storage shelf of the upper bunk he yawned and blinked at her. He
rose, stretched, and suddenly jumped for the door. Barbary caught him. He
turned in her hands and attacked her fingers, partly in fun, but partly in
earnest.
“He’s bored,” Barbary said. “He’s really bored. He hardly
ever bites.” She tussled with him, letting him fight with her hand even when he
got excited and stuck his claws into her. But he would never get enough
exercise pouncing on her hand. “He used to spend just about all night outside,
even though it was dangerous. What am I going to do, Heather?”
“He needs a place where he can run around, huh?”
“Yeah. But a really private place.”
Heather sat on top of her desk and leaned her chin on her
hand.
“I know where to go,” she said. “Only we have to get him
there. Can you try to hide him in your jacket?”
“Sometimes he’ll lie still for a little while. Not long,
though. Can we go a way that not very many people use? Just in case?”
“We’ll have to,” Heather said, and jumped up before Barbary
could ask what she meant by that. “Where’d you put your jacket?”
o0o
Mick crouched in the secret pocket, but Barbary knew he
would want to get out soon. She followed Heather along one of the corridors
that curved around the inner surface of the station’s wheel.
“Heather,” Barbary said, “am I just imagining it, or does
walking feel different depending on which direction you’re going?”
“It really is different. Because of the spin.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Okay. You’ve got weight here because of the spin, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“So if you walk plus-spin — that’s the same direction the
station’s spinning — you’re going even faster than the station. Since your
weight is proportional to your speed, you feel heavier. And it makes you feel
kind of like you’re walking uphill. That’s why when you see people jogging in
the one-g level, they usually run plus-spin. They get their exercise faster.”
“I guess I understand.”
“Then if you go the opposite way, minus-spin” — Heather
turned and ran a few steps in the opposite direction — “you subtract your speed
from the station’s speed. That makes you feel lighter. And you think maybe
you’re going downhill.”
“It’s weird,” Barbary said.
“No, it isn’t!” Heather said. “Oh… I guess it is. But you’ll
get used to it. You can feel it even more if you run. Go ahead, try it.”
Mickey squirmed, trying to escape.
“I will later,” Barbary said. “But if I run now, Mick will
have a fit. How much farther do we have to go?” She put her hand on the outside
of the secret pocket and tried to pet Mick to calm him down and hold him still
at the same time.
“To the bottom of the elevator.”
Inside the elevator, Heather opened a panel, pushed a button
marked -3, and slid the panel shut. None of the usual numbers lit up, but they
descended. Barbary leaned against the wall where the outlines were painted,
hoping she would soon get used to the tilt when the elevator moved.
Barbary opened her jacket. Mick stuck his head out of the
pocket. He looked ready to jump any second.
“Stay there, Mick!” she said.
“Hardly anybody ever uses this elevator,” Heather said.
“He’s safe now.”
“Maybe I could let him out?”
“Probably it’d be all right, but we’ll be where we’re going
in a minute.”
The elevator slowed and stopped.
“Oh, no!” Heather said.
Barbary flung her jacket closed, hugging it to her with her
hand still inside. Mickey pressed his head against her fingers.
Jeanne Velory and Ambassador Begay got into the elevator.
“Hello, Barbary. Hello, Heather,” Jeanne said.
“Hi.” Mick’s cold nose and prickly whiskers tickled her as
he nudged around looking for a way out. “Uh —!”
“Hi,” Heather said, detecting the note of desperation. “I’m
showing Barbary around. We already went on a raft ride to the
rose, stretched, and suddenly jumped for the door. Barbary caught him. He
turned in her hands and attacked her fingers, partly in fun, but partly in
earnest.
“He’s bored,” Barbary said. “He’s really bored. He hardly
ever bites.” She tussled with him, letting him fight with her hand even when he
got excited and stuck his claws into her. But he would never get enough
exercise pouncing on her hand. “He used to spend just about all night outside,
even though it was dangerous. What am I going to do, Heather?”
“He needs a place where he can run around, huh?”
“Yeah. But a really private place.”
Heather sat on top of her desk and leaned her chin on her
hand.
“I know where to go,” she said. “Only we have to get him
there. Can you try to hide him in your jacket?”
“Sometimes he’ll lie still for a little while. Not long,
though. Can we go a way that not very many people use? Just in case?”
“We’ll have to,” Heather said, and jumped up before Barbary
could ask what she meant by that. “Where’d you put your jacket?”
o0o
Mick crouched in the secret pocket, but Barbary knew he
would want to get out soon. She followed Heather along one of the corridors
that curved around the inner surface of the station’s wheel.
“Heather,” Barbary said, “am I just imagining it, or does
walking feel different depending on which direction you’re going?”
“It really is different. Because of the spin.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Okay. You’ve got weight here because of the spin, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“So if you walk plus-spin — that’s the same direction the
station’s spinning — you’re going even faster than the station. Since your
weight is proportional to your speed, you feel heavier. And it makes you feel
kind of like you’re walking uphill. That’s why when you see people jogging in
the one-g level, they usually run plus-spin. They get their exercise faster.”
“I guess I understand.”
“Then if you go the opposite way, minus-spin” — Heather
turned and ran a few steps in the opposite direction — “you subtract your speed
from the station’s speed. That makes you feel lighter. And you think maybe
you’re going downhill.”
“It’s weird,” Barbary said.
“No, it isn’t!” Heather said. “Oh… I guess it is. But you’ll
get used to it. You can feel it even more if you run. Go ahead, try it.”
Mickey squirmed, trying to escape.
“I will later,” Barbary said. “But if I run now, Mick will
have a fit. How much farther do we have to go?” She put her hand on the outside
of the secret pocket and tried to pet Mick to calm him down and hold him still
at the same time.
“To the bottom of the elevator.”
Inside the elevator, Heather opened a panel, pushed a button
marked -3, and slid the panel shut. None of the usual numbers lit up, but they
descended. Barbary leaned against the wall where the outlines were painted,
hoping she would soon get used to the tilt when the elevator moved.
Barbary opened her jacket. Mick stuck his head out of the
pocket. He looked ready to jump any second.
“Stay there, Mick!” she said.
“Hardly anybody ever uses this elevator,” Heather said.
“He’s safe now.”
“Maybe I could let him out?”
“Probably it’d be all right, but we’ll be where we’re going
in a minute.”
The elevator slowed and stopped.
“Oh, no!” Heather said.
Barbary flung her jacket closed, hugging it to her with her
hand still inside. Mickey pressed his head against her fingers.
Jeanne Velory and Ambassador Begay got into the elevator.
“Hello, Barbary. Hello, Heather,” Jeanne said.
“Hi.” Mick’s cold nose and prickly whiskers tickled her as
he nudged around looking for a way out. “Uh —!”
“Hi,” Heather said, detecting the note of desperation. “I’m
showing Barbary around. We already went on a raft ride to the
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