yes i do realize that that was an extremely long hiatus and i have made it up to you with a very long chapter.
FADE IN. INT. TWO DAYS LATER, DUSK. DERYN is woken up to shouts in German. The back of the truck flies open and DERYN and NEWKIRK are startled into a standing position, and then herded out and into the cold winter snow and dragged until they stumble into the pace the soldiers are going. Looking around DERYN notices that they are in a small town.
NEWKIRK
Where are we?
DERYN
I'm not sure.
A woman in the door of one of small houses steps outside to watch them pass. A little boy about the age of five peeks out from behind her skirts. She catches DERYN looking at her and glares at her before ushering her son back inside
DERYN
I don't think we're in Italy anymore though.
NEWKIRK
How can you tell?
DERYN
The citizens don't appear to be frightened of the German soldiers.
They seem more pleased that they have two Italian men tied up.
NEWKIRK
That would make sense.
DERYN
I felt I should make up for being a dummkopf.
NEWKIRK
Why are we here exactly?
DERYN (laughs, causing NEWKIRK to look at her weird)
Barking spiders, Newkirk! Why do you think! They're going to kill us!
We're prisoners of war. We have no rank, so we have no value to them.
NEWKIRK falls silent. DERYN swallows her laugh and becomes scarily quiet. They continue to move onward. Suddenly NEWKIRK stumbles into DERYN.
NEWKIRK (whispering harshly into DERYN's ear)
Sharp, I don't want to die, I'm fairly sure you don't want to either. we
need another plan to escape.
DERYN
Well, we could always just run for it like the last time.
A German officer walks up behind them. NEWKIRK notices before DERYN does and frantically tries to stop her from talking.
OFFICER (in impeccable English)
I wouldn't advise trying to escape again.
NEWKRIK and DERYN exchange terrified glances and the officer pulls out his pistol
CUT TO MORNING. Inside the walker. The small compartment lurches with every step ALEK takes
ALEK (as DRACO slides across the floor with a cry)
Sorry! I'm out of practice!
BOVRIL (clinging to ALEK's shoulder)
Make it stop.
ALEK has a feeling that BOVRIL isn't complaining about the jarring steps he is taking. He slows down for the dragon's sake, and then notices something lying in the middle of the road, half buried in the snow. He pulls the walker to a complete stop and leans forward to see what it is. The form before him stirs and ALEK realizes that it's NEWKIRK
ALEK
God's wounds!
ALEK tears from out the walker's hatch and runs to NEWKIRK's side. He notices that both of NEWKIRK's legs are wet with blood. Supporting his head on his lap, he gently tries to rouse him.
ALEK
Come on, come on, wake up!
NEWKIRK stirs. His eyes flutter open. It takes him a while, but he finally focuses on ALEK's face
NEWKIRK
Alek… am I dead?
ALEK (laughing with relief)
Not just yet Mr. Newkirk. Come on, let's get you out of the snow.
He supports NEWKIRK as they try to stand. NEWKIRK falls back with a cry of pain when he sets weight on his legs. ALEK lets out a frustrated sigh.
NEWKIRK
This might be a bit trickier than you though, eh? (realization)
Wait, if I'm not dead, then that means you're not either!
ALEK (as sarcastic as ALEK can get)
Yes then that does mean I'm alive. It's nice to know all of my friends
think I died.
NEWKIRK
Sharp's really broken up about it….. Oh- no.
ALEK
What do you mean oh no? What happened to you two? Is Deryn alright?
NEWKIRK experimentally pokes the bleeding hole in his right leg, and then winces.
NEWKIRK
Deryn, who's that?
BOVRIL (chuckling)
Mr. Sharp!
ALEK
Dylan! I meant Dylan! Is Dylan alright?
NEWKIRK (pausing awkwardly)
Uhh- I don't know what happened to him. We were planning to escape
but an officer understood us and that's about all I remember. I think they
left me for dead with both my legs shot, as you can see.
ALEK visibly tries to stay calm. DRACO, who was waiting in the walker, sticks his head out of the hatch and then lowers itself out and onto the ground. It happily trots out to meet them, much to the visible discomfort of NEWKIRK.
ALEK
How do you feel being dragged back to the walker?
NEWKIRK
I wouldn't be too pleased with that.
ALEK
It's the only thing I can think of on how to get you inside the walker,
and I'm sure that Draco won't be too vicious.
NEWKIRK (panicking)
Whoa, whoa! I thought you meant you would drag me! I don't want
that creature and its poison anywhere near me!
ALEK (laughing)
We'll need the dragon to hoist you inside, after I drag you over there.
ALEK loops his arms under NEWKIRK's armpits and tries, as gently as humanly possible, to move NEWKIRK back towards the walker. When they get there, DRACO climbs up the ladder, reaches down with his long neck and wraps his mouth around the hood and back of NEWKIRK's jacket, lifting him up into the walker.
ALEK (climbing into the walker after them)
Alright, let's see the damage with your legs.
NEWKIRK winces.
NEWKIRK
I bet I have to remove my trousers.
ALEK
Either that or I can cut them off you. (laughs) I'm actually stating to like
playing nurse on you and Deryn.
He helps remove NEWKIRK's trousers and gets a closer look at the bullet holes in NEWKIRK's legs.
ALEK (while wrapping strips of cloth around NEWKIRK's legs)
I afraid all I can do at the moment is bandage them to stop the bleeding.
We'll have to get you to a doctor as soon as we reach the next town.
Where were they heading when you were last with Dylan?
NEWKIRK
North, back to Austria, I think.
ALEK
I'm sure we can catch up with them if we run.
BOVRIL
If you don't kill us.
ALEK gives it a hard look and puts the walker into full speed.
CUT TO. EARLY MORNING SAME DAY. The soldiers have stopped and made a camp. DERYN is sitting far away from the campfire with a guard pointing a gun at her and tied to a tree. Behind the tree, DERYN is sawing away at the ropes with a small knife that was consoled in a hidden pocket in her sleeve. The English speaking officer walks up and dismisses the guard in quick German. DERYN stops sawing. He crouches next to DERYN. She looks away, avoiding meeting his eyes.
OFFICER
Poor, poor boy. You've lost everything. Both you're friends, Even that
abomination pet of yours. What else is there for you to live for?
DERYN (spitting in the officer's face)
I don't know, maybe revenge?
The man laughs and wipes the moisture off his cheek.
OFFICER (suddenly serious)
You should show me some respect boy. I seem to have the upper hand
here.
He rises and turns quickly to leave.
DERYN (shouting as the officer walks away)
The only thing you have here is stupidity! This whole outfit is to keep
one boy without a gun tied up in the back of a truck to take me, where
exactly? Why don't you just kill me!
DERYN goes back to sawing at the ropes. They fall loosely around her wrists, and she springs up, taking the guard watching her by surprise. Launching herself and the man, she snatches the gun out of his hands, shoots the soldier and takes off into the forest surrounding the camp.
CUT TO DERYN running. Faint shouts echo behind her, and she risks a look over her shoulder. Her feet betray her in that moment and she stumbles. She hits the ground and lies there, winded and a bit dazed for a while, then gets up again and continues running, but with a limp this time. The shouting from the soldiers is closer, and DERYN is getting more and more worn out. Finally she just turns and sits down to wait for her pursuers to catch up. DERYN checks the gun she stole. There are eight shots left.
DERYN
That's eight men down then.
She cocks the gun as the first man comes into sight. He doesn't see DERYN until it's too late. She fires the gun and he falls, tripping the man behind him. The soldier who wasn't shot looked down in shock at his fallen comrade. The hurt in his eyes made DERYN freeze in the realization that she had just killed two people. This time the man who comes into sight is the officer. DERYN un-freezes just in time to dodge the shot he fires. She lands in the snow with a grunt, and then scrambles up to face her enemy. They face each other both pointing their guns.
DERYN
Are you going to shoot me, sir, or are you giving me the option
of killing you first?
The officer sneers, and would have shot her except for the giant metal machine that exploded from the trees behind him. The man drops his weapon and tries to run for it but gets trampled in the process.
DERYN (very confused)
Barking spiders.
The walker comes to a halt and the top hatch opens to reveal NEWKIRK.
NEWKIRK
Hello Sharp!
DERYN (relieved smile, but still very confused)
Blisters Newkirk! You're alive! I didn't know you could command a walker!
NEWKIRK
I didn't. You're never gonna believe this but-
The bottom hatch opens and ALEK jumps out.
NEWKRIK
Alek's alive!
DERYN stands dumbfounded, staring at ALEK
ALEK
Hello-
That's as far as he gets before DERYN tackled him with a massive hug and they both toppled backwards onto the snow. She kisses him hard
DERYN (crying)
Don't you ever do that to me again you bum-rag.
ALEK
You had me worried for a minute there, I thought you were
going to let him kill you.
DERYN laughs and buries her face in his shoulder. NEWKIRK clears his throat.
NEWKIRK (quite red in the face)
Are you done yet?
ALEK sputters and realizes that NEWKIRK saw the kissing going on between him and DERYN, but she only shrugs
DERYN
I see no way out of this situation, Alek. (then to NEWKIRK)
It's not what it looks like, you see, I'm a girl.
NEWKIRK, in return, stares at her in shock.
ALEK
Well, that was sudden. Why did he get the more direct approach?
DERYN
I'm not in love with him, dafty.
NEWKIRK's jar moves up and down like he's saying something, but nothing is coming out. DERYN helps ALEK up.
ALEK
I think he's taking it quite well, don't you?
DERYN (smirking)
Better than you did.
CUT TO. Inside the walker. DERYN and ALEK help NEWKIRK down from his perch on the lookout's rig. NEWKIRK is blatantly avoiding looking at DERYN, but he is having trouble looking at ALEK also.
DERYN(seeing that NEWKIRK isn't going to respond, she says to ALEK)
Why is he up here anyway?
ALEK
He insisted.
DERYN
What did you do for his legs?
ALEK
I couldn't remove the bullets, so I just bandaged them to stop
the bleeding.
DERYN nods and ALEK gets up to pilot the walker again. Once ALEK leaves, NEWKIRK shuffles backwards as fast as he can by dragging himself with his hands.
DERYN
Careful there, Newkirk. Too much movement will reopen your wounds.
NEWKIRK grunts as he hits the wall of the walker.
NEWKIRK (still not meeting DERYN's eyes)
How long have you been putting up this act?
DERYN (laughing)
How long do you think, ninny! I was born a girl, and I wanted to get
into the service, so I dressed up as a boy. It's as simple as that.
ALEK
It's not as simple as you make it out to be, Deryn. You had to fool every
Officer on the British air service. We're nearing a town soon, about fifteen
minutes away is my guess.
DERYN (getting up to join ALEK in the front)
Really? We were that close to civilization? I could have run that distance
no problem! Good thing for Newkirk though. I think he'll drive himself
mad pretty soon.
ALEK (for only DERYN to hear)
Poor him. You led him on far longer than anyone else. I mean, you were
friends with him even before you met me, so I guess he is entitled to be
a little upset.
DERYN
Aye, I suppose so. I'll apologize later when he's wrapped his head around it.
The small Austrian town slowly appears on the horizon. DERYN looks over her shoulder to tell NEWKIRK that they're almost there, to see him slumped over, looking pale. He is sitting in a pool of blood, the soaked bandages have proved to be useless is stopping the bleeding.
DERYN (jumping down to his side)
Blisters! Alek, he's let himself bleed out! (Muttering to the half-conscious NEWKIRK)
Why didn't you tell us your wounds reopened!?
ALEK puts the walker into a full out run.
ALEK (controlled panic)
Tie the bandages tight about the wounds! Try to stop the bleeding!
DERYN
Aye! I'm doing that! Damn it Newkirk!
NEWKIRK groans and meets DERYN's eyes unsteadily before passing out. FADE OUT.
why did i wait for July 5th you ask? well my lovelies, i shall tell you. today marks the one year anniversary of when i started writing A Mission With Dragons. there is a funny story about that day last year also. this is a personal recount of events that took place, so if you would rather not read about my life, you have been warned. I was riding my bike and then my foot slipped off the pedals and totally wrecked my whole bike. both wheels wouldn't move. well i was a mess, and when my mom had to come pick my up from my karate dojo because i couldn't do anything in my present state, all i wanted to do when i got home was write this fic. then later that night i had a dream that Dr. Barlow and Alek were my friends and they were bringing me pain pills. i woke up and it took my delirious, pain-filled mind a half an hour to figure out that Alek and Dr. Barlow aren't real. i was really saddened by this. a while after that i realized that id Dr. Barlow and Alek were my friends, that made me Deryn.