Mike reappeared in Florida on a deserted country road. The base was still about a mile away. At the left side of the road was a gas station. It looked as if it had been deserted, but as Mike walked over to peer in the front window, a man in his late fifties came out to greet him, staring, open-mouthed, at his costume.
"Excuse me," Mike said politely, "but do you have a rest room I could use?"
"S-sure, son, to your left. Y-you're welcome to it!" was his answer. The man was praying this wasn't a robber confronting him.
"Oh, may I have a drink of water first?" he added, pointing to a hose lying on the ground.
The man nodded, and the hose was turned on. Mike picked it up and drank in huge gulps for about five minutes, then laid it back down. The attendant had been watching from nearby. After he'd shut off the water he ran up.
"How do you do that?" he stammered. "All that water! You've almost drained my well!"
"It's not easy! Now excuse me, please! I have urgent matters to attend to!"
"I should think so, after all that!"
Mike rushed off to the rest room, got the uniform out, and put it on over his costume. Before he put on the cap which was a size too large (he noticed by a tag inside,) he stared at his reflection in the dusty, full-length mirror on the inside of the door. Not bad! The fact that the uniform was slightly big on him didn't matter; it still looked neat and freshly pressed. But when Mike looked closer to straighten his hair a little he almost fainted away! His hair had turned blonde! Since Jeanie hadn't mentioned anything this morning he decided it must be an effect caused by putting on his costume. Other times he'd worn it, no one had the chance to notice any difference in his hair....either because of his hood, or, the fact he'd always been in such a hurry to leave.
Finally putting on his cap he said, "Hm, I wonder if blondes DO have more fun?" then dashed out the door, and became air borne. The attendant watched him go in fear and wonderment, from just outside his front door. Then he fainted. When he awoke a while later he blamed his weird memories of a flying man on sunstroke, and swore the encounter never happened! The briefcase was thrown in the trash can with no second thoughts of its reason for being there.
Mike landed a few feet from the gate among some trees. He walked up to the guard's station.
"Good afternoon, sir!" the guard said. "Where did you come from? I didn't see a jeep drive up!"
"Oh, some of my friends let me off just down the road so I walked the rest of the way. Nice day, isn't it?"
"Yes, Sgt., er, White," the other said, reading Mike's name tag, "but may I see your identification now, sir? I can't let you in without it."