"Oh, I'd be locked up in a minute for talking about it back home," Steph agrees. It's not a joke, though it's phrased like one. She meant for it to be a joke.

It's just that these days, a lot of folks are looking for reasons to get her out of the field. If she works hard enough, they'll do more damage than good by getting in her way just because she's a woman.

"So no flying cars or alien visits in the future?"