How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"But I prefer machines, I'm afraid."
"Machines!" Dylan cried. "Barking useless. Give me fabricated species any day."
"Really?" Alek said. "Have your scientists bred anything that can run as fast as a train?"
"No, but have you Clankers ever made a train that can hunt for its own food, or heal itself, or reproduce?" (26.26-29)
She's got him there. This passage sets off a whole series of fusses about who's better, Darwinists or Clankers—sounds like Deryn has mastered this whole "acting like a boy" thing.
Quote #8
She shrugged. "We borrow as much from your engineering as you do from ours."
"Us, borrow from Darwinists?" Alek snorted. "How absurd."
"Aye, it's true," Dylan spoke up from across the room. "Mr. Rigby says you Clankers wouldn't have invented walking machines without our example to follow." (30.30-32)
Leave it to Dr. Barlow to tell the scientific truth, without a whole bunch of politics and patriotism getting in the way. She's saying what everyone else likes to ignore: Darwinists and Clankers are actually sort of interdependent. Like two parts of an ecosystem. Way to blow our minds, Dr. B.
Quote #9
"But isn't it a bother?" Dylan asked. "Making a machine to do something animals are better at?"
"Better?" Alek said. "I doubt one of your fabricated creatures could pull this load."
"I reckon an elephantine could drag that, easy." Dylan pointed at Klopp. "And you wouldn't have to oil its gears every few minutes."
"Master Klopp's only being careful," Alek said. "Metal can be brittle in this cold."
"That's exactly what I mean. Mammothines love the cold!" (30.44-48)
Deryn is actually really good at winning these arguments. We wonder if she prepped her speeches beforehand, or if the author secretly prefers beasties over machines.