"The state of lockdown is now in effect.". There was an uneasy silence, broken only by the gentle lapping of water against the side of the pool.

"This is a joke, isn't it?" the grey-eyed man said eventually, looking encouragingly at Perigal.

"Please tell me it's a joke.".

"So it's come to this," the matriarch said.

"I always knew you were dirty, Dreyfus, but I never thought you'd stoop quite this low.". Dreyfus placed the card beside the pool.

"This is a summary of the case against you. Looks watertight to me, but then I'm only a lowly field prefect." He touched a finger to his chin, as if he'd just remembered an errand.

"Now I need a small favour.".

"You're insane.".

"Kindly issue a priority interrupt to all your citizens and guests. Tell them that a lockdown is in force, and that they're about to lose contact with the external universe. Remind them that this state of affairs could last for anything up to one century. Tell them that if they have thoughts or messages to convey to loved ones beyond House Perigal, they have six hundred seconds in which to do so.". He turned to Thalia and Sparver and lowered his voice, but not so low that Perigal wouldn't have been able to hear him.

"You know what to do, Deputies. If anyone obstructs you, or refuses to cooperate, you have clearance to euthanise.". The rim transit moved quickly, its motion counteracting the centrifugal gravity of the slow-turning wheel. Thalia sat next to Sparver, brooding.

"It isn't fair," she said.

"What isn't?".

"All those people stuck here by accident, the people who just happened to be visiting.".

"Sometimes the only workable solution isn't a fair one.".

"But cut off from the Glitter Band, from Yellowstone, from friends and family, from abstraction, from their medical programmes … some of them could actually die in here before the lockdown's over.".