The Monster Machine

Memory Variables

You really like it that much, huh?" Azu asked as he and Tova walked through the marine tunnel. Tova smiled and nodded happily. For once, she felt like she was part of something. Something that included her own input instead of using her as a tool.

When they walked back to the elevator, Tova began to wonder if there was something she could do. Something she could make a living out of. Azu spends his time tinkering and making whatever little gizmos with spare parts he finds. Monti spends her time by collecting pieces and selling them to people like Azu so they can live more comfortably. Tova realized that she doesn't know what Madeline does when she goes out. Get food? That's all she's seen her do, but she doesn't talk about anything else.

Tova guessed getting food was probably more difficult because that's something everyone needs and in a barely functioning society like this, food must be difficult to distribute to everyone. Tova's cheerful tone began to fade as she stared through the glass. She wondered if there was something she could do that she was good at that could be useful in some way...

When the elevator stopped, Azu and Tova both stepped out and began to walk down the long, dimly lit hallway until they made it home. Azu opened the door, and when Tova stepped inside, she saw Madeline sitting in the living room.

"Hey, Madi!" Tova called to her happily. Madeline turned to see Tova in her new outfit and almost didn't recognize her for a second.

"Tova, what the heck happened to your clothes? Where did you two go?"

Azu was about to answer until Madeline noticed the assortment of parts and pieces he carried in his arm.

"Wait, lemme guess. You went down to get more pieces for your 'project'?"

"Shutup, I just brought Tova with me to get out for a bit. Nothing happened."

"Then what's with the new outfit? You don't have enough to afford all that."

Tova stepped forward, letting Madeline get a better look at her.

"The women selling clothes said she'd give me a new outfit if I traded my old clothes. And this is what she got me!" Tova explained.

"You got a whole new set of clothes by trading a pair of shorts and a dirty shirt? Lucky. How does it feel?"

Tova smiled, "I really like it!."

Madeline smirked, but only briefly before turning to Azu. She walked over to him and waited until he set down his items on the kitchen table.

"Hey, we need to talk." she whispered.

"What? What for?"

Madeline whispered something else. Tova in the background paid no attention to their hushed conversation. She twirled around happily and lightly jumped around in her boots. She'd never worn shoes before.

Madeline continued to whisper to Azu and he looked at her in surprise. Madeline told him to be quiet and they glanced over at Tova for a moment. She almost tripped over the table while twirling and decided that was enough and sat down on the couch. Azu turned back and spoke quietly to Madeline, unsure of her previous comment. But Madeline insisted. Azu sighed and obliged.

They walked past Tova, who was admiring her own legs until she looked up at them and noticed they were both climbing down into Azu's workshop

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. We just need to... talk about something." Madeline answered.

"What is it? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Just... give us a minute, okay?"

Madeline closed the trapdoor above her head and left Tova in the room. Until Madelines popped back up for a second.

"You can eat whatever's in the fridge if you want something." she said before closing the door again.

Tova tilted her head in confusion, unsure if everything was indeed okay. Madeline didn't look very happy, but she hoped whatever they were talking about wasn't too serious. She stood up and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from one of the cabinets and held it under the sink. She filled it with water and took the glass up to her room. She set it down on her desk and sat neatly in her chair, facing towards the round window and staring into the dark water. She watched the strange, moving lights and little bubbles that drifted upwards. Her mind begins to drift.

She wondered if stars moved like that? The way the lights in the water did? Did the so-called 'stars' move like that in the so-called 'sky'? Are they bright like the floodlights that lit the streets? Are there more than all the lightbulbs in the underground. Tova tries to recall everything she saw from the little book in the shoebox. She didn't get to look at everything, but she still remembered the pictures and words Maria said to her. She knew her explanations weren't the best and even she knew Maria didn't know everything. But Tova continued to wonder how long it had been since people lived on the surface. Tova wondered if there were still people alive today that remember being on the surface before they were driven underground. Maybe if there was a chance she could speak to someone like that, she could gain a better understanding of what life was like before now.

If she said everything she thought about to a roomful of people, what would they say? What would they think? Would they agree or object?

Her thoughts were inturrputed by a soft knocking on the door. Tova turned to see Madeline peaking her head through the door.

"Hey, um... we need to talk."

Tova turned her chair and watched as Madeline closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of Tova's bed.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry if things got weird downstairs. Um..." Madeline trailed off, not knowing how to continue. She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.

"Tova, you know when I said I'd promise to keep you safe?"

"Yes?" Tova nodded.

"Okay, well... I'm sure you've wondered why. I mean, do you know why we need to keep you away from your father?"

"Well... I didn't feel like I was in danger at first. But the note Maria gave me said you'd be able to explain everything."

"Yeah, I know. And I will explain everything. But... honestly, there's a lot we don't know either."

"So, are you gonna tel me what's going on or not?"

"I will! You of all people deserve to know the truth. But if you want to know the truth, we need to know everything you already know. Which... leads me to my first question. Azu said... when you were running from your father, a man found you and you made a deal with him. Who was he?"

Tova sighed, not wanting to think about that experience again, but if it would help, then she guessed it'd be alright.

"His name is... Argo. He saw me being chased and offered to help. He seemed nice at the time, until... he turned on me and tried to take me apart. That's how I fell. I think... I think he said he knew my father?"

"What?"

"When he... put me in that machine..... He was yelling about something. I didn't understand what it was but... I think they used to work together."

Madeline leaned forward and put a hand to her chin, puzzled.

"That might explain..."

"What?"

"Well, it's just that... Okay, I'm going to be straight with you. We've been tracking your father."

Tova's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"Well... for a long time, Maria was worried about something. Something your father was doing. She gave me all the details because she hoped we could figure out what he's really planning. She couldn't risk doing it herself, because she wanted to make sure you were safe. Maria's worked with your father for a long time, so she's told me everything she knows. To... put it simply... A long time ago, your father was working with a group of other scientists. We think... some of them might be the decendants of the scientists and engineers that built the Underground when the Earth started to collapse. Based on everything we've found... they were trying to work on some sort of new power source that would be able to keep the Underground running for years. But it doesn't look like they ever finished it."

"What are you talking about?" Tva asked, not quite understanding everything.

"Well, at first the Underground wasn't as big as it is now, and suppling endless energy to so many people isn't easy. And as it expanded, the energy problem just kept getting worse and worse. Plenty of people tried to fix the problems, but most of them gave up."

Madeline turned her face away for a moment and Tova tilted her head in curiosity.

"You know... Azu's dad was one of those scientists... who tried to work on the energy crisis. That's... kinda how we met, but that's a different story. But it makes sense why he knows so much about mechanics and stuff, don't tell him I told you that, he will kill me."

"Okay, but... what does this have to do with me? Isn't building a new power source good for the Underground?"

"That's the thing. We don't think your father is trying to build a new power source. Azu and I have been trying to track down the other scientists who were working on the project to get more information, but when you got out... I made Azu promise to look after you every time I got out."

Tova stared at Madeline for a moment.

"So that's why you never let me go out with you?"

"Yeah. And I'm sorry, but this stuff is really dangerous. And Maria believed that you'd be in a lot more danger if you stayed with him. She wanted to tell you everything herself, but with your father around, it was just too risky."

"So... Maria wanted to get me away from my father because... it was too dangerous for me to stay with him? And she trusted you to explainall of this to me because... you think whatever he's actually working on, isn't... actually what we think it is?"

"Yeah... in a nutshell."

Tova looked down at the floor, processing everything she was just told. Some of the things Madeline explained started to make sense to her. The way her father behaved around her, only ordering her to do certain tasks or teaching her to fix things by herself. She was too afraid to ask questions or even talk to him. And Maria never rmade much conversation since she was told not to talk to Tova. She didn't notice Madeline moving closer to her, reaching out a hand to comfort her.

"Something... doesn't make sense." Tova finally said.

"What is it?"

"If my father is supposed to be working on this big machine, that we don't even know the real purpose of..... Then what did he need me for?"

Madeline raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"How much did Maria tell you about me?"

"Hmm... not much. I know she wasn't really allowed to interact with you too much. Why?"

Tova started to explain what she meant. Not being allowed to leave her own room, let alone the state of it. The only times she was allowed to do anything was to learn how to fix and repair things. The days her father took her to his study where he would put her to sleep and wake up with strange marks on her body. The machine that was hidden underneath an old building where her father worked endlessly at it, occasionally with her assistence. The longer Tova talked, the more concerned Madeline got. Eventually, Madeline stood up and took a few steps away, a hand on her chin as she thought everything over.

"Tova... I don't know how to say this, but..."

"What?"

Madeline turned around and sighed.

"Tova... I think your father was experimenting on you. Or at least..... I think you and this machine are connected somehow. He needs you to be a part of whatever he's building."

Tova's eyes widened in surprise. All the pieces were starting to be put into shape. She didn't know how she had never thought of this before. Everything was coming together, but that only left Tova with more questions to flood her mind.

"But... what does he need me for specifically? What is this machine supposed to do?" Tova wondered out loud.

Madeline narrowed her eyebrows before looking back at Tova. She pulled out a pair of leather gloves from her coat pocket and slipped them on.

"How about we go find out?"