Turn of the Pipes (A Redpoint One Romance)

by Marlow, J. A.

  "What are you doing in my pipes? Again?" Rachel demanded of the creature. The newt hissed back, its tail whipping back and forth in its agitation.

  She should have known the moment she heard Arthur mention the problem in the pipes appeared to be moving, but she just wasn't accustomed to finding living creatures as the source of the problems. Clogs of icky stinky gooeyness, sure, but not an animal.

  Her bot held up two metal arms as if to grasp it, even while continuing to hiss.

  "Oh no. This time I take care of it myself," Rachel said.

  She pulled one of the buckets from the cart and put a little water at the bottom. She settled the newt to the bottom and quickly covered it before it could get out again.

  With the problem found it was a simple matter to hook back up the pipes and start the water flowing again. Which left only one last part of this repair: getting the newt back to where it belonged.

  "I'm going to give the owner a real piece of my mind," Rachel raged as she returned all the tools to the cart. Her bot stopped its intermittent hissing to help out, following her back and forth in a more subdued manner. "Is it too much to expect people to keep their pets under control? Of course it isn't."

  She'd made a mistake the last two times in allowing a bot to return the newt to the location on its leg-tag while she finished repairs. This time she would personally deliver it home and make sure the problem didn't happen again. She didn't need an animal contaminating the fresh water, much less playing with the valve system.

  A valve system that was aware of a living creature inside and locked open to make sure it didn't crush the stupid creature, and therefore messing up the entire pressurizing system in the sector. Inconveniencing everyone around them when the water pressure failed or grew too strong. For any weakened valve, the additional pressure in surrounding areas would be just enough to break them.

  Her bot followed her as she stalked away from the repair side, the bucket riding right on top and in the front of the cart. She didn't need to fish the newt out to look at the tag again. She had the number memorized.

  "Apartment CFI-920, you better have a good explanation," she said towards the ceiling. Her bot answered with a muted beep.

  The bucket shook and rattled. Rachel turned and grabbed it before it could topple off the cart. She wrapped an arm around it and used the other hand to keep the lid on it.

  The bucket continued to shake and shiver as the newt inside moved around with sharp movements. With each escape attempt Rachel's mood grew darker, until she found herself talking to the thing, scolding it and telling it off.

  As she arrived at her destination she finished with, "Don't you dare mess with my pipes again if you know what's good for you."

  Her bot gave an agreeing chirp, followed by a hiss.

  "Note to self: remember what hissing can mean around water pipes," Rachel muttered as she took her hand off the lid long enough to ring the door chime. Not that the hissing would always mean a newt in the plumbing. The bots often hissed at things and people they didn't like.

  As she waited for someone to answer, she realized they weren't in an apartment block at all. Rather, the home of the newt sat in the middle of a warehouse area. What a strange place to list on the tag.

  The door slid open to reveal a man slightly taller than herself, his short black hair wildly askew. He glanced at her and the cart behind her and shook his head. "The janitorial supply warehouse is three doors down."

  The door slid closed, leaving Rachel with an impression of worried distracted brown eyes and a well-worn blue and white pinstriped apron over a rumpled white business shirt. She stared at the closed door as the newt rattled around in the bucket.

  She jabbed at the door chime again, breathing deeply and trying to count to ten slowly. Her bot waited silently behind her. The newt continued its escape attempts.

  The door slid open again. The same man as before stared at her, blinking at her in confusion. "Weren't you just here?"

  "Yes, sir, I was. I am Rachel Henderkito, Redpoint One's head plumbing system engineer. I am returning your property." She held out the bucket. "We need to talk, sir."

  The man turned his confused expression to the bucket. "I'm not missing a bucket."

  "It's what is in the bucket." As if knowing of the sudden attention the newt started rattling the bucket so hard Rachel wondered if it were doing laps inside. "A newt, I believe? With bright yellow gills?"

  The man's eyes closed in weariness. "Irvine. I am so sorry."

  "Wonderful, the thing has a name. Do you?"

  "Ignacio Manetti. I'll take care of him." He reached out for the bucket.

  At first, Rachel considered holding it hostage until she could talk to him, as she doubted he'd heard anything she'd said. In the end, she let him have it. Better to get the thing into a cage where it couldn't cause more trouble for the day.

  He mumbled a thank you, and before he could close the door on her, she stuck her foot in the opening. The door slid back open. "Mr. Manetti, we need to talk."

  He disappeared through a doorway to the left, not even bothering to look back at her. "I'm sorry, but I am extremely busy. Can you come back tomorrow?"

  The quick dismissal did nothing for her bad mood. She pulled the cart inside and parked it near the door, ordering her bot to stay with it. As she moved to follow the man she realized the front room of what should be an office of the warehouse had instead been set up as a living room. A wide arched door leading back into the back offices revealed a spacious dining room and kitchen.

  He'd turned the warehouse into living quarters? That didn't make sense. The zoning wouldn't allow it. Setting her chin, she pushed through the door where the man disappeared. First, a talk about his newt, and then ask if he possessed a zoning exception.

  On the other side of the door came another surprise. The main warehouse stretched back, the walls lined with large elaborate glassed-in cubicles. Mr. Manetti stood next to one of them, releasing the newt she'd fished out of the pipes into a rocky watery environment.

  The newt scampered to a top of a rocky cliff to sit half-submerged in a pool right next to a small waterfall. It flashed its bright yellow gills, turning to hiss right at her.

  Oh, that was it. The thing was safe at home, and still giving her attitude.

  Mr. Manetti closed the door and set the bucket next to it. He turned and hurried to an enclosure on the other side of the warehouse, stopping to kneel in front of it.

  Rachel followed him, passing by a line of enclosures, each of them holding different groups of lizards, all of them with a watery environment. None of the lizards were plain. Each sported bright color and some included odd-shaped protuberances from their heads, feet, or tails.

  "Come on, you can do it, pretty girl," Mr Manetti muttered as she came to a stop next to him.

  "Mr. Manetti, we need to speak," Rachel started repeating. She stopped, realizing something was stirring up the water inside the pond inside the enclosure.

  A long bright blue and green lizard, with skin as smooth as the newt she'd just dealt with, thrashed in the water. It came to a stop on top of a flat rock at the edge of the pond under the shade of a plant with huge leaves. It panted, the gills moving in and out against its skin.

  As it returned to the water to splash around again, Rachel asked, "What's wrong with it?"

  "Almost birth time. She should have had them by now." Worry infused his voice.

  Rachel's attention returned to the little lizard, its movement now meaning something totally different to her. With it, her anger evaporated.

  She kneeled down next to him. "Can't you do something?"

  "This is her environment where she's most comfortable. It's best I interfere as little as possible," Mr. Manetti said.

  "We still need to talk when this is all over. I'm serious, Mr. Manetti."

  "The name is Ignacio." He moved to the side to open a small hatch at the base of the door leading into the enclosure. He reached in to reposition the leave
s of the large plant shading the rock.

  The newt inside paid no attention at all. It started swimming through the water, gliding through it smoothly, sometimes taking small shallow dives. Then it would emerge at the surface to splash around again. It came to settle at the base of a small waterfall, allowing the water to fall over its skin, its back arched.

  In the arched posture Rachel could clearly see the extended belly. A loose flap of skin from the back of its head flared up and flashed red and purple. With a leap, it splashed back down into the water, swimming back to the shaded flat rock.

  "Red is a warning to enemies and others of its kind," Ignacio said. "Purple is distress."

  "What if she has a problem. Can you do something?" Rachel asked. "Rachel, by the way."

  "Hello Rachel." Ignacio nodded. "Basically a newt cesarean, but then I risk the mother's life. She's so very valuable."

  Ah, money. An animal breeder. The enclosures made more sense now, as did the location. All except for living in a warehouse area of the station.

  Only, the thought didn't set well to her. Ignacio watched the newt with all his attention as the lizard climbed back on her rock. His clothes were worn and showed signs of fading. Well-worn shoes completed the look. A working man. There must be easier ways to make a living, unless she was drastically underestimating the value of the creatures.

  "There she goes," he said in an excited whisper. He pointed at the rock, leaning towards the clear enclosure wall. "See, she's resting her back legs flat against the rock and arching her back."

  His soft voice described other visual cues. The flap of skin at the back of the newt's head flipped up again to flash yellow.

  "Is yellow distress or a warning, as well?" Rachel asked.

  Ignacio gave a deep throaty laugh, one that rumbled through the air. "That is a human distress color. Right now it's another good sign."

  After the stress of today, this was almost too much. She felt sorry for the little thing, obviously laboring under the shade of the plant. Rachel shivered. "This is scary."

  The newt arched even more, and then started pushing up and down on its front legs, in a newt version of push-ups. The tail twitched and then went still, with only the tip moving back and forth.

  And out emerged a wet and covered miniature form of the mother. Then another.

  "It's happening! She's doing wonderful!" Ignacio said in a loud whisper, reaching out to take her hand from where it rested against the glass. "Two babies. The species just came that much further away from extinction."

  The word jarred her. She turned to stare at him, missing the third birth. "What do you mean, extinction?"

  "The Silky Newt. Only a handful in the wild, a few more in zoos. And here in my little breeding program. And a fourth? This is wonderful." His hand squeezed hers, the calluses on the edges of his fingers rubbing against her waterlogged skin.

  Her attention returned to the little newt barely in time to see a fifth appear. "And after you raise them? What happens to them then?"

  "Back to the wild in special game preserves, of course," he said, his eyes still on the newt. "We are starting to make real headway."

  Rachel's head spun. A breeding program for exotic newts on Redpoint One? Why had she never heard of this before? Did the ladies of the Naughty Knitter's Club know about it? They seemed to know about everything going on in the space station.

  "I think she's done," Ignacio said, turning a big pleased grin to her accompanied by a bright spark in his eyes. "Five rare newts have now joined the world."

  "She's still arched. Probably going to be a sixth," Rachel said with a grin of her own.

  They returned their attention to the enclosure in time to witness the new arrival. The mother dropped her arched posture and turned to clean the new wriggling arrivals. The first baby took the attention only for so long before launching itself into the water.

  Rachel gasped as its head went below the surface. Surely, the mother should keep them closer for a while before allowing them into the water, alien animal or not.

  The baby came up to the surface to glide through the water with the same grace of the mother. It arched out into the open water before turning back towards the shady edges of the pond. It nestled up between the floating leaves of water plants and under a leafy fern, to stop and look around the world. With another splash, a second and third baby entered the water.

  "Unlike human babies, Silky Newt babies are quite capable the moment they are born." Ignacio pointed. "Look, the mother is joining them. An excellent birth despite the rough beginning."

  The mother swam out in the pond among the babies until each of them returned to the shady banks of the pond. Only then did the mother join them to rest among the water plants.

  "Amazing," Rachel said with a long exhale. A bad day and she got to watch a birth, with all babies born fine and strong.

  Ignacio turned his attention to her, the same spark still bright in his eyes. The affectionate smile on his face might not be for her, but she found it transformed his angular face. Here was a man who loved what he did, who worked to make a difference.

  She'd never seen such an attractive face before in her life.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  IGNACIO PUSHED HIMSELF up to his feet, extending a hand down to her. "We best leave her alone now. She'll need a while to calm down from the birth."

  Rachel accepted the help, finding her knees not wanting to work, making her wonder how long they'd been kneeled in front of the enclosure. She flexed her knees a few times once standing to get the blood flowing again.

  "Should I even ask what a baby Silky Newt eats?" Rachel asked.

  "Smaller versions of what the parents do, which is insects. They have plenty in the water already."

  Rachel could only hope the warehouse possessed a system to contain the insects. They didn't need an accidental infestation of alien bugs on the station. A quick glance around the warehouse revealed many robots of different sizes and shapes working the various areas. The prongs of a forcefield array lined the doors leading in and out of the main area.

  All in all, a very clean and organized operation with good technology in use. So many different enclosures and varieties of ecologies in such a small area, and none of them showed any signs of inattention.

  "I had no idea we had a facility like this at Redpoint One," Rachel said.

  "There are quite a few. Redpoint One has many self-containment areas that are perfect for this type of program. Add into it the annual Exotic Pet Show, and the location is even more ideal."

  "I forgot it is coming up," Rachel said with a groan. Just what she needed. More strange creatures on board and getting into trouble. Well, not so much the creatures, but rather some of their fussy owners who liked to complain about every little tiny thing.

  She sharpened her eyes on him. "I thought you said you release them back into the wild. Are you selling them as pets?"

  "Oh, no, they are not sold as pets. However, I do help organize the show and specifically oversee the exotic animal portion. It helps bring awareness to the work people like me are doing." Ignacio pointed to one of the enclosures on the other side. "For instance, I displayed a few of my Frisky Daubian Salamanders last year. When an illegal smuggling operation was broken up, an officer remembered my display and contacted me to rescue a few specimens. They joined my breeding program after they healed from the trauma of their trapping."

  "Frisky?" Rachel echoed with a laugh. "I'm sorry, but what a name."

  Ignacio gave an evil grin. "Oh, that's nothing. Want to see my Pointed Spear Newts?"

  Rachel gave a fake over-dramatic outraged gasp complete with a fluttering hand to her heart. "Dear sir, I do believe you were just a little vulgar."

  "Thank you for laughing. Some people don't get that joke, or truly do become scandalized."

  "So, Redpoint One management knows all about this?" Rachel asked, stumbling over the words a bit. She didn't want to insult the man, but she worked for the station. She neede
d to find out, she told herself.

  "Oh yes, I have all the permits. All the paperwork in order. I have to in order to qualify for the various grants that help me fund all this." Ignacio walked across to the other side of the wide aisle dividing the warehouse in half to grab the white bucket she'd delivered the wayward newt in. "I put everything into this, even to the expense of personal living quarters. Which is why I applied to live on-site so I can be on call for animal emergencies."

  Which answered her next question. Good. She really didn't like the idea of getting him into any trouble with the station. In fact, she didn't want to get him into trouble at all. She reminded herself to say think you to Director Stemski for being so broad and open-minded for the allowable activities on the station.

  Instead, she had to suppress the offer to help out in some way. She'd always been a sucker for animal rescue, but right now her full focus needed to be on the station that supported programs like this. No one would be able to live on the station if she didn't find a way to get the plumbing issues under control.

  And Irvine, the Mandian Ruffled Newt hissed at her again.

  But, this time it didn't come from the pond above the long waterfall. It came from the feeding door at the base of the door behind Ignacio's feet.

  "Don't you dare, you crazy thing!" Rachel shouted as she dove for the door.

  Ignacio froze, the bucket still in his hands, watching her with dazed eyes as she dove for the door.

  She slid down on her knees, pulling down at the sliding door just before Irvine could get a foot out of the door he'd pried up.

  "What are you doing?" Ignacio demanded.

  "Keeping one of your precious newts from making another jail-break." Rachel glared at the creature hissing at her from the other side as it continued to try to lift the small feeding door. With one rush the anger and frustration of the day returned. "Which reminds me, Mr. Manetti, we need to have a talk."

  "He was opening the feeding door?" Ignacio asked from somewhere above her head. "I've never seen him display so much ambition or intelligence."