The British Library

Got pretty inspired during the pipe-smoke tonight. The book plot it getting altogether in my head still, but I like where its heading! And these are by no means finished entries of the book... they need more language to direct the reader's imagination, methinks, but it's good to get some things down in written form

Owner Malcolm lead Inspector Thyme and Sebastian to a large limousine parked outside the offices of the Animal Yard. A crowd was gathering near the steps when though it was pouring a dreary. The Owners so rarely make an appearance in the Animal Districts that it always sparks a lot of rumors and gossip, especially among the mouse and bird folk. Thyme pulled his overcoat tight around his shoulders and quickly ducked into the cab. Sebastian followed and Owner Malcolm sat across from them in an opposite facing seat. He was joined by a female Owner, one strikingly beautiful, if a creature could be trusted with such a judgment.

"I'm sorry, Inspector, but I must ask you and your associate to put these on." Malcolm handed them a pair of blindfolds. "Both for our safety and yours."

"I would like to know where you are taking us." said Thyme, as he reached for the blindfold.

"We are taking you to the British Library, to the Offices of Human Affairs." Thyme paused, and Sebastian shot him a quick glance. "Don't worry, we aren't taking you there to bury you." he laughed, "We have some business to discuss."

"What sort of business?"

"We will not talk of it until we arrive." the woman answered. She was stern and cold.

Thyme and Sebastian put on their blindfolds. As the traveled, Sebastian kept his mind busy attempting to count the number of turns and cobblestone bridges they crossed over. Thyme had enough on his mind contemplating what all this business was about. The British Library was where the Owners kept all their government offices, as well as their secret museum of artifacts and ancient technology. Not many of the creature world knew what was stored there. While all of it still lay dormant, the devices in the Library provided much of the genius behind the Owner's Steam Revolution, and after the machines were disassembled and relinquished they're ancient knowledge, they were meticulously reassembled as used as trophies. They served as a testament to their resourcefulness and intellect, the Owners told themselves, but more truthfully, it was ill-gotten knowledge taken from a time that was not theirs. They were no more than thieves, grave-robbers of culture and history.

The car quickly came to a stop and the two felines were escorted out into the rain. The thunder claps echoed around them, giving evidence to the surrounding buildings and their massive size. The steps toward the library were too large to be taken quickly by the animals, even if they were not blindfolded, and Thyme stumbled more than once on the stone.

Once they entered the Library, their blindfolds were removed. As their pupils adjusted to the sudden light, Thyme and Sebastian stared in wonder and what lay before them. They were in a large rotunda, bigger than any room they had ever seen before. Around them were glass cases filled with tools, manuscripts, maps, and other devices too foreign to classify. Next to the cases were large platforms and upon them sat vehicles of ancient technology. Some looked to be farming equipment, or transportation vessels, but Thyme had seen too much in the last three days to make any judgments as to what they could be. And that's when he became afraid. He remembered the dig and what he and the mole had found there. Of course! The cog! All this business could be about that infernal gear! But how could the Owners know? Surely that was the reason for the dig ordered by the Owners, to find the cog, but no one knew about their findings save himself and the mole. He didn't even tell Sebastian. Could the mole have been loose with his tongue? Or perhaps they were followed that night?

"Come along. You'll have some other time to see our wonders." Malcolm said. He spoke as if he made the devices himself. He lead them quickly down a hallway to the right, past large doors with enigmatic words painted on them like "Dept of Hidden Journeys" and "Offices of Forgotten Prophecies." Sebastian was bold enough to make the observation vocal, "What strange names for organizations... 'Dept of Magnificent Poems and Dangerous Songs?' What is this place?"

"True, some do find them strange." Malcolm responded, "But if they were names good enough for the Ancient Ones, they're good enough for the Owners. Perfectly suited, I think. These are names taken directly from the governmental texts that we past earlier. Their meaning may be a bit different for us than it was for them, but we are trying to rebuild that great society in every way we can. And maybe along the way, we can make some adjustments of our own. Avoiding past mistakes and all that... Here we are."

The hallway opened to a great cavern of a room. If they were not indoors and so well lit, Thyme would have thought they were inside the very mountains themselves. A large wooden banner hung overhead that read, "Offices of Human Affairs." The room was more ornate that the proper title it held. All around were great lighting apparatuses, ornamental vases and couches, pools of water and great steam vents. But in the center of the room was a piece that claimed all the attention.

"What.. is that?" Sebastian exclaimed. Even Thyme could not help but gasp at the sight. In the center of the room, a giant creature stood, made of metal, copper, and brass. It was shaped like a giant wolf, but had the face of a man. Its size was mammoth, larger than many homes put together. It shone with a particular brilliance in that light, and its head was tilted toward the entrance to the room, either to greet or intimidate any that pass by.

"That... is the Whordgen of London." answered the female Owner

"Whord...gen? What is a Whordgen?" asked Sebastian.

"We aren't exactly sure ourselves. We haven't yet found any texts that refer to it, but the name in emblazoned on the shoulder." True to fact, the letters were stamped clearly across a large brass plate covering the shoulder joint. "It is the largest discovery of ancient technology we've ever made. We've been unable to determine what it does; we can't even disassemble it. But we're experimenting with some new wave methods that may allow us to peer inside without opening it. But that doesn't concern you." Malcolm said, as if coming to his indignant senses. "This way."

They were lead into a small room with the word "Owner Officers Malcolm and Cylith, Animal/Human Relations." Thyme guessed the female Owner must have been Cylith. There were two large desks littered with papers and files, and the were surrounded by bookshelves. Two small chairs faced the desks, and Thyme and Sebastian were directed to sit in them.

"We have much to discuss, Inspector." began Malcolm as he took his place behind his desk, "There your investigation into the animal murders and this nasty business of the human homicide. What have you found so far?"

"I'm afraid not much. It appears that a sickness has begun spreading amongst the lower classes of animals. I'm not convinced these killings are murder, though. In each victim, the wounds are self-inflicted."

"These are suicides?" asked the woman.

"By appearances, yes. And I've come to believe that we are meant to think they are suicides. But there is too much order in their frequency and nature for them to be unrelated." Thyme paused. He weighed in his mind how much he should reveal, and how much the Owners may already know. The warning of the priest hound echoed in his head, "I believe the Owners may be the cause of this..."

Thyme resumed, "But I can see no motive apart from inciting fear and panic among the populace. There are too few clues to give clear direction to the investigation, but I theorize there may be more than one culprit behind the crime."

"No matter." interrupted Malcolm. "The affairs of the animals are not our chief concern. What does concern us is the murder of the human at the hands of an animal."

"That was an isolated incident, and the creature responsible has already died. His wounds were grievous enough when we found him." explained Thyme.

"Was he interrogated?" asked Cylith.

"He never regained consciousness. Evidence points to some kind of brawl. Perhaps the dog was defending himself."

"Defending himself!?" exclaimed Malcolm, "Need I remind you that animals are the violent creatures in the world, and not humans? A man would never attack a dog without just cause."

"With all due respect, Owner" replied Thyme, "Experience tells me otherwise." A heavy silence pressed the room. It seemed to make Thyme's facial scar more pronounced. Malcolm coughed.

"Be that as it may, since there was a human victim it is a human investigation. Your initial scene investigation will be taken into consideration as a consultative opinion. Is there anything else we should know?"

"No, Owners, there is not."

"Very well. That is all."

Thyme and Sebastian rose to leave. As they approached the door, Malcolm spoke.

"Wait a moment, Inspector. There's one more thing to discuss. We know what you found at the dig three days ago."

Thyme froze.

"What is he talking about , Thyme?" asked Sebastian.

A smile appeared on Malcolm's lips. "You mean he didn't tell you? It seems the Inspector doesn't trust his own kind." the Owner quipped. "Please return to your seats."

Thyme turned and sat down. Sebastian eyed the Inspector a moment and then moved to his seat.

"Did you really think we would miss a crater more than a mile wide in the chasm wall?" Thyme's claws extended instinctively. He began thinking quickly, creating a story that could be both innocent and keep the discovery of the cog hidden. Malcolm spoke before he had a chance to respond, "And don't bother making any excuses. The mole told us everything. It took a bit of interrogating, but not too much. He weaved a story about explosives gone awry that had more holes in it than... well, more than you made with that weapon's fire."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Thyme said.

"Yes you do. You've learned more than we would have liked, but I think I can use this to our advantage. Owner Cylith here would just have you sent to the cages no question, but I come from a more merciful and understanding stock. I surmise that you found yourself an eternal cog, am I right? A gear that magically turns on its own, and doesn't stop turning?"

Thyme said nothing.

"We're not idiots, Inspector Thyme. You may think that cog is what we were looking for, and he had a suspicion one was there, but its only a minor cog. What we're really looking for is one that can bring the Whordgen back to life, and that little thing can barely power a gun. What you witnessed was only a small part of the power of ancient technology. We guess that the vehicle found at the dig and the many like it were piloted by animals like yourself in the great war between humans and creatures. And history shows that the animals lost." Malcolm relished

"Animals... always so quick to hunt and kill. It's any wonder that your kind has survived this long. Always fighting against each other... Why if it weren't for the reasonable and forgiving nature of humans, you would have all been dead long ago. The Great War was started by the animals, that much is certain, but the Ancient Ones won, and we humans are their rightful heirs to their power. But that's no matter. I've decided you can keep your little cog. We have plenty like it already. We have no use for it, but you we can't have you powering any weapons with it. We will confiscate any devices and machine discovered at the dig, but we can't well erase your memory of your little discover. But since you know a bit more about how the old technology works, I've decided to send you on a kind of mission."

"What kind of mission?"

"We want you to find another cog. This time, a bigger one, one that can power the Whordgen. We think there might be one south of here, across the channel in the mainland. The empire of the Ancient Ones was vast and it stretched all across the globe. We have reports that there is a new find in the region of Old Germany that looks promising. It appears to have been the location of a major ancient city, perhaps even a sort of capital. Its a veritable treasure trove of manuscripts and devices, but it hasn't been fully explored due to some... inconveniences."

"What sort of inconveniences?" asked Thyme, cooly.

"We don't know. We haven't received word from our dig teams there for months. We are sending you there to investigate."

"I'm afraid I must refuse. My investigation here into the animals murders requires my full attention."

"That investigation is no longer under your care. You are hereby relieved of your duties as Inspector of Animal Yard in London."

Sebastian exploded, "You can't do that!"

"Of course I can." smiled Malcolm, "You knowingly withheld knowledge of a significant find from a dig propagated by the Owner's, fired illegal weaponry within Owner territory, and stole an ancient artifact that rightfully belonged to the Owner State. You should be buried, by any interpretation of the law."

"By your law, you mean" Sebastian interrupted.

"Our law is the law, animal." Malcolm's eyes narrowed on Sebastian "And you would do well to remember it."

"Let us put it to you another way:" answered Cylith, "either you take this opportunity and do what we say, or we throw you and all your accomplices into cages until your execution can be scheduled."

"It appears that I have no choice."

"Come now, we are no tyrants." Malcolm replied. "You always have a choice, dear feline. Just some choices are more agreeable than others."

"Very well. I'll take your mission. But I need a team to come with me. There is no way I perform this duty alone."

"Agreed. You will take your secretary, and your mole friend as well. He hope that the team of diggers is still present at the site, but we will send extra supplies with you."

"How will I get there?"

"There will be a skyship waiting for you in a week's time. It's not a luxurious vessel, merely a supply transport, but it's crewed by other animals so you should be at home. And while you are away do not plan anything... risky. We will know, and will have special arrangements for you and your friends should anything unexpected occur during the investigation."

"Owner Malcolm, I have agreed to do as you ask. I do not betray my word, unlike some of other kind I know."

Malcolm stared at Thyme hard. He wasn't pleased with the tone the feline took, but he knew that Thyme was reliable. "Then it is decided. Make your arrangements at your office. You will be replaced and leave within a week. You are dismissed. An escort is waiting for you to return you to your homes."

They rose to leave. On the way out, Sebastian paused and turned to face the Owners. "I just have one question," he asked "what's so important about this Whordgen? You said yourself you don't even know what it does. Why do you want to turn it on?"

"Because it was made by the Ancient Ones." said Malcolm, "Its function must be to help humanity in some way. Some say it could be a weapon. Some say it could be a vehicle of salvation. Either way, it was made by humans to serve humans, and we intend to master it."

Thyme and Sebastian left heavy. Sebastian said little to Thyme on the way out of the Library. He was undoubtedly hurt by Thyme's omission of the incident at the dig. Thyme was enraged at the gall of the Owners toying with his life and those of his friends, but he feared he may have damaged his friendship with Sebastian most. In any case, they would be leaving on an unwanted journey within a week on a vessel they knew nothing about. The Owners were known to have exotic forms of travel, and there were rumors of a ship that could fly through the sky, but he had never heard of any excursions onto the mainland of Europe. That land was forbidden to the animals, and rarely spoken of by the Owners. They would talk of a fallen and barren land ripped apart by the Great War; there was nothing there that made it worth inhabiting. But it seems the Owners took a new interest when they found this great city, and Thyme and Sebastian would soon find out for themselves what was awaiting them.