Chapter 4:
"A Change of Plans"

July 27, 1915
London Zoological Society

Deryn Sharp considered herself an expert in the art of swearing. Not only had she been surrounded by seasoned, downright vulgar airmen aboard the Leviathan, she'd also taken it upon herself to learn as much German profanity as possible from her Clanker acquaintances. It hadn't been nearly as difficult as she'd first anticipated- Alek never swore, but Klopp had displayed some mightily impressive vocabulary in Istanbul.

Despite her extensive collection of expletives, Deryn exhausted every last one of them before reaching the top of the spiral staircase she was climbing.

"Barking spiders, how am I expected to breathe in this ridiculous costume?" She muttered to herself as she made her way up to Dr. Barlow's office. Twice she had been forced to stop and readjust her bodice so she could inhale. "This blasted corset would be better off as a torture device than a fashion statement!"

It had taken a swarm of fussy, posh women, a lot of coaxing, and three torturous hours to prepare Deryn for the gala. When she was finally ready and the finishing touches had been made on her hair, (dyed dark with an exotic Indian mixture called henna) she'd been ordered by a message lizard to be in the lady boffin's office "at this instant!" Deryn hadn't even had the chance to look at herself in a mirror- which she supposed was for the best.

She'd worn a dress before, at the Society's Christmas party ages ago, but that had been miles different than this one. That one had been tolerable. This one, Deryn feared, was going to drive her stark raving mad before she even arrived at the gala. And, to top it all off, it had to be pink. Pink!

Thankfully, she was still managing to breathe by the time she'd arrived at Dr. Barlow's office. "I am never going to get used to this. It's pure dead horrible." She moaned before opening the door and stumbling in.

"Hopefully you can figure out how to walk properly before tonight," Count Volger said dryly, "or you'll stick out like an elephantine in a parade."

"Stop comparing me to beasties," Deryn snapped back. "First I'm an ursine, and now I'm an elephantine? What next, are you going to say I look like Bovril?"

"Now, now," Dr. Barlow responded, "we haven't got time for you to bicker. Turn this way, Deryn, and let me have a look at you."

Deryn shot the conniving count a scathing glare, which he shrugged off, and then faced the lady boffin. "Well? How do I look?"

Dr. Barlow put her hands on her hips and studied Deryn like she would a fabrication she'd never seen before. She cocked her head to the side, readjusted her bowler hat, and, with a solemn expression, looked her up and down. Bovril, perched on the boffin's shoulder as always, copied the doctor, staring at Deryn with its huge, glassy globe eyes.

"I must congratulate the beauticians," she finally remarked. "I cannot say you look exactly like Her Highness, but you certainly resemble her."

"I'd better after all that primping!" Deryn exclaimed. "It was a tad uncomfortable to say the least."

"Well," Dr. Barlow continued, "I wasn't particularly worried about your appearance. It's your etiquette I was worried about. But, you've proven that you're capable of acting the gentlewoman."

Volger huffed. "She might be able to speak like a well bred lady, but she can barely walk in that dress."

"Never you mind!" Deryn scowled. "I'll be used to it soon enough."

"Let us hope so," Volger answered coarsely.

"Why don't you take a seat? We're still waiting for Aleksander to arrive." The lady boffin instructed.

"I… I think this gown is a squick too tight for me to sit down," Deryn admitted. "To be honest, I think I'd suffocate if I sat." She shot a glance at the Count, daring him to say something. He simply rolled his eyes.

"Very well," the lady boffin conceded. "You'll be standing at the gala, so there's no need to worry."

"Actually," Deryn wondered, "I'm a wee bit confused. What exactly am I doing here? Why did you call me back to your office? Hasn't everything already been sorted out?"

"Everything shall be explained upon Mr. Hohenberg's arrival- ah. I believe he is here." Deryn squeezed in a breath and turned to face the door.

Upon meeting her eyes, Alek froze. His eyes widened, his expression astonished, and he choked out a startled "Oh."

"Well, then?" Deryn grinned, doing her best to curtsy cheekily. "How do I look?"

...

Alek had seen Deryn in a dress before. But this time was completely different. Everything had changed- her hair was dark, her face was powdered, her dress was formal and elegant. The Edwardian gown made Deryn's feminine silhouette stand out more than it ever had. He'd never noticed her slim waist and narrow shoulders when she'd dressed as a soldier, but now they were all he could look at.

The long, flowing pink fabrics fanned out around her like rose petals. This was perhaps the first time he'd ever seen Deryn looked so delicate.

There was a short silence and Alek realized he was staring at her like a numbskull.

"Ah…You look lovely." He stated awkwardly, and quickly looked away.

"Oh, you're blushing like a schoolboy!" Deryn teased. "Do I really look that different?" Alek took a deep breath, hoping the Count couldn't see how red he was- he'd never hear the end of it. "Yes, that is to say, it's not as if you aren't lovely all the time. I mean, you look different, but not in a bad way…"

It was as if every single word Alek wanted to say was out of reach. His entire vocabulary had escaped him at the mere sight of her, and he was fumbling over his words every which way.

"As much as I revel in witnessing His Not-So Serene Highness at a loss for words, I do believe we have more important subjects to discuss." Count Volger declared flatly.

"Indeed," Dr. Barlow nodded. "Now. I need to inform the both of you that there has been a change of plans."

"What exactly does that mean?" Asked Alek.

"The Society's informants have learned more about the composition of Black Star, and their findings have shown that its effects may be strikingly more severe than we first anticipated. This means that we must do more than rely on Deryn's impersonation- we must prevent the sale of this gas at all costs."

"I don't understand," Alek said. "We already knew it was lethal. How can it be more severe than that?"

Dr. Barlow closed her eyes for a moment, took a breath, and folded her hands, placing them on the desk in front of her. "According to the information we have collected, Black Star is not only fatal, it's extremely painful. The mixture of chemicals and poisons derived from fabricated beasts does not kill instantly. Once inhaled, it forces the muscles to become extremely rigid. The entire body becomes immobile, and eventually internal organs shut down. It could take hours before death." She looked directly at Alek, holding his gaze with her own. "The informants said that it would be akin to turning into stone."

"That's horrific!" Deryn burst out. "How did they even know that would happen? They'd have had to test it on humans!"

Dr. Barlow's face was grave. "They did. On convicted criminals."

"That's barbaric," Alek gasped.

"That isn't all," the Doctor continued. "The effects of Black Star will not only impact soldiers. The components of the gas are so powerful that the environments where it is used will be utterly devastated. No living thing may ever be able to survive in the same place Black Star has been used. This not only endangers ecosystems now, but any that may exist in the future."

Count Volger turned to face Dr. Barlow. "This weapon could be the difference between winning and losing the war," he pointed out. "I'm shocked that the Society would give up such a tantalizing opportunity simply for the sake of some ecosystems."

"It would seem," Dr. Barlow stated soberly, "that the scientists within the society have come to a moral consensus. For once. And it is their belief that this is far too dangerous to both humans and nature. A permanent detrimental change in the environment is something we simply cannot allow."

"But if the Society doesn't allow it, the Admiralty might not care about its effects on the environment." Deryn noted. "And even if they do, Red Star Chemicals will just sell to the Clankers instead, right? So in the end, we still end up in a load of clart."

"Correct." Volger affirmed. "The best possible outcome, at least for the London Zoological Society, would be for neither the Darwinists nor the Clankers to make use of this weapon."

"This is an extremely volatile situation." Dr. Barlow agreed. "As of right now, we do not have enough information to have any hope of preventing the sale of Black Star to Germany. However, there is an alternate solution."

"And what is that?" Alek asked.

"We must abolish the good reputation that Red Star Chemicals has cultivated." Dr. Barlow announced. "There will almost certainly be a contained demonstration of Black Star's effectiveness tonight," she continued. "The first step in tarnishing Red Star's name will be to make this a total failure."

"Aye, that makes sense. But how can we do it?" Deryn wondered.

"That monster of a scientist Dr. Sullivan is extremely protective of his creation. He will certainly have the canister of Black Star that will be used during the demonstration on his person at all times. Before the demonstration, it is up to you and Alek to replace the Black Star canister with this." Dr. Barlow produced a metal cylindrical container from a drawer within her desk. "It's identical in every way, except the gas within is simply harmless vapor designed to appear the same as Black Star."

"How should we replace it without him realizing?" Alek inquired.

"I entrust this particular difficulty to you and Deryn," Dr. Barlow directed. "I have faith that you will find a way to succeed."

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Mary of Wales." Bovril enunciated out of the blue.

"That's right, Bovril!" Deryn interjected. "If we've changed the plans, then there's absolutely no barking reason for me to impersonate this lass!"

"On the contrary," Dr. Barlow corrected her, "it is still vastly important that you attend as Princess Mary. Not only is she expected, but once the demonstration fails, she can draw attention to how untrustworthy Red Star Chemicals truly is."

"All right." Deryn grudgingly agreed. "But this won't be enough to keep the Clankers from buying Black Star."

"True," Dr. Barlow granted. "But we need to buy time in order to collect more research. A failed demonstration will put Red Star Chemicals in an extremely difficult position-a position that requires time to escape. We will use that time to come up with a more permanent plan."

"Speaking of time," Volger interrupted, "We should be going."

Alek caught Deryn's gaze. She was still dazzling, but her expression was troubled. For a moment, he hesitated. He'd already embarrassed himself today when he'd gaped like an idiot at her. But that wasn't important. "I already said it, but I will say it once more. Deryn, you look lovely." He held out his hand. "Let me walk you downstairs."

Deryn smiled warmly at him, and put her gloved hand in his. "You look quite fetching yourself, your princeliness. Now let's go before this barking corset suffocates me."

"My," Dr. Barlow observed after the door had closed behind Deryn and Alek. "One so rarely sees a pair so smitten."

"Indeed," Count Volger agreed. "I must say, I am quite reminded of Princess Sophie when I look at her, in more ways than one." He sighed. "I was not surprised when Aleksander forswore his royal heritage. He chose love over power, just like his father did. Just like I advised him against."

"You don't look particularly displeased about it." Dr. Barlow mentioned.

The Count stroked his moustache thoughtfully. "I never said that I was."