The Monster Machine

Out to Lunch

"Where is it we're going?" Tova asked as she followed Madeline down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and picked up an old backpack that had been tossed on the table and she slung it over her shoulders.

"Well... I'm not sure yet. We don't have a lot of info and we try to stay away from people as much as possiblt to avoid drawing attention to ourselves."

Madeline turned away to think for a moment. Tova wondered if she should bring anything along, concerned that it might be dangerous. But she didn't have much to bring with her in the first place.

"Oh no..."

"What?"

"I just thought of a really bad idea."

"What is it?" Tova asked.

"Well, we'll need some more information on what exactly your father is building and why he needs you to be a part of it. And to do that, I think we need to find someone who also knows what the machines true purpose is and hope they'll be willing to comply with us..."

Tova suddenly had an idea.

"We can go find Maria! She's the one who's been taking care of me, and you said she was the first person who suspected that something was wrong."

"Hmm... that's not what I was thinking, and I already know where she lives, but I doubt she'd know anything about your father's work. She was only a caretaker and I don't think your father would disclose any information to her. I'm not sure how much help she'd be..."

Tova was disappointed, but Madeline was right. Her father hardly spoke about anything and only worked by himself. Any information Maria might have probably wouldn't be specific enough to gather enough evidence.

"Hang on... I think I have another idea."

"What is it?"

"You're not gonna like it, but..... You said that guy, um Argo, right? He said he used to work with your father... I'm thinking... we should go find him and see what else he has to say."

Tova's eyes widened and she stared at Madeline in shock. Madeline understood her reaction, and wasn't confident about her idea either, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"You want to go talk to him?"

"Not really, but..."

"He tried to kill me!"

"I know, I know! But you said he mentioned something about working with your father and I think if we get him to talk, maybe we might be able to learn about what your father is planning."

"But what if he doesn't talk? What if he tries to hurt me again?"

"I won't let that happen, I promise. I would never put you in danger like that. Actually... you don't have to come with me if you want. Maybe... it might be best if you stay here where it's safe."

Tova was a little taken aback at that, but she didn't want Madeline to go out alone for something this important. Madeline noticed her staring at her.

"Tova, it's okay. I can handle myself, I'm just worrried that your father might still be looking for you. I promised Maria I'd keep you safe, and I'd rather not take any unecessary risks." Madeline sighed, walking pass Tova and sitting down on one of the couches in the living room.

"I'll take Azu with me and we'll make that guy talk. We'll make him pay for everything he tried to do to you. As long as we can get any kind of info out of him, I know we can make this work."

Tova looked down at her shoes and thought to herself. As much as she didn't want to remember, she couldn't stop thinking about it. She still felt guilty for trusting him so blindly because she wanted to get away from her father. She didn't want to feel this way, but she was scared to think about going back up to confront him.

"Yeah... maybe it's best you stay here Tova, I don't want to-"

"No."

Madeline looked up.

"What?"

"I'll go with you."

"Are you sure? I mean... it might be dangerous-"

"No, really, it's okay. I want to go with you."

Madeline stared at her, surprised. She could tell in the tone of her voice that she was serious.

"I know where he lives. If we can get back up to... wherever I fell from, or even just an area I remember seeing, I can take us back to where he lives."

Tova suddenly remembered something and shoved her hand in her dress pocket. She pulled out the portable tool ring that Monti gave to her and she flicked one of the switches, making the small knife shoot out. Tova stared at her reflection in the metal.

"If he doesn't want to talk..... then I'll make him talk."

Madeline's surprised face turned into a sly smirk as she stood up and put a hand on her hips.

"Hm... I like what you're thinking."

Madeline took a moment to gather what she needed and threw them in her backpack. She took Tova down to Azu's workshop, noticing that Azu was hunched over his desk, seemingly asleep. She motioned to Tova to be quiet as she started looking around the room for something. Tova crept up behind Azu quietly, wondering if he was really asleep. Madeline glanced at her and quickly tried to get her attention.

"Hey."

Tova turned her head.

"Don't... just let him sleep. It's fine."

"Why?" Tova asked.

"He just... it's been a long day, just let him sleep."

Tova nodded understandingly and quietly walked away. Madeline was crouching over a tall cabinet on the ground and tried to pull open one of the drawers. It didn't budge and she pulled on it harder each time. Until it suddenly came loose and her arms flew backwards, all the contents of the drawer crashed on the ground, making Tova flinch and Azu suddenly stirred in his seat. He looked around, blinking in his half-asleep state and noticed Madeline and Tova at the end of the room.

"What are you guys doing?" he slurred.

Madeline sighed and started picking up everything that fell out.

"Dude, you gotta stop falling asleep on your desk. If you're gonna pass out, do it in your own room. How do you just fall asleep like that, we literally just talked like a while ago."

"I've been doing a lot of work, what else do you think I've been doing? It's not as easy as I make it look. Anyway, what are you guys doing down here in the first place?" Azu asked again as he pulled off his goggles from his head, leaving very visible marks and Tova almost let out a giggle.

"I was just talking to Tova and... she agreed to go out with me. Just for a little bit. I was gonna ask you but, Tova wants to go and I'd rather have one of you stay here."

"Where you going?" Azu asked.

"We're, uh... we're gonna go up. We're gonna go find someone."

Azu perked his head up and stared at Madeline.

"Woah, woah, hang on, you mean like, you've got a lead?"

Madeline sighed and nodded, "We're... gonna try finding that guy that tried to attack Tova. Hopefully, he can give us some answers."

"You're gonna go looking for him?" Azu stood up in protest. "And you're taking Tova with you?"

"She... insisted. And if she want to come, I'm okay with that. I promised I'd protect her, and I'll make sure of that. She can probably help persuade the guy to talk more."

"But she's never ben out there before ever since she left. She doesn't know what it's like and who knows who else might be looking for her? It's too dangerous!"

"Look, I know it's dangerous, especially for the guy we're gonna find, but we need to know everything about what her father is really planning, and we have to act now before he finishes it. I'm not going to waste another moment, and if Tova want's to come, I'll let her. You're right, she doesn't know what it's like out there, but she'll be with me, so why not show her now so she can be better prepared later?"

Tova looked up at Madeline as she glanced back at her.

"Besides, she says she knows where he lives. We're probably going to have to go far up, so we might be gone a while. I want you to stay here in case anything happens, but I need you to trust me on this. I believe we can put a stop to whatever this is."

Azu glanced at Tova. He didn't feel confident about their plan, and was even more worried about Tova's well-being and safety. The last thing he wanted was to risk her being caught and dragged back to her father who would do who-knows-what to her if they failed.

"Tova, are you sure you want to go out and do this?" he asked. Tova nodded. She pulled out the tool ring and flicked the knife out again for him to see.

"If he tries to hurt me again, I won't hold back." she said in a serious tone.

Azu stared at her a minute longer before looking down and chuckling to himself.

"Well... with that attitude, I guess I can't argue. You sure you can handle yourself out there?"

Tova smirked, "I won't let anything get to me this time."

"Okay, I believe you. Oh! Hang on, I have something for the both of you!"

Azu walked past them and started shuffling around his messy space before he pulled out an old bookbag and handed it to Tova.

"Here, Tova. You can keep this. In case you find anything useful. It's a little old, but I think everything's still intact."

"Yeah, because that used to be mine, bonehead. Didn't even ask me if she could have it..."

"Is it okay for me to have it?" Tova asked.

"Of course, I don't use that one anymore anyway."

Tova smiled and put it over her shoudler, where it sat on her side comfortably.

"Okay, one more thing..." Azu said as he continued looking through the various old boxes of things. Tova watched as he pulled out two small, black..... things. She couldn't tell what they were. Azu handed one of them to Madeline.

"What is this?"

"It's a radio, or... I think it was called a walkie-talkie. I dunno. But I fixed those up a while ago, this'll give me a chance to test the range. Here, see that button there. Just press and hold it when you want to talk to me. We'll be able to keep in touch while you guys are gone. Here, check this out."

Azu quickly climbed out of his workshop, shutting the trapdoor behind him and stomped away somewhere upstairs.

"Does he always get this excited when he makes those little gizmos?" Tova asked.

"Oh yeah, all the time. You should see the blueprints for the security system he's making."

The radio in Madeline's hand suddenly beeped and a fuzzy voice could be heard.

"This is Made Genius to Red-Headed Hero, I repeat, this is Mad Genius to Red-Headed Hero. Do you copy, over?" said Azu clearly. Tova stared at the radio in surprise. Madeline snorted and laughed quietly to herself before pressing the button and speaking into it.

"Yes, you stupid dork. I copy. I read you loud and clear."

"You'e supposed to say 'over' when you finish a sentence Madi. Over."

"Shutup, I'll say whatever I want to say. We're coming back up now..... Over."

Tova giggled and climbed back upstairs where she heard Azu coming down, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Okay, I think that's all I can do for you guys. Are you sure you got this handled?"

Tova and Madeline nodded confidently.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Tova replied.

"Yep, I got everything. Azu, you know the drill. We'll be back as soon as possible."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Remember, if you need anything from me, just switch the radio on. If you don't hear anything back from me, it might just be the range or electrical interference. I'll make some adjustments when you get back."

Azu looked over at Tova.

"Tova..... be careful out there, okay?"

Tova smiled and nodded. She followed Madeline to the door and they began to make their way out of the Depths.

"So, how far up to we have to go?" Tova asked.

"Hmmm..... when Maria gave me directions on where to find you, I remember it was pretty far up, so I say we start from there. If you recognize anything, let me know. I know you haven't been out much, but I could use your help."

"Yeah... I do remember a lot, so I think as long as we can get up to an area I've seen before, I'm sure I can lead the way for you."

After that, they hardly spoke a word to each other as they navigated the Underground. Turning behind buildings and climbing up rusty ladders. They found stairs that lead upwards and pathways that went every which way. Every time Tova looked up, Tova couldn't tell where the Underground started or stopped. Every street they turned onto just led to another street, another road, another path upwards. She could see how easy it would be to get lost in here. When they walked through dark tunnels, Tova could spot people huddled and crouched over, reaching their hands out to get their attention and bekon them forth. Every time they appeared, Madeline pulled Tova's arm and bring her to the side, motioning to her not to pay any attention to them.

"What happened to them?" Tova asked.

"... Not everyone survives down here Tova. The only thing we can do is look out for ourselves, that's all that matters now."

"Can't we do anything to help them?"

"Believe me, I wish I could, but we can't. There's not much we can do that would really help. Most people are like this because of their own faults."

Tova stayed quiet, pondering all of this. It was almost too much for her to think about. People are much more complicated than Tova first thought, both on the outside and the inside.

"Here, this way. You hungry?"

"Yeah, I could eat."

"Great. I know a really good place over here. We can take a break for a bit."

Madeline led Tova onto a more crowded street. Bright, neon signs in various colors displayed words or images and even funny characters that caught all of Tova's attention. People behind the counters begged others to come forward and sample their menus as the counters sizzled behind them. Tova noticed the whole area had a particular appetizing scent. It was almost intoxicating and she wanted to know where it was all coming from.

"What is this place?"

"Some people call it a Sustenence Street. It's just an area where there's a bunch of food stalls and restaraunts so people can eat and rest. If there's anything that sounds good to you, we can check it out."

Tova was absolutely entranced with all the neon colors among the dark streets. Tova saw people carrying trays of... interesting looking food, and Tova was curious to try it all.

"Where are we going?"

"To one of my favorite places. I think you'll like it. I've been here before a lot, and the guy who makes them knows me, so you don't have to be afraid."

Madeline pulled Tova over to a small stall where she could see a figure working behind the counter. There where a couple of small tables that sat on either side of them. Whatever the man was cooking behind there smelled really good.

"Hello? Is this place open?" Madeline called out as she leaned over the counter.

"Sí, Sí, estamos abiertos. Hay algo que- Madeline! Oye, ha pasado un tiempo. Cómo has estado?" said a strange man as he walked up and approached the counter from the other side. Madeline smiled and leaned on the counter.

"Uh... ha estado bien. Solo... pensé en pasar un rato y comprar algo sabroso."

Tova stood behind her, absolutely dumbfounded. She had absolutely no idea what they were saying.

"Ah, déjame adivinar. Salir para otra misión otra vez? Es tu amigo detrás de ti?" the man behind the counter made eye contact with Tova and she stiffened.

"Si, ella es nueva por aquí. Ella viene conmigo como mi.. cómplice, necesito toda la ayuda que puenda conseguir."

They laughed for a minute, leaving Tova even more confused. She really couldn't understand a word they were saying. Madeline turned and looked at Tova.

"Tova, it's okay. This is Louise. I told you, I come here all the time. Say hi."

Madeline took a step to the right so Tova could be seen. Tova avoided eye contact with Louise and waved shyly.

"Hi..."

"Hey, there's no need to be shy. I'm just a guy that likes making good food. Anyway, whatcha want Madi?"

"I'll take two orders of the usual, please."

"Comin' right up." Louise stepped away and started getting to work. Madeline and Tova took their seats on of the open tables and set their things down.

"What does he make?"

"It's these things called street tacos. Trust me, they're super good. I promise you'll like them."

Tova smiled until she suddenly heard a beep coming from her bag and she fished around for the radio.

"Hey, can you guys hear me? Are you doing okay?" said Azu's fuzzy voice coming from the radio. Madeline took the radio out of Tova's hand and spoke into it.

"Yeah, I can hear you. We're fine. We're just takig a break and grabbing some food."

"You're not getting Louise's tacos without me, are ya?"

"That's exactly what we're doing."

"Aw, man! If you told me you were going up there, I would've gone with you. At least save me some when you get back!"

"Not likely, but if we have time, I'll try to bring you back some lunch. I'll let you know when we're close. I'll let you know when to stay quiet while we're interrogating. I'll call you again when we're outta dodge."

"Copy that Red-Headed Hero. Over and out."

"Shut up, stop calling me that. Over and out."

Madeline handed the radio back to Tova and they laughed for a moment. After another minute or so, Louise had finished the order and Madeline picked up their food.

"You don't have to eat it all if you don't like it, but at least try some. You'll need all the energy you can get."

Tova stared down at her plate and started picking at it. It wasn't what she imagined, but it was definitely better than leftover scraps. As she ate, her mind began to wander until she looked back at Madeline.

"Hey, Madi?"

"Hm?" Madeline looked up at her with a mouthful of food.

"How far down are we? From the surface, I mean."

"What are you talking about?" Madeline asked.

"Well, I was just thinking about... if anyone has ever been to the surface. I don't... really know much about the history of... everything. Maria showed me pictures of what the Earth used to look like. Do you know about anything like that?"

"Well... I think I know about as much as you. Maria told me as much as she knew too, but I don't fully understand it either. I haven't thought about it in a long time. I guess we've all lived here so long, we all kinda forgot."

Madeline took another bite of her taco and Tova waited for her to finish.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

Tova looked away for a moment. So many questions came to her mind, but she wasn't sure where to start.

"Has anyone ever made it to the surface before? I mean, like out of the Underground?"

"Hmm... to my knowladge, I don't think so. People were f*******n to go back up after they started living in the Underground. I heard about some people wanting to try, but I've never heard anything since. No one really knows what's going on on the surface anymore, and I think they're too afraid to found out. That's about all I know."

Tova tilted her head, processing everything Madeline was saying. She looked around at the area they were in and another question formed in her mind.

"Has this place always been like this? Hasn't it ever been... nice?"

Madeline shrugged.

"I was born after it all happened, and even then it happened a really, really, long time ago. All everyone wanted to focus on was just to survive. Nowadays... everyone looks out for themselves. The crazy people only act nice so they can get their hands on whatever they want because they think if they can control everything, it'll make life easier. But that's just not how it works down here."

Tova took another bite of her taco as she thought about all of this. The more she thought about it, the more it sense it made. But it was kinda sad to think about. She just couldn't believe that's what life is like down here. If everyone is struggling to live, why not try to help each other instead of hoarding resources for themselves? And even then, she wanted to know more. She wanted to know the whole truth. What happened on the surface that was so disaterous that it drove everone to live underground for the rest of their lives? And where did she fit in all of this?

Madeline noticed Tova looking a little depressed.

"You okay?" she asked.

Tova suddenly looked up and brought herself out of her daze.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, It's just weird to think about."

"I know what you mean. It's a lot. But stay focused, we've still got a mission to complete."

"Yeah..... yeah, you're right."