"You're doing great son!" Dr. Cooper told Mike as he finished disarming the MLC model for what seemed the thousandth time that day. He smiled at his supervisor and floated down from his advantage point near the control panel which was only a few feet off the floor. Cooper held up a stop watch so Mike could see it when he walked over to him. "You did it in seconds, but I've discovered some interesting information. After the initial panel is opened on the real thing, you'll only have one-three-thousandth of a second to disconnect the automatic launching device, and that's in zero gravity conditions!"
"One three thousandth of a second?" Mike gasped. "That's going to be very tricky, Doc! Remember, I've only been in space once, and that wasn't for long!"
"Relax. I think I've found the answer to your training problem already. I've managed with great difficulty to rent the weightlessness room at Hermetaseal, the factory just north of here that makes hermetically sealed equipment like we use in the Transporter Device. Remember the thing you pulled apart for us in the lab a while ago? That's where we would've had to send it if you hadn't come along. We have a week for you to get the procedure straight, and we'll be leaving next Monday. I wanted to give everyone a chance to settle any personal matters, like paying the rent and so forth, before we leave. Does that sound all right to you?"
"Yeah. I just hope I'll be able to move fast enough and do it carefully enough to get it right! I won't have a second chance, you know!"
"Oh, I know it too well, son! I have confidence in you to accomplish what seems the impossible. You've done well up until now. And once I get through drilling you, you'll wish you'd have joined the Army! They'll be no rest for the weary next week!"
Mike laughed. "I don't think things will be THAT bad, Doc!"
"Oh, you might be surprised! It'll take about a day and a half to get to the factory by jeep. We'll have Larry, some techs, and security men with us. Make sure you get enough rest so your energy will be at its peak. Practice makes perfect, you know! We won't be needing you in the lab. We've started building processes now. As Larry would say, it's really a drag, until we get our new machinery in, but I assume you'll be by a couple of times to practice until the model's dismantled to be ready for transport!"
"Don't worry, I will be. Besides, I'll have to check up on you to keep you out of trouble."
It was Cooper's turn to laugh. "You'd better believe it!" he said. After one more test Mike went home with Jeanie for lunch.
"You know," he told her after their meal was done, "I've been thinking of starting a project of my own, now I have some time on my hands."