Ponderosa Springs

The Iron Horsemen reached Ponderosa Springs first.

Vicky arrived twenty minutes later with two trucks carrying Hacienda robots and electrical equipment.

A man in a faded PONDEROSA SPRINGS WATER COOPERATIVE shirt was waiting beside the pump station.

“You Vicky Harper?”

“That’s me.”

“Ed Lawson. I run the water company.”

Vicky looked at the silent pumps.

“What do you need?”

“Everything.”

“That narrows it down.”

Ed almost smiled.

“We’ve got about twelve hundred people without reliable water. The storage tank is down to eighteen percent. We can gravity-feed the lower part of town, but the houses up on the ridge haven’t had water for four days.”

“What happened?”

“When the power came back for about thirty seconds, we lost the main control panel. Pump Number Two started, then tripped. Number One never moved.”

Vicky handed one of the robots a tablet.

“Oracle, take a look.”

The robot opened the electrical cabinet and began photographing the interior.

A few seconds later Vicky’s tablet displayed:

MAIN CONTROL PANEL DAMAGED.

VARIABLE-FREQUENCY DRIVE NUMBER ONE DESTROYED.

DRIVE NUMBER TWO SERVICEABLE.

PUMP NUMBER ONE STATUS UNKNOWN.

PUMP NUMBER TWO SERVICEABLE.

“What can we restore?” Vicky asked.

One line disappeared and another appeared.

ONE PUMP CAN BE RETURNED TO SERVICE.

ESTIMATED CAPACITY: FIFTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF NORMAL DEMAND.

Ed shook his head.

“That isn’t enough.”

“It’s more than you’ve got now,” Vicky said.

“We need both pumps.”

The Oracle answered before Vicky could.

REPLACEMENT COMPONENTS FOR DRIVE NUMBER ONE ARE NOT AVAILABLE.

Ed pointed toward the building.

“Then bypass the damn thing. Run the motor directly.”

Vicky looked at him.

“Can we?”

TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE. IT WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION BY THE POWER COMPANY.

Ed spread his hands. “There you go.”

Vicky kept looking at the tablet.

“What happens if we do?”

HIGH STARTING CURRENT.

POTENTIAL VOLTAGE INSTABILITY.

MOTOR PROTECTION WOULD BE LIMITED.

ESTIMATED PROBABILITY OF MOTOR DAMAGE DURING REPEATED STARTING: TWENTY-SEVEN PERCENT.

“But it would run,” Ed said.

“Yes,” Vicky said. “Until it doesn’t.”

She walked toward the pumps.

“How much water is in the tank?”

“Eighteen percent.”

“You said that. How much?”

“About ninety thousand gallons.”

“And you’re still feeding the lower town?”

“Yes.”

“Shut it off.”

Ed stared at her.

“Absolutely not.”

“Then you’re going to be out of water.”

“We can’t just shut off half the town.”

Vicky pointed toward the storage tank on the hill.

“You’ve got one working pump and an almost-empty tank. If we start pumping while everybody is drawing water, we’ll never get ahead.”

Ed frowned.

“So what do you suggest?”

“We don’t give everybody a little water all the time.”

She looked at the distribution map mounted on the wall.

“We give sections of town enough water some of the time.”

Ed stepped beside her.

“Rotating service?”

“Exactly.”

The Oracle displayed another message.

ROTATIONAL DISTRIBUTION WOULD ALLOW STORAGE RECOVERY.

ESTIMATED TIME TO FIFTY PERCENT STORAGE: THIRTY-ONE HOURS.

Vicky studied the map.

“What about the ridge?”

“Pressure booster,” Ed said. “But that’s another motor.”

“Can we run it?”

The Oracle answered.

YES.

NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE MAIN PUMP AT AVAILABLE ELECTRICAL CAPACITY.

Ed shook his head.

“So we’re back where we started.”

“No,” Vicky said. “We’re not.”

She pointed at the map.

“We pump into storage for six hours. Shut the main pump down. Then use gravity for the lower zones while we run the booster and supply the ridge.”

Ed stared at the map.

“Then switch back?”

“Over and over.”

“For how long?”

“Until somebody finds you another drive, the grid gets stronger, or we come up with something better.”

Ed was quiet for a moment.

“That means everybody gets water.”

“Not whenever they want it.”

“But everybody gets some.”

Vicky nodded.

“That’s the job.”

One of the Iron Horsemen leaned against the doorway.

“I thought we came here to fix a pump.”

Vicky looked at him.

“The pump is the easy part.”

She tapped the distribution map.

“This is what we’re fixing.”

Ed Lawson wasn’t satisfied.

“I want to talk to whoever is in charge.”

Vicky looked at him.

“You are.”

“No. I mean whoever is in charge of you.”

“That would be Chas Williams.”

“Then I want to talk to Chas Williams.”

Vicky shrugged.

“Go ahead.”

Two hours later, Chas landed the V/STOL in the gravel lot beside the Ponderosa Springs Water Cooperative.

Ed was waiting for him.

Vicky wasn’t.

She was inside the pump station with two Hacienda robots.

“Mr. Williams, I’m glad you’re here.”

“Chas.”

“Your people have one of our pumps running, but Vicky won’t turn the entire system back on.”

“Why not?”

“She says we don’t have enough power.”

“Do you?”

“No, but—”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Ed hesitated.

“She shut off water to half the town.”

That got Chas’s attention.

“She did what?”

“She’s rotating service. Six hours pumping into storage, then she shuts down the main pump and runs the booster for the ridge. People only get water during certain periods.”

Chas looked toward the pump house.

“Oracle?”

A response appeared on his tablet.

CURRENT STORAGE LEVEL: TWENTY-SIX PERCENT.

PROJECTED FIFTY PERCENT STORAGE IN TWENTY-NINE HOURS.

ALL DISTRIBUTION ZONES ARE RECEIVING WATER ON A ROTATIONAL BASIS.

NO CRITICAL FACILITIES ARE WITHOUT SERVICE.

“Can we run both pumps?”

NO.

“Can we run the main pump and ridge booster together?”

NO.

“Can we bypass the destroyed drive?”

YES.

Ed pointed toward the tablet.

“That’s what I told her.”

Chas continued.

“Should we?”

NO.

“Why?”

UNACCEPTABLE RISK OF MOTOR DAMAGE AND ELECTRICAL INSTABILITY. MOREOVER IT WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION BY THE POWER COMPANY.

Chas nodded.

“What would you recommend?”

The Oracle answered.

CURRENT OPERATING PLAN IS THE OPTIMAL AVAILABLE SOLUTION.

Chas looked at Ed.

“Whose plan?”

VICKY HARPER.

Ed folded his arms.

“So you’re not going to change anything?”

Chas studied the distribution map for several seconds.

Then he shook his head.

“No.”

“You flew all the way out here just to tell me that?”

“No. I flew all the way out here because you told me there was a problem.”

“There is a problem.”

Chas pointed toward the map.

“You’ve got one usable pump, limited power, an almost-empty storage tank, and twelve hundred people who need water. If I were running this job, I’d fill the tank, rotate the distribution zones, and keep enough reserve for emergencies.”

Ed stared at him.

“That’s exactly what she’s doing.”

“I know.”

Vicky appeared in the doorway.

She had apparently heard enough of the conversation.

Chas looked at her.

“You could have saved me a trip.”

Vicky wiped her hands on a rag.

“I tried.”

Ed looked from one to the other.

“So that’s it?”

Chas nodded.

“That’s it.”

“And when do we get full service?”

Vicky answered.

“When we have enough power and equipment to provide it safely.”

Ed looked at Chas.

Chas smiled slightly.

“What she said.”

Ed walked away shaking his head.

Chas watched him go, then turned toward Vicky.

“How long did it take you to come up with the rotation?”

“About ten minutes.”

Chas looked at the map again.

“That’s what I would have done.”

“I know.”

Chas looked at her.

“How would you know?”

For the first time, Vicky smiled.

“Because it’s the right answer.”

Chas smiled back.

“Have you had dinner yet?”

“I’ve been busy all day. There hasn’t exactly been time for a peaceful meal, Chas.”

“Good.”

Vicky raised an eyebrow.

“Good?”

“It means I’m not too late. Come have dinner with me.”

“I still have work to do.”

Chas glanced toward the pump house.

“Vicky, the pump is running, the town has water, and even the Oracle says your plan is the right one.”

He nodded toward the V/STOL.

“Take the evening off.”

Vicky looked at the aircraft, then back at Chas.

“Where are we going?”

Chas smiled.

“Somewhere we don’t have to talk about transformers, pumps, or substations.”

“That place still exists?”

“We’re about to find out.”

“I’ve eaten at the Hacienda before.”

“You’ve had lunch at the Hacienda while working.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Tonight there is. No business for the next couple of hours.”

An hour later they were sitting across from each other at the Hacienda.

For once, there wasn’t a tablet, repair list, or broken piece of equipment between them.

A Hacienda robot approached the table carrying a silver tray.

“Dinner is served,” Link announced.

The robot placed a shallow porcelain bowl in front of each of them.

Vicky looked down at the steaming soup.

“What’s this?”

“Beef vegetable soup. The chef tells me it’s a good beginning.”

“The chef?”

“Link. He supervises the kitchen.”

Vicky looked toward the robot as it poured a glass of red wine for each of them.

“You have robots that cook, too?”

“Among other things.”

She picked up her spoon.

“Well, let’s see if they’re as good at cooking as they are at fixing substations.”

She tasted the soup.

“Oh, that’s good.”

“Link will be pleased.”

“I AM,” Link replied.

Vicky laughed.

“You’re listening?”

“ALWAYS.”

“That’s going to take some getting used to.”

Chas smiled.

“So tell me, Vicky. What did you do before all this?”

Vicky looked at him over her glass of freshly poured red wine.

“You mean before the world decided to burn up half its electrical equipment?”

“Before I started sending you around Arizona fixing it.”

“I fixed things.”

“I figured that much out.”

“My father was an electrician. Industrial mostly. I grew up thinking every other little girl knew how to use a multimeter.”

Chas laughed.

“You were that kid?”

“I was worse. I wanted to know how everything worked.”

“That sounds familiar.”

They finished their soup, and the robot returned to clear the bowls.

A second robot arrived carrying two covered silver serving dishes.

It placed them on the table and lifted the lids.

The aroma filled the room.

“Beef Burgundy,” Chas said. “Beef slowly cooked in red wine with mushrooms, onions, and herbs.”

The robot served generous portions alongside buttered potatoes and tender green beans.

Vicky studied her plate.

“Chas, where did you get all this?”

“The Hacienda has a rather well-stocked kitchen.”

“Apparently.”

She cut a piece of beef with her fork.

It fell apart.

She tasted it and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Oh, my.”

“Good?”

“Chas, I’ve been eating MREs and whatever the crews can find for the last three weeks. This is almost criminal.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should.”

She took another bite.

“So where was I?”

“You wanted to know how everything worked.”

“Right. I got an electrical engineering degree and discovered I hated spending all day in an office. So I went into field engineering. Mines, pumping stations, industrial plants. Eventually they made me a project manager.”

“Because you were good at it?”

“Because I was the only person willing to tell engineers, electricians, contractors, and customers that they were all wrong at the same time.”

Chas laughed.

“That I believe.”

Vicky smiled.

“I was married for twenty-one years.”

Chas’s smile faded slightly.

“Was?”

“Divorced. About six years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We’re still friends. We just discovered we were better friends when we weren’t married.”

Chas nodded.

“Children?”

“One. Daniel. He’s thirty-two.”

She reached for her phone.

“And before you ask, yes, I’m going to do exactly what every grandmother does.”

She turned the screen toward him.

A little girl grinned back at him.

“That’s Emma. She’s five.”

Chas looked at the picture.

“You don’t have that expression when you’re yelling at water-company managers.”

Vicky pulled the phone back.

“Emma follows instructions.”

“That must be refreshing.”

Vicky laughed.

They finished the main course, and the robots quietly cleared the table.

“Room for dessert?” Chas asked.

“After that dinner? Probably not.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Why?”

“Because I think you’ll want to see this.”

The lights in the dining room dimmed slightly.

A robot approached carrying a silver cart. On it sat a copper pan filled with dark cherries in a rich syrup.

Vicky raised an eyebrow.

“What’s this?”

“Cherries Jubilee.”

The robot added a measure of brandy to the pan and ignited it.

Blue flames danced above the cherries.

Vicky leaned forward.

“Now that’s impressive.”

The flames subsided, and the robot spooned the warm cherries over two dishes of vanilla ice cream.

Vicky watched as her dessert was placed in front of her.

“Chas, you don’t do anything halfway, do you?”

“Not when I can help it.”

She tasted the cherries.

“Oh, that’s wonderful.”

For a few moments neither of them said anything.

Then Chas asked, “Do you hear from them?”

“Not as often as I’d like.”

The answer was different this time. Quieter.

“They’re okay?”

“Last time I heard.”

Chas understood immediately.

Last time.

These days those two words could carry a lot of weight.

Vicky looked down at her dessert.

“Anyway, that’s enough about me.”

“No.”

She looked up.

“No?”

Chas leaned back in his chair.

“For the last few weeks I’ve known Vicky Harper, the woman who can get a dead substation running while arguing with three people at once.”

“And?”

“I’d like to know Vicky.”

She studied him for a moment.

Then she smiled.

“That might take more than one dinner, Chas.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Chas looked across the table at Vicky.

“Let me assign you a room here at the Hacienda.”

“A room?”

“When was the last time you slept in a freshly made bed or had a decent hot shower?”

Vicky thought about it.

“I honestly can’t remember.”

“Then it’s overdue. We’ve got plenty of guest rooms. Stay the night, get some rest, and have a proper breakfast in the morning.”

She smiled.

“Are you always this generous with your employees?”

“Only the ones who argue with me.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down much.”

Chas laughed.

“It’s just a room, Vicky. No strings attached.”

She studied him for a moment.

“Does it have a bathtub?”

“I believe so.”

“Then you’ve got yourself a guest.”

Chas smiled.

“Oh, and one more thing. If you give one of the robots your clothes and tell it what you’d like, it can make you a new outfit while you’re here.”

Vicky raised an eyebrow.

“Make me clothes?”

“Anything you like. The Hacienda has its own fabrication equipment.”

“You’re telling me I can have a hot bath, a comfortable bed, and new clothes?”

“That’s about the size of it.”

Vicky shook her head.

“Chas, you’re making it awfully difficult for a woman to want to leave.”

“Good,” he said, then caught himself.

Vicky smiled.

“I was wondering when you’d say something like that.”

The next morning, Vicky found Chas sitting at a table in the Hacienda’s Central Garden.

Sunlight filtered through the trees. A small fountain splashed into a stone pool, and the air carried the fragrance of flowering jasmine.

Chas looked up as she approached.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything.

Vicky wore a deep burgundy pantsuit with a fitted jacket and flowing trousers. Her hair was freshly washed and styled.

“Well?” she asked.

Chas stood.

“Vicky, you look wonderful.”

She smiled.

“Your robots do excellent work.”

“I’ll be sure to tell them.”

“Oh, they already know. One of them spent twenty minutes helping me decide what to wear.”

Chas pulled out a chair for her.

“How did you sleep?”

“Like a dead woman. I don’t think I moved for nine hours.”

“And the bath?”

“Chas, that bathtub alone is worth staying another week.”

He laughed.

A robot approached carrying a silver coffee service.

“Coffee?” Chas asked.

“Please. Black, two sugars.”

The robot poured her coffee into a porcelain cup.

Vicky looked around the garden.

“I had no idea this place existed.”

“The Central Garden. One of my favorite places in the Hacienda.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

Another robot arrived carrying two covered plates.

“Breakfast,” Chas announced.

The robot lifted the covers, revealing two servings of eggs Benedict. Perfectly poached eggs rested on Canadian bacon and toasted English muffins, covered with golden hollandaise sauce. Roasted breakfast potatoes and fresh fruit completed the plates.

Vicky picked up her fork.

“Chas, you’re going to spoil me.”

“That’s the idea.”

She cut into one of the eggs. The golden yolk flowed across the muffin.

She took a bite.

“Oh, that’s good.”

“Link, compliments to the kitchen.”

“COMPLIMENTS ACKNOWLEDGED,” Link replied.

Vicky laughed.

“Does he always listen to everything?”

“Pretty much.”

“Then I suppose we’d better watch what we say.”

“Probably.”

She took another sip of coffee and looked around the garden.

“Chas, can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Why did you build all this?”

He looked toward the fountain.

“At first, I just wanted a place where nobody would bother me.”

“And now?”

Chas thought about the question.

“Now it seems everybody in Arizona wants something from me.”

Vicky smiled.

“That’s what happens when you start fixing the world.”

“I’m not fixing the world.”

“No,” she agreed. “But you’re fixing a little piece of it.”

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Vicky looked at him over her coffee cup.

“You know, Chas, I could get used to mornings like this.”

He smiled.

“So could I.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“You already live here.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Vicky smiled and returned to her breakfast.

“I know.”