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Somehow, the metallic rings had formed a connection between their minds and the ship’s computer, activating portions of their brains that had previously been dormant. And those changes to their brains and neuromuscular systems had remained, even after the headsets had been removed.
    For Heather, the most pronounced effect was her savantlike mathematical abilities. She could glance at a pebble and know that its volume was 4.3583 cubic centimeters. The same applied to her ability to manipulate the most complex mathematical equations. The answers were just there. It was nothing short of magical.
    Heather shook her head. "Jen, this time I have to agree with Mark. Yes, the control systems are allowing the tank to generate a level of energy that is above the norm. But we’ve toned down our output to a level that is below that produced by several scientific teams."
    "I don't know," said Jennifer. "Those research teams are made up of graduate students or professional physicists."
    Heather patted Jennifer's shoulder and smiled down at her friend. "Did you see last year's National Science Contest winning entry? The kid made a working microscale model of a wind tunnel, instrumented and calibrated accurately enough to provide test results comparable to much larger, professional systems."
    "Maybe."
    "Sis, there's no ‘maybe’ to it. If Rain Girl here says it’s so, then that's the way it is."
    Heather ran her hand along the tank, feeling the warmth that radiated out through the shielding. When they had first tested the thing, it had put off so much heat that a person could burn herself by touching it, and the whistle given off by the steam-powered generator had been teakettle loud.
    Their mechanical improvements had resolved these problems, and the power produced by the apparatus had completely eliminated the Smythe electric bill. Best of all, they had finished their project paper, except for one more proofreading pass.
    "By the way, you sure took your sweet time getting over here this morning," said Mark, a broad grin spreading across his face. "What did you do? Have a sleep-in this morning?"
    Heather slapped her hand to her forehead. "Oh crap. I almost forgot what I wanted to talk to you guys about. Did you watch the news?"
    "News? No. We've been in here working on this damn science project since seven a.m. like we all said we would be. Or maybe you forgot that we need this finished to cover our collective asses. Besides, our TV’s been on the fritz since the day before yesterday. Dad says the power supply is shot. He’s going to rebuild it this weekend."
    Heather tapped Jennifer on the shoulder. "Jen. Pull your head out of the computer for a second. You'll want to hear this too."
    When Jennifer didn’t respond, Mark rolled his eyes, reached over and smacked his twin on the top of the head.
    "Ow! What is wrong with you?"
    "Just trying to bring you back into the real world for a little bit. Heather’s been trying to get your attention for five minutes."
    "Mark, I have not. It's only been about thirty seconds."
    "Whatever."
    Jennifer's scowl indicated that it didn't matter greatly whether it was five minutes or five hours. "Well, you've got it. What's the big emergency?"
    Mark raised his eyebrows. "Whoa. What's up with the attitude?"
    "Attitude? I'll give you some attitude if you slap me on the head again while I'm working on something. You'd be a little angry if I did something like that to you."
    "Much as I hate to break up the brother-sister love fest," said Heather, "I do have something important to tell you guys. I was late getting over here this morning because of the news. There was a terrorist attack last night, right here on the highway between Pojoaque and Los Alamos."
    Jennifer's eyes widened. "You're kidding."
    "No, I'm not. The government had Highway 502 closed for more than eight hours. It was a giant mess for all the people trying to get into town from Santa Fe this morning."
    Mark leaned forward, his attention