?" asked Alek, in disbelief.
"You piloted the whole way through this mess, blindfolded." said Deryn, "We all have our talents. Improvisation is mine. Anyway, it came to me when Dr. Barlow said that there are two components for making an impact. The mass of an object is one. But the velocity is the other. That meteor which caused the whole destruction in Tunguska was tiny! But it was traveling so fast it destroyed so many square miles of forest into rubble! So, I knew that I could use anything as ammo if I could accelerate the speed of it. The roast potatoes seemed to be in the only object that would fit in the compartments in a short space of time. And looked how they punched through the zeppelin balloon!"
Alek merely blinked. "You are insane and completely amazing Deryn. But you are never going to pass for a Clanker boy who had spent 18 years of his life in a walker unless we get you some more practice."
Deryn sighed. "I'm not going to be allowed outside of this walker all week, am I?"
Alek shook his head. 'Nope," he said smugly. "But that shouldn't be too bad a thing. After all you have me for company."
"Get off it, you dummkopf," she said, with a chuckle, before snogging him very completely.
Needless to say, it was a while before they ventured near the German vehicle to help the villagers of Skegness apprehend the Germans (and steal the German engine fuel).