The night was cool and silent, with only the soft hum of distant traffic breaking the stillness. Max stood in the open field, the suit gleaming under the faint moonlight. He adjusted the helmet, his fingers trembling slightly as he ran a final systems check. The HUD inside the visor was alive with data—thruster output, energy reserves, and stability metrics flashing in rhythmic precision.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. "Alright, Max," he muttered to himself. "If Dad could invent this, you can at least figure out how to use it."
With a sharp inhale, Max activated the flight system. A low hum emanated from the suit, quickly building to a powerful whir as the thrusters roared to life. He felt the suit vibrate, a surge of energy coursing through his legs as the ground beneath him began to fade away.
For a fleeting moment, exhilaration filled him. He was flying—or at least, he was hovering. But the joy was short-lived. The thrusters, still unfamiliar to him, pushed unevenly. His body tilted forward, then backward, as he flailed his arms in an attempt to stabilize himself.
"Whoa, whoa! Easy, easy!" Max shouted, panic creeping into his voice. His heart raced as he wobbled in the air like a marionette controlled by a novice puppeteer.
The thrusters sputtered, sending him spiraling a few feet higher before abruptly cutting power. Gravity wasted no time reclaiming its hold, and Max tumbled downward.
He hit the ground with a soft thud, landing in a patch of overgrown grass. The impact wasn't severe—thankfully, the suit absorbed most of the shock—but it was enough to knock the wind out of him. For a moment, he just lay there, staring up at the sky, feeling the cool blades of grass tickle his face through the visor.
And then, to his own surprise, he began to laugh.
"Okay, so maybe I'm not exactly a genius inventor yet," Max said, his voice laced with both amusement and self-deprecation.
He sat up, brushing dirt and grass off the suit. The thrusters emitted a faint hiss as they reset, the HUD inside his helmet flickering briefly. Max couldn't help but gape at the technology—his father's brilliance. Even in failure, the suit felt like a masterpiece.
"Alright," he said, his resolve hardening. "Round one goes to gravity. But I'm not done yet."
Max pushed himself to his feet, determination glinting in his eyes as he prepared for another attempt. The thrill of flight had tasted too sweet to give up now.