"Mr. Tesla?" Deryn poked her head into the room, trying to find the supposed electric al genius.

Ah, there he was. Deryn thought his room was a little strange. Everything was put into even neater places than it had been when he had arrived. A pair of suitcases was in one corner, a perfect stack of papers on a desk.

He looked up from where he'd been reading on a chair. A book about… pigeons? Deryn was beginning to see how he'd be considered strange. "Yes, Mr. Sharp?"

"Ms. Barlow told me that she wanted to try out a device of yours on the topside," she relayed the information.

The polite man's face creased slightly as he closed his eyes in exasperation. "Oh. That again." Getting up, he opened one of the cases and, removing some carefully arranged packaging, pulled out something in a leather sheath.

"What's that?" Deryn asked, genuinely curious as they exited the room.

"You'll see."

It was only a short amount of time before they had climbed to the top. Helen was there, hands on her hips, a space cleared around her and a grin on her face. "Ah, Nicky," she greeted him, "Will you finally allow me to test out that thing you've been messing with for the past month?"

Deryn spotted Alek amongst the crowd, nearby. Catching his gaze, she mouthed, 'Nicky?' He shrugged, confused as well.

"You never give up, do you?" the man replied.

"Absolutely not. Now…" she held out her hand.

He reluctantly handed the leather case over. "If you get shocked, it's not my fault."

"I know, I know. And the airship won't go up in flames, don't worry, the sniffers are sure of that," Helen added, rolling her eyes.

She was quite demanding. Nikola backed up slightly, into the crowd. Following his lead, Deryn slipped in beside Alek. "I'm a bit worried about this," Alek muttered.

Deryn shook her head. "It'll be fine," she reassured, "She knows what she's doing."

Alek was about to reply when he caught a glimpse of the item Helen withdrew. She dropped the case to her feet, examining the strange-looking gun with a curious look. A nearly-transparent chamber enclosed a few coppery wires that were spiraled around a thicker copper rod. The tip was metal, of a more silvery material than the connecting rod.

Helen stroked the weird gun, fingers lingering on the black handle and copper connectors. After giving the small, clear chamber in the back a final look, she apparently found a dial. After turning it to the number that she apparently wanted, she held it in her right hand, aiming at the sky.

Her finger squeezed the trigger.

And a lightning bolt shot out of the tip.

It was more of several small ones that crackled around each other. Naturally, everyone jumped.

Deryn's eyes were round. Alek's jaw had dropped. And Volger and Dr. Barlow were showing their shocked emotions at the weapon Helen Barlow now had in her possession.

"Wow, Nicky," she said, the first to break the silence, "This is really awesome. Can I keep it? Or we can make more of them. Do they have a name?"

Although he was pleased that his invention had worked (and hadn't blown the ship up), he shook his head. "It doesn't have a name. Once I make more, you can have it."

Helen nodded, a thoughtful look on her face as she talked, seemingly to herself. "A Nicky? Nah, too childish. A Nikola? Better…" She trailed off, looking at her travel partner directly. "Tesla. It should be called a Tesla."