Larry's remark and frowned, pretending to be disgusted by it. The guys laughed.
Then, Mike reached up and began unfastening his collar in the front. Dr. Cooper noticed it attached to the shoulders of the garment with small snaps. As he unrolled it they could see it was being made into some kind of hood! When Mike slipped it over his head, they were surprised to see it covered his face down to the end of his nose. There were a type of goggles made right into the hood, so he could see clearly. It looked funny to Dr. Cooper, so Mike explained.
"This is for when I fly at higher altitudes closer to the sun. Good thing I don't have claustrophobia!" he added. "It's really a tight squeeze in here!" He started to flip the hood back again, but Cooper stopped him.
"Why don't we test it out now?" he asked, excitedly. "The sooner we know if it protects you, the better."
"But it's cloudy outside, Doc," Jeanie reported. "It looks like more snow."
"That doesn't make any difference where I'm going!" Mike laughed. He headed for the lab's rear service entrance.
"Oh!" Jeanie mumbled, following a distance behind him, "That's right!"
Cooper was right at Mike's heels. "I forgot to ask if you're sure you're ready for this. I don't want you to be hurt again, so soon after your recovery, son."
"Don't worry, I'll be o.k.."
"We'll be waiting right here for you."
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
He took off running and zoomed straight up into the overcast sky above The Institute. Cooper watched him go for a moment in ecstatic anticipation, then went back inside and shut the door.
Mike felt great as he soared higher and higher through the clouds. "Yahoo!" he cried, feeling the best freedom in the world. He went quicker than before, confident in his new-found protection. He emerged into the bright rays of the sun and grinned at it over his right shoulder. "Bye-bye!" he called cheerfully, waving his hand at the huge orange ball.
Mike went higher than before, but as he continued upward toward the edge of the atmosphere, he started to become weak. Just after crossing the border into dark, endless space, he realized he had to start back before anything went wrong once again. He could report that though slightly disturbed the suit ws serving its purpose...but he still needed extra aide from the direct rays above the clouds, to reach his goal. Feeling a tinge of depression overtake him, Mike landed and hurried back inside the lab. The first thing everyone was after him, asking questions.
"What happened? Are you all right, son?" Cooper was the first to ask.