Synopsis: (From the back cover of the DAW Books first edition:) Manuel was a small boy gifted with mental powers that just might be the next step in human evolution. And now, Special Services, the secret arm of the government of what had once been the United States of America, wanted Manny and the secrets of his brain contained. Yet Manny had allies of his own: his mother, Maria, computer wizard able to crack top security codes; Silas Swallow, a billionaire determined to beat the government and everyone else in the race to find a faster than light drive to carry humanity to the stars. And then there was Manny's greatest champion, Pembroke Wyndham, Wyndy to his friends, a man with a secret as unique as Manny's own, a fighter who would give anything, even his own life, for Manny. Time was running out fast for Manny, Wyndy and the rest. Could Wyndy manage to keep Manny safe long enough for the boy to master the Power which could set them all free?