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spinning ideas the rest of the ride, and when everyone was done, Astrid had Austin bring the bike he had been riding up to her lab.  Then she got on the phone.
    “ Mrs. Purcell ? ”
    “ Yes, Astrid . ”
    “ Do you have any idea how many hoverdisks my dad has ? ”
    “ He had at least fifteen made up ,” she replied ,“ though a few of them were broken in testing . ”
    “ Could you have someone send a couple up to my lab please ? ”
    “ I’ ll get them right over, Astrid.  Bye . ”
    By the time a lab technician arrived with a rolling cart holding two of Dr. Maxxi m’ s hoverdisks, Astrid had the bicycle up on her workbench, had removed both wheels and had built a pair of simple brackets in their place.  The hoverdisks were two and a half feet in diameter and six inches thick.  She attached one hoverdisk to each bracket.  Finally she connected one of her large test batteries to the two levitation devices, securing it to the bike frame with duck tape.
    “ Alright Austin ,” said Astrid, with Robot Valeri e’ s help, setting the bike on the lab floor.  “ Would you like to be the first person to ride on a flying bike ? ”
    “ You bet !” he shouted, climbing into the seat.  “ What do I have to do ? ”
    “ Just try to keep your balance ,” said Astrid.  Then she turned on the hoverdisks.
    The bicycle immediately rose from the floor, at first just a few inches, then a foot, and then it continued upward.    The girls shouted excitedly, but no more than Austin, who looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself.  The hoverdisks were humming quietly, slowly pushing the boy higher and higher.  Then suddenly he was at the ceiling and he had to tilt his head to the side.  Immediately the bike flipped over.  Austin flailed his arms, as the now inverted hoverdisks drove him into the floor.
    Astrid quickly jumped forward and disconnected the battery.
    “ Are you alright ?” she asked the boy.
    “ Did you see me?  I was flying ! ”
    “ Do n’ t move ,” she ordered, and got quickly back on the phone.  “ Mrs. Purcell, would you send a medical team to my lab please?  And call Mr. Brown.  Tell him to get here as quickly as he can . ”
    “ What do you want my dad for ?” asked Denise.  “ Yo u’ re not planning to crash me into the floor too, are you ? ”
    “ Your dad is the best designer in the business ,” said Astrid ,“ and I need him . ”
    A pair of medics arrived, checking over Austin, and though he seemed to be fine, they decided to err on the side of caution since he had landed on his head and shoulders, and put him on a gurney for transport to the infirmary to get an x-ray.  The two Valeries went with him to keep him company.  They had just left when Mr. Brown arrived.
    “ Hello Sweetheart ,” he said, giving his daughter a hug.  “ Wha t’ s up, Astrid ? ”
    “ Look here ,” she said, pointing to the upturned cycle.  “ We just built a flying bike . ”
    “ I did n’ t have anything to do with it ,” said Denise.  “ It was all Astri d’ s fault . ”
    “ Clearly it needs work ,” said Astrid.  “ We need a mechanism to control the tilt of the hoverdisks for steering, maybe a smaller version mounted in the rear for forward momentum, a computer, several tilt sensors, and a series of gyroscopic sensors.  Of course, w e’ ll need servo drive motors for balance and propulsion control . ”
    “ This is exciting, Astrid ,” said Mr. Brown.  “ I see some kind of sleek, futuristic, scooter design . ”
    “ Or we could go with something more nostalgic ,” replied the girl inventor.
    Mr. Brown pulled a notepad and pencil from his pocket and began sketching.  Two minutes later he whipped the pad around, displaying his sketch of a sleek flying cycle, looking like something halfway between a jet-ski and a motor scooter.
    “ I knew you would know the best design ,” said Astrid.  “ How soon can you have a prototype ready ? ”
    “ I’ m already thinking