The Xantini's chair floated out of the room through the glowing blue membrane as the alien Technician came in with a floating bed with Toxic on it. Seil asked, "Why was I given an ESP test? I brought TOXCI in here to be examined! Not me!" The Technician said, "We had to examine your motives. Did you know you are clairvoyant with a marked ability to know things you shouldn't know. We scanned you. You have an increase in the brain of Hyper-mater. Just over one percent. That is VERY high." Seil waved her hands. "THAT is not important that I have good instincts, what did you find out about Toxic? What happened to her personality?" The Technician stopped. She said, "The next of kin of this female should be told. Her father is here, and should be told the results" Seil nodded, "I agree. The family should be told." The Technician nodded, and Aldus Panchetta strode angrily into the room. He said loudly, "I WANT MY DAUGHTER BACK!" The Technician's guard swung his rifle toward Aldus. Aldus quieted down and put his hands up. He sighed, "Sorry, sorry! Instinctive anger at my daughter being KIDNAPPED!" Seil said, "FINE, I'm guilty of crimes, but I did it out of concern for Toxic! She isn't herself anymore! I had to have SOMEONE find out why!" Aldus opened his mouth as the Technician said, "We KNOW why. This woman is a vessel for what we call 'Hyper-ware'. Other species might call it 'Drift-ware'. In your limited terms of expression, it is a non-material AI or NI computer program, that can interface with real-world material through 'VESSELS' or effectors. "This woman is a POWERFUL effector vessel. The most powerful we EVER scanned. That's what took so long. We had to scan her five times to be sure. This is very difficult to explain. You people just DO NOT have the language to explain this!" The Technician paused and continued, "Hyper-matter exists everywhere. It precipitates downward from the un-livable levels of Hyperspace, through our base-line reality, to sub-space below. Hyper-matter contains dark-energy that affects ...THINGS!. The more hyper-matter, the greater the effect. "ONE percent in the brain can make one a telepath, or clairvoyant, precognitive, or otherwise. Crystals with two or three percent can be used in FTL Hyperspace or Time-Space-Matrix-Distortion drives. "THIS WOMAN is over THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT HYPER-MATTER! We don't know how this is even possible. Hyper-matter CAN attract other hyper-matter, but we aren't aware how that works. "In any event--this woman must have had a birth NI Hyper-ware program which got separated from her body. If you can find out what happened and can reverse it, she may come back. We do NOT have the ability to MAKE or LOCATE Hyper-ware. Our species is not that advanced." Aldus nodded. He said, "I just located the missing personality. Just a couple of minutes ago. I guess you ARE precognitive. OR just a good guesser. I'd like to try to re-integrate my daughter's missing parts back together." He stopped. He shouted, "OH MY GOD! 'SEIL'? You are the girl that my daughter pulled out of the Talak River years ago and brought back to life! Aren't you? AREN'T YOU?" Seil nodded, and was put off by the mad look in his eyes. He said, "You have to come with us! It's fate, destiny that you are here. You have to come off-planet with us in this great adventure!" Seil asked flatly, "Are you nuts, or on something? I'm a criminal. Kidnapper, right? Ready to be arrested?" Aldus used his burning enthusiasm and said, "Haven't you wanted MORE than an ordinary existence? To be MORE than an ordinary nurse, scrubbing bedpans? COme to space and save the human race! We need you!" She blinked. "Are you a used car sales man? O-KAY, fine. I'll go." Toxic fell over, sound asleep. Seil said, "She's overwhelmed! Out of amphetamines, it seems." --TO BE CONTINUED!!--