The Heart of the Gear

In London's fog-choked factory district, I'm just a boiler operator struggling to survive.

During a near-death experience caused by a boiler explosion, I glimpse a colossal shadow of meshing gears and tentacles writhing in the abyss.

When I wake, I discover that the steam pipes are whispering, and eerie runes have appeared on the brass gauges.

The capitalists are using the blood of child laborers to nourish the "God of the Differential Engine," while the aristocrats sacrifice living people to awaken the "Steam Old God."

I hide the copper whistle that lets me decipher the mechanical whispers and join the underground resistance, the "Heart of the Gears."

When a steel colossus tramples the slums, I blow the whistle.

The steam pipes throughout the city suddenly twist and change shape, becoming a colossal brass serpent that blots out the sky.

As it coils around the colossus, I hear a satisfied sigh from the void:

"At last... I've found a worthy spokesperson."

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.