Schematics

“Oh, so that's how it's going to be?!” Sarah shouted. She slammed her wrench against the boiler, startling the servants. “You are one stubborn bastard.”

Sarah looked down at the schematics for the umpteenth time. The papers were oily and well-worn around the edges from so much handling. This time, she spread them out on the floor in a rough approximation of the machine's actual layout.

Somewhere in all that, there was a pressure buildup. The monitors kept red-lining. Sarah had almost lost a tuning crystal that morning. The servant installing it hadn't been particularly happy, either.

She stood over the paper diagrams for minutes, just absorbing without processing. What had she missed?A loud series of clangs interrupted her. The servant responsible looked at her apologetically and knelt to collect the pipes she had dropped.

Wait. The inner lining of those pipes.

Sarah rushed over to the servant, scowling furiously.

“Alright!” Sarah announced to the room. “Who had these pipes silver lined? These are supposed to be chromium!”