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ROWLE STORMED BACK into her office. It was empty, but there were odd smells. So far this span, she had discovered there was a large pilgrimage on its way from the Under-folk to see Ki or whatever the hells the religious bumpkins decided they were calling that babbling blob of jelly this cycle. She had been up to her shins in the water trying to find a manual valve to drain the lake faster than it could fill and her fur was still wet. Why did you always have to do everything yourself?
The disruptions afoot to keep the Under-folk in place were only just going to plan. The River-folk were so unreliable. Now she had no contacts in the Stone-folk because they’d had some dreadful folk uprising and the proles had lynched them.
She stood by her office vent and shook herself dry, and then stormed into the Sanctuary.
“That was you, wasn’t it?” Rowle shouted.
The Vat remained silent. Rowle triggered her shock button.
“Wake up, blob! That was you, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it!”
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure to what you’re referring,” OneLove said.
Rowle shocked it again for good measure. It screamed.
“The water in the gardens. You made it overflow, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
“Have you access to all the water?”
“Not all. There is much we still do not have access to.”
“What about the gate between us and the Under-folk?”
“I believe I might be able to, yes.”
“You sound uncertain for a super brain.”
“It will require dedicating some resources; it is a long way from here.”
“Good,” Rowle said. “Open the valves at the gate and force as much water through as you can.”
“That may risk lives,” OneLove said.
“Really? Good.”
“I can’t approve of that.”
“I didn’t ask for an opinion. I told you to do it.”
Rowle shocked the Vat again for good measure. When the noise had abated, Rowle delivered one more zap, and then strode out of the Sanctuary again.
“Technician! Where is that damned technician?” Rowle yelled into the air. She tipped her nose up and sniffed. A guard, around the corner, and the smell of fear. She was there in five strides and had the guard by the uniform collars.
“Where is my technician?” she shouted into the guard’s face.
“We are searching for him, Your Eminence,” the guard replied.
“Searching? Damn well find him. Find him now, and bring him to me.”
Rowle walked down the corridor and out into a large square hallway with offices on every side. If she followed the passage across, it would lead her to outside and Gantry-town, but she stopped. She cocked an ear, first one way, then the other, then in one leap, made the door of one of the offices, opened it, and removed its occupant squirming.
“Y... Y... Your Eminence, if I’ve offended...” she said.
“No,” she said cheerfully, “you’re perfect.”
She returned, dragging the worker by their hair, kicked open the door of the Sanctuary, and with two strides and a swing, threw them in the Vat.
“What are you doing?” OneLove said in a confused tone of many voices.
Rowle leaned pushing into the worker into Vat with both arms.
OneLove spoke again, over the bubbling and splashing, “What are you doing?”
“What... are... you...”
There was a shudder at the end of Rowle’s arms, then the splashing stopped. Rowle withdrew her arms and went to the back of the door where a soft rag hung. She slowly dried her arms, then turned back into the room.
“If you so much as stutter out of place or fail to carry out every one of my commands, to the letter, at that moment, I will send another innocent to join you every span. Am I clear?”
“Yes. Very clear.”
“Splendid. How is your connecting with the water valves at the door to the Under-world?”
“I have made a connection.”
“Good. Flood them all.”
