By the fourth time, Mark had no visible reaction to the move, but he glanced over to Illya.

"I think I should invest in a protective cup though."

"I would recommend it."

Then he glanced over Mark's shoulder and spoke.

"Greetings, Miss Zandrous. May I help you?"

"Gail, please. I don't want to interrupt. I'll just wait at the bench until April's through."

Illya had noticed during his visits to the labs that Gail's presence in R&D had given the other researchers what seemed to be a jolt of creativity. Her enthusiasm was contagious,