Broken.
The wires fizzled pathetically, spitting fruitless sparks into the pungent fog. It had failed, they cackled, their amber voices deafeningly hushed. The old contraption hummed lowly for a few concluding, dramatic breaths, before it similarly crackled out, leaving behind but a few tumbling shimmers. That was it, its gaping engine whispered. Failed again.
A young man collapsed before it, caressing the metallic surface almost deliriously. The gruesome stench of leaked oil wafted through the air, perfectly complimenting the retched scent of charred smoke. Any normal human would storm away from the scene, pinching their nose with an exaggerated noise of disgust, but… he just sat there. Kneeling helplessly as the dripping oil snaked through the hardwood flooring, and dyed his already stained jeans an inky black.
Ripping away from the icy wall, the man was shocked back to his senses as his fluctuating train of thought changed, electricity still fizzling in the poisoned air as he dived for the woman safely cocooned inside his invention. Yanking a filthy wrench from his toolbox, he forced the tightly locked entrance open with a small grunt of effort. Inside was his treasure.
Beautiful, she was. Her skin was a pale yet ripe shade, creamy to the point of softness. Sunshine locks fanned her expressionless face, barely brushing a pair of peacefully closed eyes. Her long, midnight lashes drooped over her previously rosy cheeks, as she lay, motionless inside the cylinder. His wavering hands reached out to brush the beautiful flesh, flashing a deranged grin as he hastily moved to untie her leather binds. Letting her resting body slump towards him, he wasted no time in seizing her up and laying her almost romantically along the cluttered ebony table. "
My dear…" He crooned, "We'll save you soon."
Suddenly, his face contorted in fury. He seized the wrench once more, before hurling the sturdy tool at an unspecified part of the contraption. Hearing a satisfying clunk reverberate through the hissing air, he let out a strained laugh, before sinking to his knees before her again.
"Oh, my love." He groaned, softly running his calloused thumb across the back of her stilled hand, "Why won't anything work?" Shaking his head vehemently, he leapt up, his eyes aflame as he threw himself back over his plans. Scrutinizing each of them carefully, he let out a defeated sigh before slumping at his desk, simply letting his mind whirr freely.
"I love you, Claire." He murmured, his tone threateningly soft, "And I swear to God I will save you." It switched to a giggle, his voice hissy and croaky, before he gripped his stubby pencil and turned back to modification.