The Monster Machine

The Hideaway

Madeline carried Tova with all her strength down through the dark and dirty streets. Tova couldn't help wincing and yelping every now and then because of how much her leg hurt. She had never known pain like this before. She wouldn't be able to stand by herself if Madeline wasn't helping her.

"Does it hurt that bad?" Madeline asked.

Tova nodded, almost tripping on her own toes in the process.

"Don't worry, we'll get there soon. It's not too far from here. Lemme know if you need to stop for a moment."

Soon, they came upon a dark tunnel and walked through it slowly. It was hard to see anything whilst inside. Tova feared that something might jump out and scare her any second. But they made it through without worry and reached the light on the other side. And what Tova saw was much more incredible than she had ever imagined before. The streets looked much cleaner, and there were more tall buildings on every street, almost reaching up to the ceiling of the cave they were in. There were support beams that held the ceiling together and floodlamps that hung down and lit up every corner. Wood and metal bridges connected the slim streets where Madeline carried Tova over and let her rest on a small bench that jutted out of the railing. Below them was a wide river with dark water that rippled gently. Tova looked over to see that the buildings continued downward into the water, to her amazement. Strange green lights flickered below from the buildings and glass tubes that connected them for people to walk through. Tova couldn't tell how far down it went, but it almost looked like it went down into forever. She had just fallen from how far? And this place still kept going down? She almost couldn't believe it. She couldn't be sure if there even was a complete bottom to this place. Madeline noticed Tova's expression and smirked.

"Kinda cool, huh?"

"What is this place?" Tova asked.

"Some people call it The Depths. A long time ago, this place flooded as people were building downwards. A lot of people... lost their lives. But as time went on, they managed to keep building into it. Most of this place is submerged underwater. I don't know how they were able to do it, but somehow they did." Madeline explained.

Tova leaned her knee against the railing and tried to look over it. Strange shapes moved underneath the surface and Tova wondered what they could be. The lights from the underwater buildings weren't very bright, and they hardly illuminated anything in the water itself.

"You ready to keep going?" Madeline asked.

"Yeah..."

Madeline picked up Tova and leaned her weight against her shoulder. They walked over the bridge and onto the other side of the street. They continued to walk down the road for some time before Madeline led her into a tall building.

"Where are we going?" Tova asked.

"Into The Depths." Madeline smiled. They stopped at a pair of doors at the end of the open room and pushed a button on a panel next to them. A light above the door lit up. Tova realized that this must be an elevator to take them down. The doors opened slowly and they stepped inside.

"It's not too far down, but this doesn't go very fast so..." Madeline leaned against the side of the wall and let Tova slide down to the floor. "Get comfy."

Tova shifted her leg carefully so she could sit in a comfortable position as the doors closed behind them and she could feel the elevator moving downwards. She tried to breath steadily, but she couldn't seem to ignore the pain in her leg.

"Still hurts?" Madeline asked.

"Mhmm..." Tova replied, "Does it look bad?"

"Umm... it's hard to tell. I'm not sure. But I know someone who can help fix you. You'll be okay."

Tova blinked slowly, her head hanging down in exhaustion. Until she noticed something appearing on the other wall. It revealed itself to be a glass tube and Tova could see them moving downwards though the water. She saw the buildings and the circular windows that glowed dimly from the other side. The strange shapes she saw before were some sort of mechanical machine that moved slowly through the water. She saw a few smaller ones that seemed to be parked close to the glass tunnels and big ones that almost looked like some sort of strange creature.

"What are those?" Tova asked, pointing to the strange machines.

"Those are just subs. Some people built those so they could travel through the water to get around easily. Some people live in them too, if they're big enough. They're pretty cool, right?"

Tova couldn't stop herself from looking at them. She wondered what they looked like on the inside.

Staring through the glass tube began to remind her of sitting back in her room. Against the tall window that she couldn't see out of. The only thing she could see was the cave wall and the glow of the city beneath her. No matter how much she adjusted herself or pushed her face up against the glass, she couldn't get a better look at what was below her. But down here, beneath the surface of the water, there was much more to see. So much more. She wished she had more time to see it all.

Tova heard Madeline stand up.

"We're almost there. Here," she picked up Tova by the arms and let her lean her weight on her again. Just as they stood up, the light above the elevator doors blinked as they reached the end of the tunnel. The doors opened before them and they stepped out quickly. Beyond the threshold was a tall window and a long hallway that split into one of the marine tunnels and another long hallway. Madeline directed Tova into the other long hallway and they walked though it for a long time. They had to go down a couple flights of stairs, which was a little difficult for Tova. But eventually, they reached the bottom of a long and narrow corridor. At the end of it stood a large metal door.

"Here we are." Tova directed.

Tova was a little unnerved at the sight of the door. Madeline let her lean against the wall as she stepped up to the door and knocked on it loudly. They heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door.

"Hello? Who is it?" a muffled voice answered.

"It's just me, you can open the door." Madeline replied.

"What? Sorry, I can't hear you?"

Madeline huffed before leaning closer, "It's me, you dummy! I found Tova! Can you let us in now?"

"Wait, what?"

A metal grinding was heard on the other side of the door and it opened inwards. A taller boy in ragged clothing, messy brown hair with large goggles sitting on top of his head opened the door.

"You actually found her?" he said in surprise. Madeline took a step to the side, revealing Tova gently leaning on the wall beside her.

"Wow, that was fast. Is she okay?"

"She's fine, but her leg is a little messed up. Think you can take a look at it?"

"Yeah, of course. C'mon in."

The boy stood to the side as Madeline pulled Tova inside. The boy waited for them to get past him until he closed the heavy door with a metallic whine. Tova looked up to see the largest room she had ever seen. Wide, circular windows showed a view of the open water as a bright light hanging from the tall ceiling above them filled the room. Two couches sat opposite each other in front of a dark table. There was another room off to the side that Tova couldn't see into from where she was standing, but she spotted a large staircase on the opposite side. Madeline pulled Tova over and sat her down carefully on the nearest couch. Tova winced as she relaxed, her injured leg sticking straight out. She could feel it throbbing painfully.

"You can rest here. I'm gonna go get a snack."

Madeline walked into the other room as the other boy came near Tova, shrugging off his coat and pulling the goggles off his head. He tossed the goggles on the table and threw the coat on the back of the couch before sitting down, opposite of Tova.

"Hi, I'm Azu. You must be Tova, right?" he smiled.

Tova wasn't sure how to feel about him and didn't know how to reply. She just eyed him awkwardly.

"It's okay, I don't bite. Madeline told me you'd be coming. We're here to keep you safe."

"...From my father?" Tova asked.

"Yeah. Your lucky you were able to get away from him. When Maria told us about you, I wasn't sure if you'd be able to make it. But I'm glad you got here safely."

Tova tried to smile, but was hit with another ounce of pain from her leg and she gritted her teeth.

"Oh, right. What happened to your leg?"

"I... fell. I don't know... how I hurt it, but it must've happened while I was falling." Tova replied.

"I should take a look at that, it might be broken. Here, come with me." Azu stood up and reached a hand out to Tova. She hesitated at first, but pushed herself up and Azu helped carry her underneath the stairs. Azu kicked up the corner of an old rug, revealing a trapdoor underneath. He crouched down with Tova leaning on his shoulder as he pulled open the trapdoor. A light was already on, illuminating the room below them. Tova sat on the floor as Azu climbed down the metal ladder. Tova scooted forward, letting her legs dangle over the hole. She wasn't sure if she was able to climb down the ladder with one leg.

"Here, you need some help?" Azu looked up and reached his arms outwards, gesturing Tova to slip into his arms. Tova inched herself forwards, positioning herself carefully before dropping onto of him.

"Oof! You're heavier than I thought!" Azu grunted. Her carried her carefully over to the other side of the room and set her down as gently as possible on a wooden stool. He stood up, wheezing and started looking for something to let Tova's leg rest upon. She looked around the room as she waited for Azu.

"What is this place?" Tova asked.

"It's my workshop. I'm sorta the mechanic around here. And a medic sometimes too. I've lost count of how many times I've had to patch up Madi. It can get pretty rough around here. But you've got nothing to worry about." Azu answered her. He looked around on the various shelves on the wall for something specific he was looking for, but couldn't seem to remember where it was. A large desk sat in the corner of the room with stacks of papers and blueprints and all sorts of tools meticulously scattered around. Azu picked up a random cardboard box sitting next to the desk and carried it over to Tova. He set it underneath her and gently put her injured leg on top of it before going back to searching to the tool he was looking for.

"So, what happened to you out there? How'd you fall?" Azu asked.

Tova looked away from him.

"Well... I..." Tova wasn't sure what to say. Or if she wanted to talk about it. But she eventually sighed and spoke quietly.

"I was... trying to get away from my father, and this guy found me. He promised he'd keep me safe and he'd help me find you guys if I made a deal with him."

Azu looked back at Tova, "What kind of deal?"

"He just wanted my help to fix some things in his house. Like maintenance work. And he needed help with one last thing before he was gonna take me to you and..."

"What? What is it?"

"I helped him fix this machine. He told me it helps him take apart smaller machines so he could use the spare parts to fix and build other things. And then... when I was inside..... he tried to take me apart."

"What?"

"I don't know why he would do that, but... he kept yelling to me about something else. I don't really remember much because I was trying to get out, but I think he mentioned that he... used to work with my father."

"Really? How did you get out?"

"Well, I was able to break the machine. And then... I think that's how I fell," Tova trailed off.

"Wait, I'm a little lost. How'd you fall if you were stuck in a machine?"

"Oh, well, he built it over a balcony. And his entire house was sitting near this... giant hole."

"Wait, a giant hole? Like the one on the outskirts of The Depths?!"

"Yeah, that's where Madeline found me."

"That's insane! I don't understand how you survived a fall like that, that thing goes down- I mean, up- for miles! It used to be an old tunnel system that connected all the levels of the underground so people could get around faster. It collasped years ago, thus, the hole. But... wait, some guy found you, made you fix his house and then tried to kill you? That makes no sense either..."

"I don't know either... Honestly, he seemed nice at first. But... I don't know why I trusted him. I can't believe he lied to me..." Tova looked down at the floor in shame. Azu walked over to her with a little metal box.

"Hey, it's not your fault. He was only using you, but that doesn't mean you should feel bad about what happened. You were just scared and he just wanted to take advantage of that."

Tova looked up at him as he set the box down and started rifling through it.

"You'd be surprised to see how many people are like that around here. They'll take whatever they can get their hands on. They might seem nice in the beginning, but they'll turn your back on you the second they get what they want. It's not your fault, you just didn't know any better."

Tova noticed Azu frowning and the tone in his voice changed.

"The only right place to put the blame is when people like them try to use whatever they can to solve their problems. Even if they hurt someone in the process."

Tova stared at Azu's face for a long while. Somewhere in his voice, she heard a hint of truth in it. Azu finally found the tool he was looking for and turned around.

"Here we go. Okay, let's see here..." Azu held what appeared to be some sort of black sheet connected to two metal rods. He clicked a button and it began to hum and glow.

"What's that thing?" Tova asked.

"Oh, it's like an X-ray tool. You just hold the sheet over someone like this, and you can see their bones." Azu demonstrated by holding the black sheet over Tova's leg and an image began to appear on screen. Azu adjusted the image by lowering it closer to her leg until a white outline of her bone structure finally came into view.

"Woah, is that my leg?"

"Yep. And by the looks of it, hmm..." Azu trailed off and looked closer at the image.

"Does it look okay?"

Azu studied the image a little longer before finally coming to a conclusion.

"Hmmm..... well, luckily it's not broken."

"Can you fix it?"

Azu took one last look before clicking the tool off and putting it away.

"Yep, you're gonna be just fine. Your leg is just dislocated, that's all. You'll live."

"What are you gonna do?"

"We just need to pop it back in. But... I'm gonna warn you, it's gonna hurt."

Something sank in Tova's chest at the mention of that.

"How bad?" she asked.

"Hopefully... not too bad. You trust me?" Azu looked up at Tova. Tova stared at his face for a moment before nodding. Azu directed her to put one arm up on the table next to her and the other to brace the stool she sat on. Tova did so and gripped them tightly, preparing herself. Azu put one hand on top of her knee and his other hand against her calf. He positioned her leg carefully, which made Tova more nervous.

"Okay, on three. Ready?"

Tova shut her eyes and braced herself.

"Okay, one... two..."

There was a loud pop followed by the sound of Tova crying out loud. She gritted her teeth in pain and her fingernails dug into the wood grain as she breathed heavily. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Hey, hey! It's okay! It's over now. We're done. Just breathe. Just keep breathing."

Tova inhaled sharply, choking back tears, but she began to feel a sense of relief in her leg. It didn't feel as bad as before, but it still hurt for the moment.

"I think that did the trick. Here, I'll get some bandages for that. Don't move your leg." Azu said as he got up and started moving through the room. Tova let out a few quiet breaths as she wiped her tears from her eyes and released her tension from the table.

After a while, Azu was able to make a brace for Tova's leg so it could continue to heal properly. But that meant Tova wouldn't be able to walk normally for some time. Azu helped Tova back into the living room and got her settled on the couch. Madeline came downstairs, carrying a large box full of random stuff and looked for a place to set it aside.

"Hey, is your leg okay? Was Azu able to help fix it?" Madeline asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. It was just dislocated. She'll be fine." Azu answered for her.

"Oh, that's a relief. I'm getting the spare room cleaned out for her."

Tova looked up at Madeline curiously.

"I get my own room?"

"Of course! We just used it as a spare closet, but since you're going to be staying with us from now on, it's all yours. That's okay with you, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds amazing!" Tova smiled happily.

"I'm not sure she'll be able to get up and down the stairs with her leg, Madi."

"Oh right... huh..."

"It's okay, I can manage." Tova replied confidently.

"Lemme just finish cleaning up and we can get you settled properly."

Madeline carried the heavy box away and Azu went with her to help.

For once, Tova felt content and a little excited about living here. She wouldn't have to hide in a tiny room anymore and she was free to do what she wanted. And this time, she'd actually have someone to look out for her well being. Tova began to notice something strange she was feeling. She guessed she was happy and she thought that was good enough for her. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever felt this happy about anything before. Once her leg had fully healed, she could finally rest easy knowing that she was finally safe.