Free Near Future 1: Awakening by Randal Sloan

though they had a high-end VR interface in this section of the hospital, he was still surprised to see what she could do with it.
    Clearing his throat to get her attention, Doctor Ted told her, "I have good news and even better news. Based on your progress to this point, if you are willing to wear a monitoring device to ensure your nanites remain stable, you will be able to leave the hospital." Seeing that he now had her full attention, he went on, "Have you thought about what you want to do next? Are you ready to try going to school at one of the nearby universities?"
    "Yes, I would really like to go, just not sure about the how of it. What have you found out?"  
    Miranda's skepticism was obvious in her voice. Doctor Ted could tell she really didn't know how smart she was compared to others. She needed to understand better, so he decided he needed to explain it just a little.
    "Miranda, you have been offered an opportunity based on your test score, which is the highest score that I have ever seen on that particular exam. However, I can't stress enough that you really need to keep everything low key, because your treatment is still experimental and you don't need a lot of people looking at you.
    "This is for your own safety," he told her, looking her in the eyes. "However, the deal is, you have been granted a full scholarship to the new program that everyone is calling the 'Space Academy.' It is at one of the best schools in the country. As I am sure you know, that is the program sponsored by Space Tech. It was created by Doctor Sam Randolph himself, because he wanted to help other students the age of his daughter. And although it is at a military school, because of your disability, and due to you being a highly sought after student, unlike many of the students there, you will not be required to serve a term of military service to complete your degree. You would instead be qualified as an officer in the reserve forces. The only catch is that you will have to start in the middle of the school year, which might put you at somewhat of a disadvantage."
    Miranda exclaimed joyfully, her enthusiasm overflowing. "Yes! That was by far my first preference. I just didn't think I had any chance to go there. Do you think that I will be able to go immediately into advanced classes? Of course, I know that it is a military school and I would have been willing to do what was required if I had been able to go there." She was speaking rather rapidly in her excitement. This was what she had dreamed of but she had not expected that it could happen.
    "You know," she went on, "They have a very good astrophysics and space technology program. And their flight simulator is the best in the world, in the opinion of many pilots, both terrestrial and astronautical.
    "I have been thinking about a problem in astrophysics that I think I can figure out if I have a little help." She tried to explain it, something about quantum energy relationships, some kind of subspace fabric, dark matter and dark energy. Doctor Ted didn't have a clue what she was talking about. It must have shown on his face, because she eventually stopped and looked at him.
    However, he only said, "Sounds like you know just what you want to do, and I believe it's by far the best choice for you. Plus, it keeps you close to me, and that will help me be able to keep a close watch on your nanites."
    "Ok, I will make it happen. As a member of the school's Board of Directors, I have quite a bit of pull. Classes start the middle of next week, and that should give us enough time to take care of everything. I will make arrangements for you to have a handicapped accessible room in the nearby dorm. Until then, we will have you stay here at the hospital, and that will let me monitor things more closely for a few more days. I will plan to visit you weekly to keep up with your progress, because it is so close. Plus, I will only be a VR call or message away."
    Doctor Ted rose and pointed to her pad. "I