to see a pretty blond head inside the living room.
“Is anyone home?” Lisa said.
“Mommy!” Dani shouted. “Mason is helping me with my homework.”
“That's a stretch,” he said, turning to face Lisa. “You're out early today.”
Lisa closed the door behind her and ran her hands down her knee length skirt. She worked as a property manager on the other side of town for an apartment complex.
“Yeah. I sneaked out a few minutes early. I want to get a head start on dinner. You coming over?”
“Oh, no thanks. Now I have extra time to go find me a girlfriend.”
Lisa stopped near the back of the couch as her face turned red. Mason gave her his best fake angry look. She looked at her daughter.
“You ratted us out.”
Dani laughed.
“Come on, Mason. Wouldn't it be fun to double date?”
“You're married. You don't date anymore.”
She held up her hands and smirked. “Hey, go ahead and be single. It just gives me a built-in babysitter on Friday night.” She looked at Dani. “Get your things, baby, so we can head home.”
Mason had the feeling he'd be dodging blind dates soon. Hopefully she didn't go overboard setting them up like she did last year.
He considered Brian his brother, Lisa his sister, and Dani his niece. If he had to put up with a blind date every now and then to call them his family, he would do that.
“So,” Lisa said. “Will we see you on the news tonight?”
Like Brian, Lisa knew his past, what he was capable of, what he did for a living.
“No, no press there this time. But we did have a happy ending.”
“That's good.” She put a hand on his shoulder as Dani stood next to her mother, still eating her sandwich. “You know you do a good thing, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Get out of here and smack Brian for me.”
They laughed. Dani gave Mason a hug before they left.
He turned the volume up on the television so he could learn more about life in the Amazon while he made dinner. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich didn't do a good job of filling him up.
Water was starting to boil for spaghetti when there was a knock at the door. He looked at the dining room table for Lisa's purse. She was notorious for forgetting it, but he didn't see it.
He opened the door. His jaw dropped and he gripped the knob a little tighter.
Doctor Albert Rierson stood in the hallway, a small smile on his face.
“Hi, Mason.”
Mason said nothing. He hadn't seen or heard from Doc since the day of his eighteenth birthday, when Brian picked him up at Yingling. No letters. No phone calls. No emails. No smoke signals. Nothing.
Now here he was.
Doc looked like he did seven years ago, only a few more gray hairs. He dressed casual, just jeans and a shirt, with a light coat on. Not a look Mason was used to seeing.
“You mind if I come in?”
Mason hesitated before stepping back and letting Doc inside. Lucy sat on top of her cage, staring at the stranger. Mason had mixed feelings as Doc removed his coat and studied his former subject's apartment.
Doc tried to look out for him more than anyone else in that lab. He was simply the subject to everyone. But to Doc, he was Mason. Doc would intentionally go slow on some of the harder experiments, and give Mason an extra day or two to rest.
But Mason couldn't forget being forced to mind slide in a tub of ice, or with pins sticking out all over this body, or while given electroshocks.
The jerk never even found the picture of Mason's parents, like he said he would.
Doc smiled as he looked over the apartment. A classical music CD collection, simple couch and small chair, television, a dining room table with only two chairs.
His eyes fell on the educational DVDs from the History and Discovery Channel on a bookshelf. A poor substitute for an education from a school.
“I like it,” Doc said, his eyes falling on Lucy's cage. “This suits you.”
“Thanks. I couldn't fit the big metal table through the door.”
Doc sighed, some tension in his
“Is anyone home?” Lisa said.
“Mommy!” Dani shouted. “Mason is helping me with my homework.”
“That's a stretch,” he said, turning to face Lisa. “You're out early today.”
Lisa closed the door behind her and ran her hands down her knee length skirt. She worked as a property manager on the other side of town for an apartment complex.
“Yeah. I sneaked out a few minutes early. I want to get a head start on dinner. You coming over?”
“Oh, no thanks. Now I have extra time to go find me a girlfriend.”
Lisa stopped near the back of the couch as her face turned red. Mason gave her his best fake angry look. She looked at her daughter.
“You ratted us out.”
Dani laughed.
“Come on, Mason. Wouldn't it be fun to double date?”
“You're married. You don't date anymore.”
She held up her hands and smirked. “Hey, go ahead and be single. It just gives me a built-in babysitter on Friday night.” She looked at Dani. “Get your things, baby, so we can head home.”
Mason had the feeling he'd be dodging blind dates soon. Hopefully she didn't go overboard setting them up like she did last year.
He considered Brian his brother, Lisa his sister, and Dani his niece. If he had to put up with a blind date every now and then to call them his family, he would do that.
“So,” Lisa said. “Will we see you on the news tonight?”
Like Brian, Lisa knew his past, what he was capable of, what he did for a living.
“No, no press there this time. But we did have a happy ending.”
“That's good.” She put a hand on his shoulder as Dani stood next to her mother, still eating her sandwich. “You know you do a good thing, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Get out of here and smack Brian for me.”
They laughed. Dani gave Mason a hug before they left.
He turned the volume up on the television so he could learn more about life in the Amazon while he made dinner. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich didn't do a good job of filling him up.
Water was starting to boil for spaghetti when there was a knock at the door. He looked at the dining room table for Lisa's purse. She was notorious for forgetting it, but he didn't see it.
He opened the door. His jaw dropped and he gripped the knob a little tighter.
Doctor Albert Rierson stood in the hallway, a small smile on his face.
“Hi, Mason.”
Mason said nothing. He hadn't seen or heard from Doc since the day of his eighteenth birthday, when Brian picked him up at Yingling. No letters. No phone calls. No emails. No smoke signals. Nothing.
Now here he was.
Doc looked like he did seven years ago, only a few more gray hairs. He dressed casual, just jeans and a shirt, with a light coat on. Not a look Mason was used to seeing.
“You mind if I come in?”
Mason hesitated before stepping back and letting Doc inside. Lucy sat on top of her cage, staring at the stranger. Mason had mixed feelings as Doc removed his coat and studied his former subject's apartment.
Doc tried to look out for him more than anyone else in that lab. He was simply the subject to everyone. But to Doc, he was Mason. Doc would intentionally go slow on some of the harder experiments, and give Mason an extra day or two to rest.
But Mason couldn't forget being forced to mind slide in a tub of ice, or with pins sticking out all over this body, or while given electroshocks.
The jerk never even found the picture of Mason's parents, like he said he would.
Doc smiled as he looked over the apartment. A classical music CD collection, simple couch and small chair, television, a dining room table with only two chairs.
His eyes fell on the educational DVDs from the History and Discovery Channel on a bookshelf. A poor substitute for an education from a school.
“I like it,” Doc said, his eyes falling on Lucy's cage. “This suits you.”
“Thanks. I couldn't fit the big metal table through the door.”
Doc sighed, some tension in his
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