"Oh, I saw an article in a magazine at the commissary the other day. It was about a solar generating plant in Antartica, that had closed down a few months ago. It was abandoned because it was costing too much for upkeep and not doing well. Too bad it's so far away, huh?"
"LARRY!" Mike cried joyfully, making everyone jump, "Why didn't you mention this before? You forget that I could get there in minutes and find what I need, if nobody's taken off with everything, already!"
"I don't think they have. Now that I think about it, I believe the magazine said the weather was so bad many things were just abandoned."
"Oh, Mike, do you think there's a chance...." Jeanie chimed in.
"The least I can do is look," he said. "If I have your permission, Doc. It will be quite a risky trip."
"I'm pretty certain you'll manage o.k.. The only thing that worries me is the tremendous strength of the sun's rays when you cross the Earth's equator," Cooper told him.
"The suit will protect me. I'm pretty sure of that....and if I find what I'm after, and it's right, I won't have any worries on the return trip, will I?"
"Definitely not!" Larry replied, all smiles again.
"When do you think you should leave?" Dr. Cooper asked.
"How about right now? It's as good a time as any."
"How about after lunch?" Jeanie teased. "We had a date, remember?"
"Oh, that's right! After lunch, then, Doc?"
"Sounds fine with me!"
And lunch was only minutes away. After everyone had satisfied their appetites, Mike changed and kissed Jeanie good-bye. Dr. Cooper told him the easiest route to his destination.
Mike crossed the equator safely, as he'd predicted, and reached Antarctica shortly after, landing in a snowbank near the deserted plant. Snow whipped around him from a terrible blizzard, but Mike was able to make his way to the huge place.
He searched the outside of the building on foot, as not to miss anything, and there, around a final corner of the structure, he found what he was looking for! Mike lifted the panel over his head, and in a flash was in the air, heading home, very pleased with himself. The panel was large, but not as big as some he'd seen. It could easily be reconstructed into the shield with just a few minor alterations.
When Mike reached the lab, he was instructed by Dr. Cooper to take the panel into
The Institute's observatory and hide it. The supervisor had opened the large dome for his easy entry, and he slipped in, unnoticed. There was a fairly large, unused broom  closet in a small rear corner of the room where the prize would be perfectly hidden.  Mike left it there