Clark made a noise that was halfway between a grunt and a sniff. "To do that, you'll need to master third-order differential equations, Poddy. Last night, you spent two hours trying to explain to the nursery attendant why babies shouldn't be kept in centralized crèches."
Behind her, the gentle clicking of a pocket computer signaled that her younger brother, Clark, was being brilliant, anti-social, or most likely, both. podkayne
The air in the observation dome of the Trianon smelled faintly of recycled ozone and synthetic jasmine, a combination that fifteen-year-old Podkayne Fries had already decided was entirely too "Earth-side" for her tastes. Sitting with her chin in her hands, she stared out through the thick radiation glass at the magnificent, terrifying swirl of the inner Solar System. Clark made a noise that was halfway between