Rawr! It's a surprise double-Deryn chapter! She features in here again, partially due to necessity in order to keep the plot running and partially because Alek really doesn't have anything to do at the moment anyways, though he does make a quick appearance here. Also, this chapter has just a teensy bit of nudity, but it's not described or anything. I thought I'd warn readers anyways. And if anyone doesn't like period talk, I suggest skipping the first few paragraphs. :P

Deryn hated blood. It wasn't because she was squeamish, nor was it because the sight made her dizzy. She hated it because it was barking inconvenient. Was this some kind of cruel joke by God? It was either that, or he'd made Eve out of the worst rib there was to choose from.

The cycle had started a few days ago, shortly after Dr. Barlow had given her her new assignment. It was infuriating enough when she was going about her usual business on the ground, but it became practically impossible when she was on an airship, pretending to be a boy. The tiniest speck of blood would earn her a check-up for sure, if it came from that area, and then she'd be discovered; after all, if she resisted, then they would eventually figure out why. There was no way to win at that game.

And so the only solution was to stuff as much spare cloth down there as she could. Napkins, toilet paper, anything. Usually it was enough, but sometimes it wasn't, and she would just have to hope for the best.

At the moment, she was hoping for the best. She was coming back from something of a review of aeronautics, which was probably just there to make sure she and Newkirk weren't about to do anything brilliant and stupid (even though she did things like that all the time, and as such, she'd gotten a medal). At the moment, she was taking the shortest route back to her room, where she would use a sheet of paper she had stolen as extra padding. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Deryn had just passed the lizard room when, all of a sudden, Alek appeared from a hall leading to his room. Just a little too quickly, she turned on her heel and began heading in the other direction much more quickly than before.

"Hey! Dylan! Wait! We need to talk!" Alek called out. Deryn quickened her pace. She didn't want to seem cold, but it was more important that she avoid him at all costs. He could think whatever he wanted. She could hear him coming closer, practically at a run. Her heart was pounding, and just before he reached her, she broke into a sprint and darted in a different direction. Left. Left. Right. Left. She never paid attention to where she went anymore; she just knew. Finally, she found herself leaning against the wall, arms splayed and eyes wide. Alek was nowhere to be seen, and she couldn't hear his footsteps, either. In fact, this part of the Leviathan was startlingly empty. She took a minute to compose herself before heading back towards her room. This time, just to make sure, she took a circuitous route in order to avoid the intersection of hallways where she had run into Alek. She hated running from him, not only because it was rude, but because it made her feel like a total ninny.

Thankfully, she didn't have to do it again. The remainder of the trip back to her room was decidedly Alek-less. She had lost a little time due to her run-in, but she imagined it couldn't take that long to just stuff a piece of paper down her pants. Once she reached her destination, she opened and closed the door, not bothering to lock it; after all, she was only in here for a minute or two. There wasn't really any danger, since the room was supposed to be empty at the moment anyways. Nobody would come looking unless she was late for some reason, and if that was the case, well, then, she'd lock the door.

Sighing to herself, Deryn plopped down on her bed and pulled the crumpled paper out of her pocket. She did what she could to smooth it then folded it three times, wishing more vehemently than ever that she didn't have to go through with this every month.

Quickly, she unbuckled her belt and slipped her britches down just as far as she had to. Even when she was in the safety of her room, it never hurt to be on guard. She reached down—

There was a creaking sound behind Deryn, and it couldn't have been anything but the door. She froze in place. If that wasn't an errant hydrogen sniffer, then someone had just discovered her secret.

She turned with a dreamlike slowness, terror pulsing through her like the mad beating of wings. She realized suddenly the swift thumping sound was her own heart. It was so loud, she was surprised the floor wasn't shaking beneath her feet with the force of it.

After what felt like a lifetime, the intruder entered her field of vision. It was Mr. Hall himself, and in his right hand was a Clanker gun.

Their eyes locked. In his, she could see her own panic and uncertainty reflected back to her, and it was at that moment she realized with a jolt that this man was a Clanker spy. The only other guns on the Leviathan were compressed air guns, and this hefty contraption couldn't possibly have been created by Darwinists. He must have smuggled it aboard.

Deryn opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She tried again, but all that she could manage was a weak croak. Her mind was racing. Her back was still to him; was there any way she could still convince him...? No, impossible. But she knew his secret, too! He couldn't tell anyone, or she would give away his. Very slowly, she pulled her pants back up and redid the belt. The paper flew lazily to the floor, forgotten.

"You're not supposed to be here," she finally managed to croak.

"Neither are you," Mr. Hall replied. Both of them meant more than they said. Slowly, she walked back to her bed and sat on it again. The man closed the door behind him, seeming both angry and perplexed at the same time, as if someone had snubbed him and made it unclear as to why they had done such a thing. "Why would a girl..."

"Don't get started, Dummkopf," Deryn snapped. "Male or not, I'm one of the best members of the Leviathan's crew, and besides, if you tell a soul, your career as a spy won't last any longer than mine as a midshipman."

Mr. Hall narrowed his eyes. "They'll find you out eventually, Miss Sharp. You have no training—"

"I'm not a qualified sneaky-beak like you are," Deryn retorted defiantly, "but I've lasted a lot longer than you, so if I were in your boots, I wouldn't be so pompous. You're the first person to figure it out, and that's because you were never supposed to be snooping around my room in the first place!" She decided it would be best not to tell him that Count Volger did, in fact, know about her secret. A little fib was nothing big, especially not when its recipient was a Clanker spy.

"Enough of this," Mr. Hall growled. "I have no wish to argue with some cross-dressing madwoman. Yes, I'll keep your secret. I have no reason to care whether or not it gets out. But if you tell a soul about my mission, you'll find yourself off the Leviathan faster than you can blink, mark my words."

Deryn scowled and stood up. "Good. We're agreed, then. Get out." The man glared icicles right back at her. She wondered what would come next, but after a few seconds of silence, he concealed his gun, turned on his heel, and slammed the door behind him as he left. She could hear the sound of his angry footsteps bouncing off the walls as he stalked back the way he had come. As soon as she couldn't discern them any longer, she heaved a deep, shuddering sigh, letting out all her shock and terror in one breath. That made two people who had found out who she really was. Both of them were keeping her secret for their own reasons, but who was there to say that she'd be so lucky the third time? What if it were Alek? Newkirk? Dr. Barlow? The barking captain?

From now on, Deryn decided, she would have to take pains to lock her door whenever she was in her room, just in case she slipped into some feminine habit, like examining her nails the girly way, instead of how Jaspert has shown her. Maybe she had gotten too lenient, but she had learned her lesson now. It was time to bury Deryn Sharp once and for all. She was Dylan, and if she couldn't play that part correctly, then Mr. Hall was right: she would get her sorry bum kicked off the Leviathan, and nobody would be sad to see her go.