Yes, this is crackfic. Deal with it.

DISCLAIMER: If I don't do this, will I get sued? As I'm paranoid about this sorta thing…characters and attitudes not mine.

"DYLAN!"

Alek turned and saw a figure hurtling towards them. Dylan gaped, dumbfounded. "Wha—Lilit? What are you—ack!" he yelled as the anarchist took a running leap and landed on top of the midshipman. He toppled over and landed flat on his back, Lilit smothering his face with kisses.

"Wha—mph—get off—mph—I—get off—mph—help!"

Alek chuckled softly as Dylan attempted to free himself from Lilit's clutches. Apparently, in their time apart, Dylan hadn't softened towards her.

"Dylan, I've missed you so so so soooo much!" Lilit exclaimed, pecking his face with each "so."

"Mph—I—get—mph—barking—sto—mph—stop—get—get off!" Dylan prized her off and sat up, breathing hard. "Blisters, you nearly gave me a heart attack—stop!" he yelled as Lilit leaned forward.

"Why?"

"Because…just…oh, for crying out loud." He rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in exasperation. "I'm a barking girl! I thought you knew."

"I did. But that ninny," she replied, jerking a thumb at Alek, whose chuckling had stopped abruptly, "did not." She smiled.

"Wha—Dylan—wha—what?" Alek spluttered, looking frazzled.

Lilit didn't respond. Instead, she stood up, brushing the dust off her clothes, and walked away, leaving the prince and the middy to sort the mess out by themselves.

Think back to chapter 20, in the spoof with Newkirk…

Newkirk smiled and shook his head in admiration.

. . .

"Here, lad." Mr. Roland thrust an aerial bomb into Newkirk's arms, causing him to stagger. "Take this up in an ascender, and see what you can do with it."

"Aye aye, sir," Newkirk replied, fumbling with the bomb as he attempted to salute. He raised his right arm, and the bomb rolled out of his left. Fortunately, it rolled into the powdery snow, averting a possible crisis.

Mr. Roland sighed. "And try not to blow yourself up in the process."

Newkirk hurried up to the dorsal ridge, or tried to, as his deadly cargo was rather heavy. Finally, he reached the Huxley and strapped himself in. He gripped the bomb tighter, praying that he wouldn't drop it.

Of course, things didn't look too good, as they'd crash-landed on this iceberg—glacier, he corrected himself.

Suddenly, Newkirk spotted two figures leap out of the gondola and run towards the approaching walker. He squinted, trying to make out who it was. It was Dylan and another boy, most likely the prisoner. But what were they doing?

Newkirk's eyes widened as Dylan drew to a halt and held a knife against the other boy's throat. Holding him hostage? Pure brilliance.

Amazing, really, what that girl was capable of.

Yeah, so apparently Newkirk is more perceptive than he seems, right? You've just gotta love Newkirk.

As for the first one, well, one day I was sitting, pondering Leviathan, and I thought: "Hey! What if Lilit somehow makes Deryn's secret known to Alek?" And that scene popped into my head, and thus this chapter was born.

"Dylan, I've missed you so so so soooo much!" Lilit exclaimed pecking his face with each "so." Yeah, that's adapted from a scene in Tui T. Sutherland's Kingdom of Twilight, book 3 of the Avatars Trilogy. If you haven't read it, well, read it. Even Scott Westerfeld's reviewed it!

Answer: Darwanker, in my opinion. As for Darwinists vs. Clankers, well, the Clankers are less co-friendly, but how would the Darwinists take part in the great space race?

Question: Newkirk or Neville Longbottom? Which underdog is more unappreciated?