"Rachel?" Tish called out. Rachel turned to find her friend rushing towards her with her three bots close on her heels.
"Do we have another joint fix?" Rachel asked.
"Whatever is going on has signaled several of us. Damien is on the way, too." Tish came to a stop next to her, glancing down each of the maintenance corridors in front of them. "Wait, what is going on?"
"Partially the surface, partially down here, is all I can guess," Rachel said, studying both again. "I'm getting a slightly stronger sensation to head for the surface."
"And I'm getting a slightly stronger urge to head down there," Tish said pointing down one of the corridors.
"Then we split up and call each other with what we find?" Rachel suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. Be careful."
Rachel didn't need to be reminded. Having a water main almost explode on her the week before constituted more than enough excitement for the year.
With a direction decided, her bot trailed behind her as Rachel climbed out a maintenance ramp onto the inner surface of the third ring. The exit came out near a maintenance building on one of the many fair grounds scattered across the rings of Redpoint One. She knew the spot because of the types of extra buildings being erected around the permanent buildings.
The site of the annual Exotic Pet Show. Soon, the place would be busy with the tourists, attendees, scientists, conservationists, and other people who came to see the show. Unfortunately for her, all of her instincts told her the fair grounds held the problem.
It didn't take long to find the source. Not only did it have people standing around a specific building, but water poured out of all the doors and across the paved grounds.
Rachel rushed forward, concerned over the amount of water. Why hadn't the station stopped the flow? She didn't doubt she would soon be seeing maintenance service tickets for low or nonexistent water pressure in other places.
As she came to a stop near one of the doors, Rachel asked one of the construction workers standing to the side, "Did a water main break?"
"You tell us. Water came gushing up and we got out of the way," he said.
"Water valve is turned off," another of the workers said, pointing to one end of the building.
Rachel checked the shut-off herself, just in case, before entering the building. The water came up over the top of her foot, forcing her bot to increase its floor clearance to stay above it.
The gaping hole in the floor at one end of the building revealed many pipes and other infrastructure under the surface of the ring. Right in the middle of them ran a large water pipe. Right in the middle of it, nowhere near a joint, sat a jagged hole.
So much like the other main water main break.
Taking a flexible probe from the cart, she climbed down into the hold to stand on a stable pipe and fished the end down into the damaged pipe to look in both direction. No corrosion that she could see. The pipe looked as bright and shiny on the inside as it did on the outside.
"It's almost as if only one small part of it rotted away," she told her bot.
Her bot chirped at her, ending the sound on a sad note.
"I know. It doesn't make sense."
"What doesn't make sense?" Ignacio asked from behind her.
"Rachel, I found a coolant leak down here," Tish's voice said from her ID band.
With her eyes watching Ignacio, Rachel activated the band to say, "Broken water main up here, and it did a lot of damage. I can't explain why it failed."
"Same here. Something is going on. Hold on, Damien just arrived." The ID band clicked, indicating Tish had signed off.
Rachel let her arm drop, reaching out to stabilize herself against the edge of the hole. "Looks like we have a small problem here."
"If this is your idea of small, I would like to know what a big problem is." Ignacio grimaced. "No, I probably don't want to know."
Rachel turned to her bot long enough to say, "We need a new pipe and industrial bots to help take up some of the floor so we can replace it."
Her bot beeped at her.
"Did it understand you?" Ignacio asked, crouching down at the edge of the hole.
"It usually does." Rachel frowned at it. "Goldie? Sunny? Citrine?"
The bot sat there hovering above the water, staring at her and not making a sound. Rachel sighed. "Well, none of those is it."
"I have no idea what you are doing."
"Trying to name my bot. Tish managed to name all three of hers right the first time around. I can't get mine to decide on one," Rachel said with an impatient gesture towards it. "Tish is right. It gets annoying saying, 'hey you!'"
"Speaking of frustration, what about this?" Ignacio gestured at the water inundating the floor of the building. The level was lower than before thanks to it running back into the hole, out the doors, and the floor drains finally catching up. The room might be empty of any of the animals it would soon hold, but in the bright lights from the ceiling, it looked sad. Sad and wet.
"The water didn't get into the enclosures," Rachel offered.
Ignacio ran a hand through his hair. "Small consolation. We open in less than two weeks. Can you imagine what the animal owners would think of this happening while they were here, not to mention any attending crowds?"
No comments about their upcoming date. No trying to get out of it, either. She should be happy he wasn't trying to break up again. He could be trying to be nice, talking 'shop.'
If he wanted to talk shop, she certainly could oblige him. She rubbed the back of her head under the ponytail as she stared at the jagged hole in an otherwise perfect pipe. "Something odd is going on. I've never seen a pipe burst this way. Don't worry, I'll get it fixed."
"Could another go off during the show? We've already had water pressure problems. Irvine couldn't have caused all of them." Ignacio stopped as several people appeared at the main double-door leading into the building. "Watch out. It's the organizing committee."
While Rachel appreciated the warning, she didn't like the idea of facing off with them alone. The plumbing wasn't the only problem area, she just happened to be the only one on topside. She needed backup from someone who would have a handle on all the other issues.
She raised her ID band and said, "Arthur, I need your help up here."
"On my way," Arthur answered back a moment later.
Not fast enough. The committee would be on top of her in only seconds. One of them she remembered from her time working with the reserve. Mr. Darwin Beel was a balding man in his fifties who spent his retirement on committees all around Redpoint One, including overseeing the nature reserve where Pookie currently lived.
The other two she didn't know so well. Alcina Small and Jude Ceja were known for their off-station connections and organizational skills. Perfect for a show of this magnitude, but their unhappy faces told her she best watch her words. She climbed out of the hole and put on her best professional mask. Best to head it off right from the start.
"Good afternoon. I'm Rachel Henderkito. I'll be fixing the water main pipe today. I should be out of your way shortly," she said when the small group came to a stop in front of her.
"Commendable. We appreciate your quick attention," Ms. Small said.
"However, this is only one of the many system problems that have plagued the setup of the show," Mr. Ceja said. "Are we to expect more of this?"
"This particular event was very unexpected," Rachel said, thinking of the gaping hole in the wall of the pipe as well as the other main failure a week back. She was telling the truth. No one could have seen either coming. Tish sure hadn't. The bots caught on to the first major break only just in time to save their lives.
"This problem cannot repeat once animals start arriving." Ms. Small glanced at the containment enclosures. "As it is, if any of our guests heard about this, they might cancel on the spot. It would be a disaster for the show."
"We need promises, not assurances," Mr. Ceja said.
"Rachel has always been quite re
sponsive to emergencies. I have personal experience," Ignacio said.
Mr. Beel gestured to the water. "Would you bring your newts in here with this danger."
Ignacio looked at the water and then the enclosures, slowly shaking his head. "No sir."
He then turned an apologetic expression towards Rachel along with a small cringe. She wanted to tell him she didn't expect him to lie.
"I will ensure the main is fixed," Rachel said. "The entire length through the area. The good news is this appears to be localized."
"What caused it?" Ms. Small asked.
Just the question she'd hoped no one would ask. She couldn't tell them what she didn't know. Like Ignacio, she wasn't about to lie, either, even though she had the feeling it would put her under more scrutiny by the committee.
Arthur appeared at the door with a bot close behind him. The moment Mr. Ceja noticed his arrival, all attention switched to the new arrival. Which suited Rachel just fine. It meant she didn't need to answer the question right now.
"Mr. Getty, do you come with more news?" Mr. Ceja asked.
Arthur took one look at the gaping hole in the floor along with the black hole in the surface of the pipe and began to herd the committee away to the side. He asked Rachel, "How fast can you have the pipe and hole fixed?"
"Pipe, within the hour. I'm not sure about the hole in the floor. I'll get back to you," Rachel said.
"Get to it. Let me know if you need help."
Rachel hopped into the hole, glad to be out of the line of fire. Robots appeared, carrying the new pipe section. Others began to lift up damaged floor sections. With the added noise, she didn't have to hear about anyone complaining about her and her work.
Robots lifted away the broken pipe. Balanced on another pipe, she kneeled down to look inside the pipe fittings. Still pristine metal, with no corrosion marring the inside. It didn't make sense. What caused the problem in the first place?
"Need the probe," Rachel said, reaching upwards with a hand.
She was handed the probe, but by a warm hand and not the metal of her bot. She looked up to find Ignacio on the other side of the probe.
He shrugged. "I thought you might need help. I've never seen you at work before."
For some reason it made her feel self-conscious. "Nothing special about a plumber."
"Maybe not a regular plumber, but you're not one. Not here on Redpoint One."
Rachel started snaking the probe deep into the next length of pipe to make sure there were not other problems. "Good point. Don't forget dealing with exotic animals."
"Be honest. That doesn't happen very often."
Rachel grinned up at him. "Irvine does seem to be unique in that regard."
"See any other problems?"
Rachel turned her attention back to the probe, studying the images displayed at the end. As with the previous break, the location of the failure had been isolated. Going to the other pipe fitting revealed it to also be in perfect shape.
Rachel handed up the probe and leaned against the lip of the opening of the floor. "I don't get it. Did I tell you about the break before we met that could have killed me?"
Rachel immediately regretted mentioning it in such a way when his face paled. She reached out to tug at the bottom hem of his pants. "Relax, my bot was watching out for me, as was Redpoint One."
"I didn't think being a plumber could be dangerous," Ignacio said, running his hand through his hair. Did he even know he had the habit?
"Not often." She reached out for the next tool her bot handed her. She waved it at him. "No excuses to back out of the date. I will not take no for an answer."
Before she ducked down to start getting the joints ready for the new pipe length, she saw Arthur leave the close huddle of the Exotic Pet Show and start heading towards her.
Ignacio saw it, as well, saying, "Incoming."
"Arthur I can handle. He knows what goes into repairs." Rachel ducked down to run the tool around the exposed edges of the pipe to get them ready for the new seals.
She popped back up just in time for Arthur to arrive. It also happened to be the same time the larger robots decided it was time to settle the new pipe into place. Rachel scrambled to get the seals in place.
With the seals in place, it became too crowded for Rachel to remain in the hole. She walked across several pipes to the edge of the hole. Ignacio held out a hand, helping her up the steep side. Her bot circled around them as they stepped out of the way of the larger robots.
"What's the damage, Boss," Rachel asked.
"Very unhappy committee, not that I blame them. I spotted the damaged pipe on the way in," Arthur said. "It had the same type of damage as the prior break."
"Would this break be the one you mentioned before," Ignacio asked, to which she nodded.
"Damien just now found a similar one down below in the life-support system," Arthur said.
"Not water? In this same general area?" Rachel asked. In a way she was glad it wasn't only her department affected, but the new development meant no system was safe. "Any idea why?"
"Not yet. Tish is helping him. I'm hoping she can get a feel for the reasons."
"I'm not reassured by any of this," Ignacio said, running another hand through his hair.
"Trust me, I'm not, either," Rachel said.
"None of us are," Arthur said, settling his attention on Rachel. "This show needs to happen. Sorry, but we're going into forced overtime."
"Days and hours?" Rachel asked, realizing she most likely didn't have a weekend now.
"You got it. We go through every system in this area. Every pipe, every conduit. We make sure it's ready for the show," Arthur said.
Rachel's heart sank. She knew the reason for it, but it meant one bad thing. Her free time had just disappeared, which meant no dates with Ignacio. With how gun-shy he'd become, would this mean she'd lost him for good?
So, just to remind him, she added, "I was intending next Wednesday night. If I get this done in time, it's still on."
It pleased her that he didn't try to argue. He only gave a sheepish grin and nodded.
Arthur looked between the two of them, and then while staring Rachel down, he pointed at Ignacio and demanded, "This is the one who ruined the dress?"
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE DEMAND OF the head of the maintenance department for Ignacio's version of the dress fiasco should have been enough to keep him away. Far away. Arthur Getty was obviously protective of his employees in both work and personal.
The continuing memories of his dead wife should have been sufficient all on its own. Instead, he found Rachel's laugh reminding him of Marci. How she loved to laugh, even while working hard. Of Marcie telling him to never forget the joys of life.
Instead, Ignacio lived at the fair grounds over the next few days. There was still plenty to organize and see to. He ended up volunteering to help Paul with a few small projects as another excuse to stay at the fair grounds as much as possible. Not to help the fair, he admitted to himself, but for the chance to see Rachel during the daytime. Loving the small glimpses he caught of her.
On the upside, he finished the last few things in the building he oversaw well before the first few show animals arrived. The animal owners expressed their pleasure at the upgraded enclosures and environmental systems, making all the extra time worth it. All while running back and forth to see to his own animals. In the process, he got a good workout, and congratulated himself on getting a lot done.
And Paul wasn't fooled for a moment.
"You really have it bad," Paul said, punching his arm as he walked by.
"I always want the show to do well," Ignacio said, giving him a sour glare.
"Not what I meant, and you know it." Paul set down a tablet computer on the volunteer desk and picked up another one. "More new arrivals. If you want a second date, you better get it on before we're all too busy to sleep."
Ignacio chose to ignore him, turning back to focus on figuring out how to fit in tw
o new exhibits. Emergency requests to be included in the show happened every year, but this year he was finding it harder than usual to find room. There were simply too many signed up, and not the normal amount of last minute cancellations.
Paul was not to be put off. He stopped next to him, whispering obnoxiously loud, "She's watching you as much as you're watching her."
Ignacio scowled at him. "Okay, that's enough."
Paul grinned, backing out the door. "Take my advice. Make it soon."
The comment should have made him furious. He didn't like interference is his personal life, but instead he followed Paul out of the temporary on-site offices of the Pet Show to see whether he could spot Rachel as she worked on the pipes. Maybe he could catch her watching him.
Instead, he ran into three older women. The center bleach-blond one stepped forward, dressed in the most fancy ornate overalls he'd ever seen, with all the seams studded with lines of rhinestones. "Sorry to bother you, but might you be Ignacio Manetti?"
"Breeder of Newts?" the woman with dark silvery-gray hair added.
Ignacio didn't know why he suddenly broke out in a sweat. Many on the station knew about him, including what he bred and the many organizations he worked with. The women appeared friendly enough. Yet, he was suddenly wary, as if he were in some sort of trouble.
He cleared his throat. "Yes, that would be me. Need advice on a pet?"
The silvery-gray woman giggled. "Of a sort."
"Quick question," the center woman said. "Lasagna or pizza?"
He knew he was frowning, but he couldn't help it. What a ridiculous question, but he knew many pet owners humanized their pets. Usually to the pet's harm. "Neither. Most newts will eat aquatic animals and insects. What particular type are we talking about?"
The silvery-gray woman laughed. The brown-haired woman finally spoke up. "No, we're talking about you as a human."
"Lasagna or pizza? Which do you prefer?" the first woman asked again.
"Lasagna. What is this about?" Ignacio asked.
"What did I tell you, girls? I was right," the brown-haired woman said. "More the formal type."
Turn of the Pipes (A Redpoint One Romance) Page 10