Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls and Gadgets Read online

  Table of Contents

  DEDICATIONS

  FOREWORD

  THE OUTPOST by Paige Daniels

  BLINK by Kate Moretti

  COURAGE IS... by Evangeline Jennings

  OF CAT’S WHISKERS AND KLUTZES by Martin Berman-Gorvine

  ROBIN HACKER by Ursula Osborne

  PANIC by Tash McAdam

  GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Kimberly G. Giarratano

  A LITTLE BIT TRUER by Valerie Hunter

  LYRA by Lisa Toohey

  FLIGHT OF THE ZEPHYR by Aimie K. Runyan

  THE DATA TOURIST by Davien Thomas

  ROBOT REPAIR GIRL by Josh Pritchett

  THE HIVE by Kate Lansing

  FLEDGLING by Jason Kucharik

  THE MAD SCIENTIST’S DAUGHTER by Leandra Wallace

  HELEN OF MARS by George Ebey

  THE KEYS TO THE STARS by Stephen Kozeniewski

  TAKES A HACKER by Mary Fan

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Brave New Girls

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the authors’ imaginations or, if real, are used fictitiously.

  Compilation copyright © 2015 by Paige Daniels and Mary Fan

  Foreword copyright © 2015 by Lara Hogan

  “The Outpost” copyright © 2015 by Paige Daniels

  “Blink” copyright © 2015 by Kate Moretti

  “Courage Is” copyright © 2015 by Evangeline Jennings

  “Of Cat’s Whiskers and Klutzes” copyright © 2015 by Martin Berman-Gorvine

  “Robin Hacker” copyright © 2015 by Ursula Osborne

  “Panic” copyright © 2015 by Tash McAdam

  “Graveyard Shift” copyright © 2015 by Kimberly G. Giarratano

  “A Little Bit Truer” copyright © 2015 by Valerie Hunter

  “Lyra” copyright © 2015 by Lisa Toohey

  “Flight of the Zephyr” copyright © 2015 by Aimie K. Runyan

  “The Data Tourist” copyright © 2015 by Davien Thomas

  “Robot Repair Girl” copyright © 2015 by Josh Pritchett

  “The Hive” copyright © 2015 by Kate Lansing

  “Fledgling” copyright © 2015 by Jason Kucharik

  “The Mad Scientist’s Daughter” copyright © 2015 by Leandra Wallace

  “Helen of Mars” copyright © 2015 by George Ebey

  “The Keys to the Stars” copyright © 2015 by Stephen Kozeniewski

  “Takes a Hacker” copyright © 2015 by Mary Fan

  Cover and Formatting: Streetlight Graphics

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First edition: June 2015

  Brave New Girls: tales of girls and gadgets / edited by Paige Daniels and Mary Fan – 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Brave New Girls

  A collection of eighteen young adult science fiction stories featuring tech-savvy teen girls who tinker with robots, experiment with alien chemicals, hack into virtual reality, and more.

  Illustrations by

  Hazel Butler, Ken Dawson, Adrian DeFuria, Evelinn Enoksen, Mary Fan, Christopher Godsoe, Kayla Keeton, Jason Kucharik, Jennifer L. Lopez, Tash McAdam, and Josh Pritchett.

  DEDICATIONS

  For all the girls who love engines and equations, gadgets and gears, computers and calculations, Bunsen burners and botany. Who delight in seeing how things work and envision new ways to make the world tick.

  For all the women in science, technology, engineering, and math who break down barriers and pave the way for a better tomorrow.

  And for all the parents, teachers, mentors, and friends who support them on their journeys.

  Paige Daniels would like to dedicate her work to Captain Chuck LaSota who told us, “one starfish at a time.”

  Mary Fan would like to dedicate her work to all the techy teachers who encourage girls to pursue their nerdy interests.

  Libby and Jerry Barnes would like to dedicate their contribution to this book to all the brilliant women who will shape our future, especially their granddaughters.

  Jianqing Fan would like to dedicate his donation to Brave New Girls to his wife, Yonghua Wang, a real-world woman in STEM who holds a PhD in statistics. As an educator and researcher, Jianqing believes strongly in the importance of getting children and teenagers interested in STEM fields, which form the foundation for progress. It is his hope that every young person interested in math and science will explore their passions, regardless of gender.

  Han Liu is proud to support the Brave New Girls anthology. He would like to dedicate his contribution to his wife, Xiaolin Yang, who has always been supportive over the years.

  FOREWORD

  As a young girl, I realized that bravery was crucial to surviving middle school. During the day, bullies teased me about my nerdy glasses and good grades. At night, I dove into books; the stories I read showed me how other people—some like me, and some very different from me—faced life’s obstacles. I was comforted and challenged by chapters chronicling average humans approaching and overcoming their deepest pains and biggest hurdles.

  When I found Meg in A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, my mind was blown. Meg wrestles with a myriad of obstacles in her storyline, from self-doubt and unhappiness with her appearance to rescuing her family members from IT. A Wrinkle in Time gave me a gift: mathematically brilliant Meg is able to use her smarts and her love to save the day. I was able to finally see myself as the heroine of my own story and the next steps of my journey through hers.

  Two decades later, I have a technology career that I love. This career has given me a full spectrum of challenges: squashing code bugs, managing a team, stepping onstage to speak to an audience of two thousand people, and writing a book of my own. Working in tech makes me feel as if the possibilities for my future are limitless. I can dive deep into code and solve huge, far-reaching problems. I can resurface and share all that I learned with people around me. I can be regarded as a leader for this work. I want every girl to feel how impactful, powerful, and energizing a career in technology or other sciences can be.

  I’m so excited for Brave New Girls to give us new role models, new examples of overcoming obstacles and solving problems, and new energy for stepping into the unknown and being brave. We very much need new characters on the roster of brave and smart technical women. I hope that, as Meg inspired me, these characters will inspire many to explore science, technology, engineering, and medicine, and to bravely navigate their own journey.

  Lara Hogan

  Senior Engineering Manager, Etsy

  Author of Designing for Performance

  THE OUTPOST

  by Paige Daniels

  Kira Dresden, arguably the most successful Independent Transporter in the history of the galaxy, has thwarted the Bakic faction of Keepers once again. Ms. Dresden delivered much-needed medical supplies to the planetoid Seti-Prime-Delta in the Gamma-One Quadrant. The Bakics, the only known producer
s of the Plague vaccine, have vowed to keep the vaccine from those who swear allegiance to Keeper factions other than their own. When Ms. Dresden was commed by our—

  “Lyvia, according to my internal clock, you have approximately twenty minutes to get to class, and you still haven’t eaten breakfast.”

  I look up from my netscreen, scowling at the floating bot. “Why can’t you teach me, Heidi? It worked for the last fourteen years.”

  The bot’s eyes narrow and glow orange. “Sixteen is far too old to be dependent on your Heidi Bot. You need social interaction with others your age.”

  I search my tiny cube of a room for a clean shirt. After pulling it over my head, I find a pink boot sticking out of a mass of clothing. I grab it and pull it on. “Seriously, there are plenty of people my age who never see the inside of a classroom, and they turn out okay. I have plenty of friends I comm with.” I scan the room for the boot’s mate.

  Heidi finds and hands me the boot. “Unless you want to end up an unsociable weirdo like that Larson kid back on the Alaris outpost, you’re going to have to learn to interact with others your age. I mean real people, not some perv acting like he’s a teenage girl. I think your parents made a great decision moving to this post.”

  Scowling, I tug on a sweater, then I look in the mirror and give my wild, curly short hair a tousle, making sure the rad pink and platinum streaks show through my natural dark hue. “Yeah, right. This is the most backward outpost I’ve ever been on. Geez, I can’t wait until I can go to flight school and get the hell out—” A gentle rapping at my door stops me mid-sentence. I already know who’s outside. “I’ll be right out.”

  A masculine voice says patiently, “Please hurry, Lyvia. You’ll be late for class.”

  “I know. I’m almost ready.” I push the button on the side of my door. It slides open to reveal a disheveled blond man with heavy stubble and tired eyes. I give him a sad smile. “Pull an all-nighter down on the rock?”

  He rubs his eyes and yawns. “Yeah, some of the scrubbers and low-grav sifters were giving us fits. If me and the crew didn’t have them up and running by morning, the boss man would’ve tanned my hide. To make things worse, I only have few hours to get some rest before I need to get back down there.”

  “Sorry about that, Pops.”

  We walk down the narrow hallway to the tiny living room-kitchen area. I’ve lost count of all the asteroid-mining outposts we’ve been stationed on, but the accommodations are always the same: worn, cramped, and devoid of any personality or color. The crappiness of it all has almost become a comfort to me. I flop down at the tiny, scraped-up dining room table. Waiting in the kitchen is my other dad. He places bowls of steaming oatmeal in front of us.

  I smile at him. “Thanks, Dad. So, you have a busy day on tap?”

  He sits across from me and nods. “Yeah, I might be working late again. I have a million samples to run. I don’t think this outpost is going to stay up as long as the boss man thinks it is. But I might’ve found something pretty interesting this time.”

  I sigh. I’ve heard this story a million times before. My parents are only called to a mining outpost when it’s nearing its end. They’ve made quite a name for themselves by eking the last bit of life out of an asteroid before the company pulls up stakes and makes for the next shiny rock waiting to be stripped of its resources.

  Ian pats my arm. “Don’t worry, Lyvia. I think we can get enough time on this rock to get you through your assessment cycles. Mr. Mendes says you’re doing quite well in class, and he doesn’t see why you wouldn’t be ready to start testing next year. He thinks you can qualify for scientist with a bit of work.”

  I roll my eyes. “Ian, I don’t want to be a scientist. I want to be a pilot.”

  Ian drops his spoon and glares at me. “I really wish you’d stop following those Kira Dresden stories. Honestly, I don’t know why the news outlets insist on reporting that glamorized tripe as news. Being a pilot is dangerous, nasty work. Most pilots don’t make it to thirty—”

  “Thirty? That’s old!”

  Ian starts to retort, but Marc puts his hand up. “It’s still early to be planning these things. Lyvia is a smart girl, and she needs to plot her own course. Being a pilot wouldn’t be the end of the world.”

  I give a triumphant smile. “Thank you, Dad.”

  His eyes narrow, and he points his finger at me. “But you need to listen to Ian. We’re just trying to help you avoid the pitfalls we faced as young men—”

  I pipe in. “A long, long, long time ago.”

  Ian shakes his head. “Smart aleck. Seriously—”

  A beep from the comm-tile on my wrist stops him mid-sentence. I shove another bite of oatmeal into my mouth and scoot out from the table. “Welp, last call for class.”

  As I walk out the door, Ian’s voice echoes through the halls: “We’re not done talking about this.”

  Outpost Geti-P is one of the most worn-down, neglected asteroid mining outfits I’ve ever been on. LPL Industries is notorious for putting as little money as possible into the morale of their employees. I saunter down the hallway, brushing my fingers along the dirty walls and humming along to a synth-pop tune playing on my comm-tile. The heavy clomping of boots makes me look over my shoulder, and I can’t help but smile at my friend Gauge.

  The tall, skinny boy smiles back, tossing his blond hair out of his eyes. “You’re going to be late, Lyvia.”

  “That class is a waste. My Heidi Bot did a hundred times better job of explaining material to me than Mr. Mendes.”

  “If you didn’t come to class, then you wouldn’t get to see my bright and shiny face. And then who’d make fun of the Brat Brigade with me?”

  “You got me there. I do enjoy making fun of those two.”

  We stop at a non-descript portal. I push a button, and the door starts to open but jams. I push the button several more times, and the door lurches back and forth.

  “Piece of crap.” I reach into my cargo pants pocket, grab a multi-tool, and push a button. A laser emanates from the device, and I proceed to cut the panel off. I pull at a couple of wires and shunt them together; the door opens.

  Gauge looks at me. “You’re about as subtle as a hand grenade.”

  “What? I got the job done.”

  In the classroom, a skinny man with stringy gray hair pulled back into a wisp of a ponytail scowls at me over his eyeglasses. “Miss Bax-Dupree, must you always destroy items in my classroom?”

  “Sir, the door wouldn’t open. What was I supposed to do?”

  “Practice self-control and be patient.”

  I scoff as we enter the room. “Patience is for quitters.”

  Gauge and I flop down at the first available consoles and log in. A pair of neatly dressed students scowls at us. The girl, whose ebony hair is pulled into a tight bun, says, “Good going, Lyvia. Now we’re going to have to hear the noise from outside.”

  I sneer. “Yes, Amalia, because so many people frequent this end of the station.”

  The boy adds, “Father and Mother won’t be pleased.”

  I roll my eyes at this last comment, not giving him the pleasure of a retort. Amalia and Jair Jones, more affectionately known as the Brat Brigade, are the children of the two controllers of this outpost. They’re a thorn in everyone’s side, constantly watching each of us for any infraction.

  I start out of my seat. “I can fix it if you want.”

  Mr. Mendes clears his throat. “No, Lyvia, you’re five lessons behind already. I’ll call maintenance.”

  “Fine. Whatever.”

  Naisyn leans over to me. “Good one, Lyvia. How long do you think it’ll be until the boss man and woman start riding your dads’ butts about your behavior?”

  I look over at the twins. Both are on their comm-tiles, furiously typing away. I
shake my head. “I’d say in about ten microseconds, Mr. and Mrs. Jones will be getting a message about me, and in another ten minutes, Ian or Marc will be getting a tersely worded comm about their daughter’s unacceptable behavior.”

  She giggles a little too loudly.

  Mr. Mendes glares at us. “Ladies, lessons, please.”

  Naisyn looks down sheepishly. “Sorry, sir.”

  I look back at my display, and the day progresses like any other. We go through our individual lessons while Mr. Mendes snoops and offers useless commentary. After a few hours, Mr. Mendes lets us take a lunch break, and like every other day, he leaves the room for an extended lunch—a.k.a. a nap.

  After he comes back, he calls the class to order, and I start again with the lessons.

  Two hundred years ago, when the first wormhole was discovered, the brave men and women who explored it had no idea of the worlds they would encounter. Now, thanks to the four Keeper factions and the Blessed Ones, intergalactic travel has never been safer.

  My eyelids grow heavy, and soon, I’m surrounded by silence and darkness. A light tap on my shoulder wakes me, and I jump. “Oh, uh, sorry, Mr. Mendes.”

  He crosses his arms then bends down to look at my console. “Let’s see what you’re studying here. History of Intergalactic Wormhole Navigation. I would think a prospective pilot would find this fascinating.”

  I groan. “I guess I would if the lesson wasn’t so boring.”

  He scoots a chair up beside me and sits down. The heavy smell of scented oils coming off his skin makes me want to ralph. “Boring? Before the discovery of wormholes, humans were confined to one planet in one puny solar system. We were on the verge of wiping ourselves out. But when the wormholes were discovered, we could branch out, and by branching out, we found more common denominators amongst ourselves. We came together and started to thrive.”