Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and special thanks to FleaBird and Holly Marie Fowl, who are the only reviewers so far who have offered constructive criticism. Keep it up!

DISCLAIMER: Still not Scott Westerfeld

Alek delicately plucked a message lizard from its cage, grasped its tail, and flung it across the room. It stuck to the wall, a fair distance away from another lizard in the same predicament.

Deryn laughed scornfully. "You can pilot a walker, but you can't throw a wee beastie?" She tossed her lizard, which landed neatly in a basket across the room.

"Perhaps." Alek's face was scrunched up with concentration as he leaned back and threw another lizard. It hit the wall and slid into the basket. "There, I got one!"

"Aye, but that's one beastie to my three." Deryn sent another lizard flying, just as the door opened and Newkirk walked in, saying "Dylan, the bosun says—ack!" The lizard smacked into Newkirk's face, shrieking random warnings. Newkirk shouted in surprise and toppled over.

"Ah, blisters," Deryn sighed.

"Before a fencer crosses swords, he has to learn this basic stance. But don't worry"—Alek smiled cruelly—"We won't be here more than an hour. It's only your first lesson, after all."

Deryn gritted her teeth and glared at Alek, planning her revenge...

. . .

"Um, Dylan?" Alek was slowly rising higher and higher in the sky, trussed to a Huxley ascender. "Can I come down yet?" Alek glanced at the ground, then closed his eyes, wishing he hadn't.

"Not quite. I'm testing your air sense. But don't worry"—Dylan smiled cruelly—"We won't be here more than an hour. It's only your first lesson, after all."

Deryn tied Tazza's leash to a pole and took a deep breath. Above her loomed a tall skyscraper, with the words "Google Inc." emblazoned on its side. She gritted her teeth and, with one last pet of Tazza's head, walked inside.

. . .

"Er…hello, sir. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Mr. Sharp. Please sit." The head of the company gestured to a chair in front of his desk, and Deryn nervously sat down. "It appears that your work has been rather… unsatisfactory recently. Can you please explain why?"

"Well, you see, sit, my brother Jaspert was ill, and I was taking care of him, so…" Her voice trailed off as the head glared at her.

"I see. However, your work performance has dropped too much. Now, go to work."

"Yes, sir." Just as Deryn stood up, the door burst open, and Tazza bounced in and proceeded to destroy most of the head's office. "Barking spiders! Tazza!"

"Mr. Sharp!"

"Y-yes?"

"What is the meaning of this? Is this your beast?"

"Well, technically it's a thylacine—" Her words were cut off as Tazza began running in circles, chasing her tail, and destroying several framed plaques and pictures in the process. Deryn grabbed it and shoved it outside the door.

She turned around to face the head, and sighed. "I'm fired, aren't I?"

"Yes."

This last idea was not originally mine, a skit performed by members of my drama class inspired it, and I altered it to fit the Leviathan series. Please review, and offer constructive criticism! Even small things, like spelling or grammar, can help me to improve my writing.

Also, I think I remember reading that Tazza's a boy, am I right?