“So… we’re not on the menu?” Bailey whispered from behind me, his voice barely audible above the low rumble emanating from the creature.


    “Probably not,” I whispered back. “We wouldn’t be very appetizing anyway. Besides, I think this creature escaped from Dr. Keyser’s lab.”


    "It got out of Master Keyser''s lab...?!" Bailey murmured, a puzzled frown creasing his brow. "If it ain''t lookin'' for a meal, then what''s it want with us?"


    “I think it needs my help,” I mumbled, gesturing vaguely at myself. “This place isn’t just a sinkhole. It’s the mouth of a dormant volcano! There’s still magma deep down. Dr. Keyser’s been using a machine to siphon power from it.”


    The massive, dinosaur-like creature bumped my shoulder with its head, nearly sending me tumbling. “Garaaaha,” it rumbled, the sound almost like a grumbling “uh-huh.”


    After processing the fragmented images I’d glimpsed, I explained to Bailey, “That machine’s malfunctioning. It’s going to blow if we don’t do something. And that could reawaken this entire volcano.”


    "What?! Well, come on then, let''s move it!" Bailey exclaimed, already taking a step forward before pausing and looking back at the colossal creature.


    “We can’t just ‘go,’” I said, patting the creature’s rough hide. “If that machine goes boom… everything here, this entire underground city… everything goes up in smoke.” I looked at the creature, a sudden thought striking me. “Let’s call you Rexy.”


    It was the first name that popped into my head, since it did resemble a certain other large reptile from a movie from my past life. Hopefully, this one wouldn’t try to eat any lawyers.


    “Garaaaha,” the creature rumbled, nodding in what I assume is agreement. It nudges my hand with its snout, as if saying, “Yeah, Rexy. I dig it.”


    “How are you with machines?” I ask Bailey, turning to him.


    "Not ideal...I''ve got a few ideas, but I''m no Master Keyser." Bailey shook his head and replied.


    “That’s okay, still better than me,” I say, then proceed to sketch the machine I’d glimpsed, explaining its workings to Bailey as I draw. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    It’s basically a giant metal balloon with a bunch of glowing wires sticking out, which, I admit, isn’t the most technical description.


    Bailey slowly nods, then explains his understanding of the device. Apparently, it’s a converter, but it’s been converting and collecting energy without anything to expend it on. Ever since the… incident that claimed Dr. Keyser, the machine’s been on the fritz. It might be possible to reverse the process and slowly release the energy back into the magma, preventing a catastrophic volcanic burp.


    By the time we’ve hashed out the basics, the sun is high overhead. Bailey suddenly snaps his fingers, as if struck by a sudden realization. "Oh, no you don''t! You''re not gettin'' rid of me now, not after all we''ve been through! I''m stickin'' with you!"


    I smile at Bailey before explaining, “It’s okay, you’ll be much safer up here. You won’t last in that high pressure and heat. Remember, I am Val, Dr. Keyser’s best creation. I am not going to become a human-shaped pile of ash down there.”


    “But…” Bailey starts.


    I pat Rexy. “Please help my buddy get to safety. I’ll go with you to that machine and see what we can do.”


    Rexy rumbles again, then scoops Bailey onto its back before he can object further. I hop on behind him. Rexy charges up the wall with surprising speed, Bailey clinging on for dear life, and we make it all the way to the top of the cliff face in record time.


    Bailey gives me a worried look. “Thank you… for everything.”


    “Don’t be so dramatic! I’ll be back!” I say with a laugh, giving Bailey a playful shove. “You should get as far away from here as you can.” I turn back to the hole, ready to descend with Rexy, then pause, a thought striking me. I grab my bag and toss it up to Bailey. “Just in case! Don’t want it getting all… extra crispy! Keep it safe for me, will ya?” I yelled.


    “You’d best come back in one piece!” Bailey’s anxious shout echoes off the cliff walls.


    “Okay, Rexy, lead the way!” I say, giving Rexy a reassuring head rub. “Time for a fiery elevator ride!” Rexy rumbles in response, then charges back into the hole it came out of, heading straight down like a furry, scaly missile. It’s a wild ride, a bumpy, jostling descent into the earth’s fiery belly, but thankfully, this body is indestructible.


    We plunge deeper and deeper, through a maze of existing tunnels, a chaotic network of natural pathways carved by ancient lava flows, until we reach the massive, hellish cavern where the machine is located. The air crackles with heat, and the cavern glows with the orange light of molten rock.


    Rexy carefully navigates around pools of bubbling, spitting magma. Good thing I don’t feel temperature, or I’d be a human-shaped shish kebab down here. Suddenly, I’m extra grateful for this indestructible body. I shudder at the thought of what I’d look like otherwise.


    Once I deal with this machine… maybe I’ll try jumping into the magma.


    We get close enough to the hot air balloon sized machine for me to hop off Rexy. “Good girl,” I whisper, patting its massive head. “You stay here. I’ll let you know if I need backup. If things look bad, you run!”


    Rexy gives me a slightly confused look, tilting its head, before settling down to wait, its tail thumping gently against the cavern floor.