The Eternal Cog

They descended down into the chasm. The daylight was growing dark, but as they went the light faded around them. The air was heavier there, and soft layer of dust and dirt filled the space around them. It wasn't difficult to breathe but it was pungent with the aroma of old earth and secrecy. The ground was hard and the distant hums of power throbbed about them.

"What have you found?" the Inspector asked.

"We're not sure." replied the mole "It's something I haven't seen before. There's a bit of ancient technology in these digs, but I've never seen anything like this." As he went, Thyme could feel the mole's excitement. Something ancient had definitely been uncovered, but finding the machines of old was commonplace and ultimately futile. They were grand machines but there was nothing to do for them. No one ever knew what they were, what they did, or how they were even powered. All the completed machines were so large and laborious that even the Owners couldn't turn them on. They required too much energy, far more than any steam technology could provide in modern day.

"We were getting some unusual waves from the rock beneath." the mole continued "Something very small. It seemed to be... moving."

"Moving? Is it something alive, or is it a machine that is still functioning?"

"I don't think so, it's too small for that. Here." They arrived at a small clearing that was freshly dug. It was faintly lit, but that's how the moles preferred to dig. "I wanted to wait until you arrived to uncover it. Something tells me that I would need witnesses and possibly protection."

"Protection?" started the Inspector "Protection from what? You said yourself there was nothing living here. Besides, there no sense in being so clandestine about all of this."

"Forgive me, Inspector, but experience has taught me otherwise. Just wait a moment and be on guard. I'm going to start digging." And with that, the mole went to single-minded work. His energy could be felt, and Thyme instinctively moved his paw to his revolver. After a few moments and a flurry of debris, the mole stepped back and gave a sigh of relief, "There. There it is."

In the ground, halfway uncovered from soot and earth, was a gear. It was of a size no greater than a large fist and it was ordinary in every respect except for one distinguishing characteristic. It glowed a deep, pale green.

"My eyes may be adjusting through the fog but is that cog... turning?"

Indeed it was. Very slowly, the gear was turning counter-clockwise. "But... what mechanism is it connected to?" asked the Inspector.

"None. There is no other machine or metallic signals for several feet. That cog is turning on it own."

"But how is this possible?"

"I don't know. I've never seen this before. Its a perfect gear, apart from being in dire need of cleaning. The teeth show no sign of wear and it appears to have and ancient but common mounting mechanism." The mole slowly lifted the gear from the ground and held it both hands. "You see, it still even turns in the free air."

The two stared in amazement as the cog slowly moved in the paws of the mole, stopping to no resistance and seeming to have no cause to its motion.

"I've heard about the machines of the Old Ones needing a seemingly limitless supply of energy and mechanics in order to function." began the Inspector. "Do you think this might be the source of their power?"

"There is a simple way to find out. Come with me" With that, the mole journeyed further along the rubble and debris. They soon came to an ancient machine, what looked to be a vehicle or moving Juggernaut. It was large, taller than both the Inspector and mole together but it was silent, unmoved for centuries.

"Climb the ladder on the other side. You will find a seat with a panel of levers and buttons. We uncovered this machine several weeks past. Its a common design, but we have no clue as to its use. Just last month another squad of moles discovered hundreds of these machines in a field just a few miles north of here."

As Thyme moved the mole continued talking. "The outer shell is easy enough to remove, but underneath is a marvel of engineering so complex we can't make heads or tails of it. Most are damaged in one way or another..." Thyme moved to the seat while the mole removed a part of the case "... but this one appeared to be in good shape, as far as I could tell. Now, where was that spoke... ah! Here..." The mole placed the green gear into the machine. "Has anything changed?"

"I'm afraid not." As the gear began to turn, Thyme could hear the creaks and cracks of old technology giving way to the new addition but after some moments the machine was silent.

"Well, it appears as though the gear fits, but nothing is happening. Perhaps it would work in some other machine..."

Suddenly, the vehicle sprang to life. It begin to rise off of the ground, and the panel in front of Thyme let loose a great hiss of steam and lit to new life. A dull hum was heard in the belly of the mechanical beast, and the mole fell back astonished. After a moment the machine seemed to have calmed, apparently awaiting an input from Thyme.

"What should I do?" asked Thyme, afraid to touch anything

"It seems to be waiting for you. Try pushing some buttons and levers and see what happens."

Thyme paused with some trepidation. He was not used to situations of discovery like the mole was. He was move comfortable solving the mystery once all the excitement had passed, but this was a new sensation. He was possibly the very first Animal... no, the first living creature to operate an ancient machine for over a thousand years. Slowly, he reached for a small button on the panel that glowed a soft amber.

"Get ready! I'm about to press something."

He pushed it, and a great roar went forth as a large panel at the side of the machine moved to reveal a giant barrel. With a loud explosion a shot rang forth from the machine and struck the chasm wall in the distance. The jolt knocked Thyme out of the chair where he was seated and he fell to the ground with a thud. After some seconds, the Inspector came to with a hard ringing in his ears. The mole was quickly beside him, yelling words that could not be heard. Thyme waved to signal he was alright and the mole helped him to his feet.

Thyme's head was pounding, but he stood and stared at the machine. The transformation was incredible, what once appeared to be a docile piece of metal was now undeniably a massive armament, a giant weapon of war with a barrel nearly ten feet long smoking and hissing from its side. Thyme's hearing slowly came back and he looked to where the barrel was aimed. As the smoke and dust settled, the face of the chasm now bore a hole too great to be seen in the pale light of dying day.

The mole was the first to speak, "How could a machine so small create a hole a hundred times larger than itself?"

"I do not know." said Thyme "But I think I know now what happened to the Ancient Ones. If there were hundreds of these machines like you say, then there must of been some use for their number. They may have been a great war centuries ago."

"But... if there were battles, wouldn't there have been more to find? More machines or evidence of fighting?"

"Perhaps. I don't have any more answers than you." Thyme stepped toward the machine. The heat of the blast could still be felt emanating from the barrel, and the transformation left much of the machine's innards exposed. "This discovery must be kept secret. If anyone were to see power of this kind, there could be consequences."

As the animals approached, the cog could be clearly seen, turning slowly. "I think we have made an incredible discovery, but also a distressing one. This gear is the key to knowing the mind and will of the Ancient Ones, and perhaps how they ended."

"But what should we do? Surely we can't just leave this machine here for the next person to find."

"No." said Thyme. He reached out and removed the cog from its spoke. The machine sputtered steam and returned to its original state, shelled and impotent. "No we cannot. But this is a larger puzzle than the both of us for now. We can only looked for other uses for this gear, and search in secret. I will take the cog for safekeeping. Continue the dig, and if you find any other ancient machine that look to be in good repair, notify me. We will discover what they do on our own, free from the eyes of other Inspectors and most of all, keep the Owners unaware. Something tells me this may be what they have been looking for."

"Very well." said the mole "If I find anything else, I'll let you know. I imagine that may be the only cog. There's no other movements detected by the wave analysis, and I'm certain no other mole squad as turned up anything like it."

They turned to leave the chasm. Night has already fallen, and Thyme was uneasy. This discovery was against everything he had been told of the Ancient, that old peaceable race. It weighed on him, the notion that perhaps the murder of Animals and these present events were somehow connected, but he could not see how. He felt as though he was being taken into a mystery that he would not escape. And slowly, the cog in his pocket, turned.