knew that Dad was holding the headset, which he had already removed. It had been blocking all sound from reaching my ears. Arms at my side, I was still strapped to the laboratory bed and needed him to remove the blindfold and straps.
âOn the trip to EarthâI mean the real trip to Earthâthe chances of hitting an asteroid are one in billions, right?â I said defensively. âAnd then the chances of a puncture near the fuel tank are ⦠are â¦â
Dad removed my blindfold, and I blinked a couple of times. His smiling face loomed down at me. He had dark blond hair, like mine, and a large frame. I only hope that someday Iâll grow up to be as big as he is.
âTyce,â he answered, his face now serious, âthatâs the whole point of these virtual-reality training programs. To prepare you for any situation, no matter how unlikely. If for some reason you are called for any duty, you canât afford mistakes.â
He unstrapped me from the bed. I sat up.
âIâm sorry,â I said. I meant it. Dad was 100 percent correct. After all, he had to be. He was the Moon Racer âs pilot, the one we all trusted with our lives. âCould you let me try another run this afternoon?â
His smile returned. âThat would take you away from your mathematics, wouldnât it?â
âMuch more important to know how to save a spaceship than it is to deal with logarithmic derivatives and triple integrals.â
âPerhaps.â Dadâs grin grew wider. âBut I was thinking of Ashley. I was getting the impression that she enjoyed the chance to do schoolwork with you.â
I coughed. âShe just needs a little help, thatâs all.â
Dad laughed.
I pushed off the bed and began to float in the weightlessness. This was one thing I loved about space travel. I didnât need my wheelchair.
âDonât let her fool you. Iâve seen the background report on her. The worst grade she ever got in math was a 95 percent.â Dad rubbed my hair. âAnd your best grade has been ⦠?â
âSo I donât like math that much,â I said.
I reached for my comp-board. It was floating beside the bed, where I had left it before the virtual-reality robot session. Dad had asked me to bring it but hadnât told me why yet.
Comp-board was the term used for keyboard-computer, a portable computer with the screen attached directly to the back of the keyboard. The hard drive was embedded in the left-hand side of the keyboard, with discports on the right-hand side. When I was finished with the computer, all I had to do was fold the keyboard in half, then fold that against the back of the screen, and it would become a small rectangle about the size of a book. Smaller ones were available, but most people preferred a decent-size screen. Under the dome, the comp-board actually docked into my desktop computer, letting me access the comp-board hard drive but giving me access to a bigger screen.
âSheâs really that good in math?â I asked.
âUh-huh,â Dad said. âSo maybe you should figure out why she always asks you to help her.â
To give me free use of my hands, I attached the folded-up comp-board to a latch on my belt. I grabbed a handholdâthey were placed all through the ship to give passengers a way to travel in the weightlessnessâand followed Dad out of the robot lab. We traveled down the inner corridor of the Moon Racer .
âWhere are we headed?â I asked.
âI need to tweak some of the autopilot controls,â Dad answered. âOur mainframe computer has been a little cranky lately. But we need to make a quick stop first.â
âWhere?â
âI know youâre trying to change the subject.â He laughed. âLetâs get back to math.â
âMath?â I tried to sound innocent.
âAshley wants you to learn the math better,â Dad answered. âWhatever
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