The Zenith Project

Captured by terrorists, a primitive mathematical wizard, a space ship, a mobster, destruction of a village, kidnapping! What else? She was a pre-teen, he a college sophomore. Another young lady was a vagrant, unable to talk clearly. Another, perfectly normal young woman was arrested and sent to a mental hospital for "treatment." Another young woman is a private detective, and another a union organizer. How do all these loose ends come together in the Zenith Project?