The faster she found him, the better.
Spotting a tangle of ratlines draped across the main gondola, Deryn didn't bother using a gangway. She climbed down the ropes, swinging into the gondola through a smashed window. Shards of broken glass tugged at her flight suit, but the suit's thick leather snapped them from the frame, her boots skidding as she landed.
There was no chaos inside, just controlled urgency. A troop of men ran past, carrying small arms. A chorus of command whistles sounded, calling for the hawk tenders to assemble.
But air guns and aeroplane nets against an armored walker? They wouldn't stand a chance.
The machine room was just down the corridor. She headed toward it, then burst through the door at a run.
"Mr. Sharp!" Dr. Barlow said from the darkness. "What's all the fuss out there?"
A moment later Deryn's eyes adjusted - there he was, kneeling by the cargo box.
"Alek!" she cried. "It's your family!"
He stood, letting out a sigh. "As I expected."
"They've sent an emissary?" Dr. Barlow asked.
"They've sent a barking war machine!" Ignoring the boffin's expression, Deryn grabbed Alek's arm and pulled him out the door.
Once she'd dragged him into the corridor, he began to run under his own power. She led him toward the lower deck.
"I thought Volger might take a direct approach," he said as they scrambled down the stairs.
"Speaking of direct, how come you didn't mention that your family had a barking walker?"
"Would you have believed me?"
"I'm still not sure I believe it!"
On the lower deck, Deryn ran for the gondola's main door. But when they reached the gangway, it was already occupied by a line of crewmen carrying heavy crates. The words "high explosives" brought Deryn to a skidding halt.
"Don't want to bump into these fellows. Aerial bombs."
Alek's eyes widened. "What are they going to drop them from?"
"A Huxley, maybe? Just what we need to start that walker of yours shooting!" She pulled him away. "Come on, we'll jump out a window."
At the middies' mess the broken window they'd passed that morning still hadn't been repaired. Deryn jumped up onto the ledge, but paused. With the gondola at this angle the drop was a bit farther than she'd expected.
Alek climbed up beside her, looking down dubiously.
"The snow's dead soft," Deryn said, trying to convince herself. "It's an easy jump!"
"After you, then," Alek said.
"No chance." Deryn grabbed his arm, and off they went.
It wasn't so bad. The snow compacted beneath them with a muffled crunch, like being whacked with a big freezing pillow.
Alek rose to his feet, glaring. "You pushed me!"
"More of a pull, really." She pointed across the snow. "No time to dawdle."
The walker was almost here.
As they ran, Deryn could feel the machine's footsteps rumbling beneath her now, and the roar of its engines shaking the air. Its huge feet thrashed the snow, raising white clouds in its wake.
"At least they aren't shooting yet."
"They're well within range," Alek said. "But they don't want me getting hurt."
"That's what I'm counting on." She pulled him across the snow, past the crewmen arrayed to defend the ship.
Deryn could see now what the captain was planning. A second ascender was in the air - Newkirk aboard, clutching an aerial bomb in his arms. More bombs lay half buried in the snow ahead, wires running to them. If the walker stumbled too close to one, maybe they could blast it off its feet.
As she and Alek ran through the defenses, someone called after them. But Deryn pretended not to hear. She had to get Alek out in front before the shooting started.
"Do you reckon they can see us yet?" she asked.
"Let's make sure." Alek slowed, waving his arms.
The walker thundered toward them for another few seconds, then suddenly tipped backward. Deryn thought for a moment that it was going to fall. But then one steel leg stretched out in front, plowing through the snow and bringing the machine to a sliding halt, an icy cloud drifting up around it.
"Nicely done, Klopp," Alek murmured, and turned to Deryn. "They see us."
"Brilliant! Oh, and sorry about this." Deryn grabbed Alek's arm, drew her rigging knife, and pressed it against his throat.
"What are you - ," he started, but the words choked off as cold metal touched his flesh.
"Don't struggle, you ninny!" she hissed. "Do you want your head cut off? I'm just making sure no one gets hurt."
"I fail to see your logic!" Alek growled at her, but he stopped struggling.
As she stared up at the huge machine, Deryn put a defiant scowl on her face. The walker stood there, utterly motionless, as if transformed into a vast iron statue.
"NEGOTIATIONS AND COLLATERAL."
"Hey, in there!" she yelled. "Don't move or I'll spill your friend's guts!"
"If you do that," Alek pointed out, "they'll simply blow you to pieces."
"Don't be daft," she whispered. "I'm not really going to ..."
Her voice trailed off as the machine's head began to move. Two sets of steel teeth slowly opened, revealing a pair of faces inside.
"Hah!" Deryn said. "They can see us for sure now."
Alek sighed. "Yes, but what do you expect them to do? Surrender to the superior force of your knife?"
"Well ..." Deryn frowned. "I hadn't really thought past this bit."
Alek looked at her. "You really are a ninny, aren't you?"
"Me, a ninny?" Deryn cried. "I've just saved us all from getting blown up!"
"You don't really think they would have ...," Alek started, then let out a disgusted sigh. "Just yell for Volger to come down, under flag of truce. He'll know what to do."
Deryn thought this sounded sensible, whoever Volger was. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Attention, Clankers! Send down Volger, under truce."
There was a long wait. Deryn glanced up, and saw Newkirk and his ascender drifting uselessly over the airship. The wind had died. She just hoped he had a good grip on his aerial bomb.